Social and Political

Al-monitor – Javad Hashemi, a famous Iranian actor who is best known for his blockbuster roles as a compassionate Basij soldier, has caused controversy by saying in a televised interview, “If I were in office in the Islamic Republic and [Golshifteh Farahani] said that she wanted to return, I would say ‘come back.'” AUTHOR Misha Zand Farahani is a well-known …

Al-monitor – Soon after the US Treasury Department granted licenses to Boeing and Airbus to sell passenger planes to Iran, Tehran welcomed the move as a fulfillment of American obligations under the nuclear deal. On Sept. 24, three days after the licenses were issued, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed that Iran had received the green light to purchase …

PayvandNews – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Iranian authorities not to back down in the face of the United States’ ever-increasing demands. Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Wednesday in a meeting with a group of top university students and members of Iran’s National Elites Foundation. “We have, time and again, told [Iranian …

VOA – An Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for espionage, Tehran’s prosecutor said Tuesday. The Mizan news agency reported Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer Namazi, both dual citizens, were convicted of “cooperating with the hostile American government.” Siamak Namazi was detained in October 2015 by the Islamic …

Iranhumanrights.org – An attorney has been arrested in western Iran for wearing a T-shirt honoring the Green Movement, an informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “Mohammad Najafi was arrested on October 11 [2016] in Shazand, Markazi Province, by agents of the Intelligence Ministry for appearing in public with a T-shirt that had ‘Ashura 88’ printed …

PayvanNews – Iran has sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, where the United States conducted missile attacks. The announcement came after the U.S. military launched cruise-missile strikes to knock out radar sites in Yemen controlled by Iran-allied Huthi forces, after failed missile attacks this week on a U.S. Navy destroyer. Iranian warships Alvand (file …

PayvandNews – Moscow has reportedly concluded the supply of the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems to Iran. Russia’s RIA news agency quoted the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) as making the announcement on Thursday. “All divisions have been supplied,” said FSVTS Director Alexander Fomin. Russian-made S-300 missile defense system during a military parade in Tehran in April 2016. …

Guardian – Militias controlled by Tehran are poised to complete a land corridor that would give Iran huge power in the region Not far from Mosul, a large military force is finalising plans for an advance that has been more than three decades in the making. The troops are Shia militiamen who have fought against the Islamic State, but they …

RFL/RE – Top U.S. officials are charging that Iran supplied Yemeni rebels with the missiles that were aimed at a U.S. Navy warship in several attacks this week. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, who was briefed by the Pentagon on the three failed missile attacks on the USS Mason destroyer, said on October 13 that Iran likely provided …

Al-monitor – Repeated concert cancellations over the past year have turned into a real headache for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who in his 2013 election campaign pledged that he would address cultural issues. AUTHOR Rohollah Faghihi In August, Mashhad’s ultra-conservative Friday prayer leader, Ahmad Alamolhoda, defied the Rouhani administration as he prevented singers from performing in the holy city. Amid …