Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Iran’s clerical rulers are clamping down on dissent ahead of the anniversary of the death of a young woman in morality police custody, fearing a revival of nationwide protests that rocked the Islamic Republic for months. Journalists, lawyers, activists, human rights advocates and students have been arrested, summoned or faced other measures in a campaign that one activist described as …

RFL/RE – Thousands of Iranians, including active and retired teachers and cultural figures, have added their signatures to an online petition critical of the government and calling for the release of scores of educators who have been imprisoned in recent months for their support of protesters demanding more freedoms. The campaign, initiated by cultural figures across the country, is characterized as a …

Iranwire – On the evening of June 11, tragedy struck as Pouya Molaei-Rad, a 19-year-old student, met his untimely demise due to gunfire from security forces.  The government’s narrative surrounding his death has been plagued by many contradictions, as previously shown by IranWire. New information is now shedding further light on the circumstances surrounding this murder. Among those called in for questioning …

HRW – Many Middle East and North Africa countries still prevent women from moving freely in their own country or traveling abroad without the permission of a male guardian. Women in the region are fighting rules that authorities often claim are for their protection, but that deprive women of their rights and enable men to control and abuse them at will. All …

Al-Monitor – The Pentagon is sending high-end F-35 fighter jets and a Navy destroyer to the Middle East to fend off increasingly aggressive maneuvers by Russian pilots over Syria and to deter a recent spate of attempted seizures of commercial fuel tankers by Iran. The deployment of the F-35s follows the arrival of stealth F-22s to Jordan from Europe last month on a …

voanews – Iran got a small measure of relief from its isolation by the West this month by joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of Eurasian nations. But analysts based in Iran and the U.S. say Tehran faces significant obstacles to benefit from its SCO membership. Tehran became the SCO’s ninth member on July 4, when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi participated …

voanews – The U.S. is beefing up its use of fighter jets around the strategic Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from Iranian seizures, a senior defense official said Friday, adding that the U.S. is increasingly concerned about the growing ties between Iran, Russia and Syria across the Middle East. Speaking to Pentagon reporters, the official said the U.S. will …

rferl.org – Iranian students have slammed a government decision to admit members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to local universities, characterizing the move as a “militarization” of school campuses. Student groups from Tehran University on July 14 said they would resist the presence of the militants on campus, “regardless of whether they are in combat or academic attire,” while …

ferl.org – Iranian veterans of the devastating war with Iraq in the 1980s are widely regarded as heroes, with tens of thousands disabled by chronic illnesses caused by exposure to chemical weapons used during the conflict. But when dozens of veterans staged a protest on July 8 in Tehran over what they said were their inadequate pensions, police violently broke …

voanews – Iran summoned Russia’s ambassador on Wednesday after Moscow released a joint statement with Arab countries earlier this week challenging Iran’s claim to disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. It marked a rare spat between Iran and Russia, which have deepened ties since Moscow invaded Ukraine, with Iran supplying killer drones that have been used to devastating effect there. …