Social and Political

PayvandNews – Iran says its exports of hand-woven carpets to the United States have reached around $50 million since the removal of sanctions in January. Hamid Kargar, head of the Iran National Carpet Center, told Reuters that Iran was under pressure in the US market by rivals such as India, Pakistan and Turkey during the years that the sanctions were …

Al-monitor – Conditions seem to be moving toward the smooth re-election of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani after one of his main rivals, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, announced that he will not be running in the May 2017 vote. But will the Reformists, who were Rouhani’s key supporters and the reason for his victory in the 2013 election, continue backing him? …

RFL/RE – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been hosting talks in Moscow with his counterparts from Syria and Iran to discuss the security situation in Syria. Lavrov said the October 28 meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is an effort of “like-minded people” to “hammer out a constructive solution” to the Syrian …

Al-arabia – A Senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been killed in Syria, according to Iranian media. Major General Gholam Reza Smaiie died during an advisory mission to support Syrian forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Wednesday, according to “Defense Press”, the official website of Iran’s army. Smaiie’s service dates back to the Iran-Iraq …

Al-Arabia – The United Arab Emirates foreign minister has condemned Iran for aiding and supporting Houthi militias in Yemen following an attempted attack on Makkah. UAE’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed tweeted his condemnation on Friday saying that “Iran claims itself Islamic while supporting militias firing of rockets into Makkah”. The Arab Coalition fighting in Yemen said on Thursday that …

Iran Human Rights – Three Turkish citizens were reportedly executed in Iran 11 days after Erdogan paid an official visit to Tehran. Iran Human Rights (IHR) has discovered that three Turkish citizens were executed in Iran last year on April 18, 2015. The executions took place 11 days after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tehran on an official visit with …

Al-monitor — After much speculation, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appointed caretakers for the three empty seats in his Cabinet: Reza Salehi Amiri (from the Moderation and Development Party) for minister of culture and Islamic guidance; Fakhrodin Ahmadi Danesh-Ashtiani (from the Islamic Iran Participation Front) for education minister; and Masoud Soltanifar (from the National Trust Party) for minister of sports and youth affairs — all of whom …

Al-monitor – The European Union Parliament passed a resolution Oct. 25 calling for normalization of relations with Iran — a decision that Tehran cautiously welcomed. AUTHORRohollah Faghihi In response to the resolution, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that the EU Parliament seeks “renormalization and expansion of long-term relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He added, “This shows the positive will of the European …

PayvandNews – Figures released by the Customs Administration of Iran show that the country’s exports from Germany have increased by 25 percent. This is Iran’s main entry and exit point for cargoes. Iran’s official figures show that the country’s imports from Germany have increased by a quarter in what could be a fresh indication of growing opening in Iran’s post-sanctions …

Tehran Times – The recent EU resolution on Iran has many problems,” Iran’s human rights chief said on Wednesday. “The European is not entitled to tell us we have to mend ourselves,” said Mohammad Javad Larijani. He also said the Islamic Republic will not authorize the European to open an office in Tehran, Fars reported. Such an office will be …