Social and Political

RFL/RE – Eight independent labor organizations in Iran have called for the expulsion of the country from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and its session in Switzerland that starts on June 5. The organizations, including the Organizing Council of Oil Contract Workers’ Protests and the Iran Retirees Council, urged representative delegations from countries around the world to kick Iran out of the …

Iranwire – Iranian officials have presented what they described as the Islamic Republic’s first domestically produced hypersonic ballistic missile, capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound, amid heightened Western concerns about Tehran’s missile capabilities and nuclear program. Iranian state media published pictures of the missile named Fattah, or “Conqueror” in Persian, at a ceremony on June 6 …

Al-Monitor – Tensions have escalated between Tehran and the Taliban regime in Kabul over the distribution of their shared waters. As Iran faces increasing water scarcity issues, Afghanistan is trying to dam water sources as much as possible to generate electricity and irrigate agricultural land.  Originating in the Afghan Hindu Kush mountain range, the Helmand River is Afghanistan’s longest river that …

RFL/RE – The U.S. Navy said on June 5 that its sailors and the U.K. Royal Navy came to the aid of a ship in the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “harassed” it. Three fast-attack vessels with armed troops aboard approached the merchant ship at a close distance in the afternoon on June 4, the U.S. Navy …

RFL/RE – Iran will reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital on June 6, Iranian sources told the semiofficial Fars news agency, months after Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end years of hostility. In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish relations after years of hostility between the regional rivals that had threatened stability and security in the Middle …

Iranwire – The café that was the workplace of Nika Shakarami, a 16-year-old victim of the bloody crackdown on last year’s nationwide protests, was shut down for a second time for catering to women without hijab. Mohammad Nabi Mousavi-Fard, the Friday Imam of Ahvaz, has supported the closure of all businesses that provide services to women without hijab. Civil resistance …

Iranwire – Psychological warfare, known by a number of names including psychological operations and “psy ops,” is one of the oldest tactics employed in wars. Such tactics are aimed at undermining the enemy’s morale and its will to fight or resist and, sometimes, at persuading the enemy to change its position. Another kind of psy-ops is propaganda aimed at strengthening …

Iranwire – In an open letter from Tehran’s Evin Prison, Reza Shahabi, a well-known labor activist, accused the Islamic Republic of having “drawn its daggers against all workers and wage earners since its inception,” and asked members of the International Labor Organization to expel the regime’s representatives from its meetings. “Since the inception of our union, I and my colleagues have …

VOA – Iran’s supreme leader Sunday defended his tough approach to the West, saying compromise would only invite further hostility from Iran’s enemies and blaming recent anti-government protests on “thugs and villains.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks come amid an intensifying standoff with Western countries over Iran’s nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-President Donald …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Hacked documents by hacktivist group “Ghyam Sarnegouni” (Uprising Until Downfall) provide an invaluable insight into the Islamic Republic’s system of repression, as well as clearly demonstrating how the Judiciary acts as an extension of the security apparatus. The documents include an order by the IRGC Sarallah Headquarters banning judges from issuing verdicts in student protester …