Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would discuss with Donald Trump the West’s “bad” nuclear deal with Iran after the US president-elect enters the White House. Speaking separately to a conference in Washington, Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry clashed over the Iran deal and Israel’s settlement construction on the occupied West Bank, …

Iran Human Rights –  The death sentence for Babak Zanjani, the prime suspect in a high profile financial corruption case, has been confirmed by Iran’s Supreme Court. Gholamreza Ansari, a senior official at the Supreme Court, confirmed the news to the state-run news agency, Mizan. In regards to the two other defendants in the case, Mehdi Shams and Hamid Fallah Heravi, …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to sign a 10-year extension of U.S. sanctions approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. In a speech to Iran’s parliament on December 4, Rohani said the bill violates a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. On December 1, the U.S. Congress voted to extend the …

Al-Arabia – A US Senate vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years shows the world that Washington cannot be relied upon to act on its commitments, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday. Iran has vowed to retaliate against the ISA extension, passed unanimously on Thursday, saying it violated last year’s agreement with six …

Al-monitor – The resignations of three cabinet ministers in October had raised hope among many women’s rights activists in Iran that President Hassan Rouhani would nominate at least one woman to one of the vacant positions. While Rouhani pledged to incorporate more women into his government during his 2013 presidential campaign, he has yet to fulfill this promise. AUTHOR Zahra …

RFL/RE – Iran says the extension of sanctions legislation by the U.S. Congress is “a violation” of the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and world powers last year. “We will report it to Iran’s committee assigned for monitoring the implementation of the deal,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on December 2. “We are ready to firmly protect the nation’s …

Iranhumanrights.org – The dual national translator for a prestigious film festival was prevented from boarding a flight to Germany at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and her passport confiscated as she was leaving the country together with her colleague on November 27. “Nooshafarin Dastoori has been summoned to the Intelligence Ministry to explain some things,” an informed source told the International …

Al-monitor – After seven months of negotiations, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to cut production in order to boost the price of oil, while exempting Iran, Nigeria and Libya from output cuts. Iranian media hailed the Nov. 30 deal in Vienna as a victory over Saudi Arabia. AUTHOR Changiz M. Varzi It is OPEC’s first supply …

Al-monitor – Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shuffled the country’s military leadership on Nov. 19, appointing Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan deputy commander of the army, or Artesh. Pourdastan had previously led the army’s ground forces. His new appointment is significant in part because Pourdastan is one of the rare senior army commanders who has not been shy about …

PayvandNews – The celebration of Noruz, the New Year shared by 12 countries, was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO on Wednesday. Noruz marks the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area. It is celebrated on March 21st every year. The decision was made during the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for …