Social and Political

Al-Monitor – The US Navy denied on Thursday Iran‘s claim that it forced a US cruise-missile submarine to surface in the Strait of Hormuz, after Washington had deployed the vessel to the region in a show of force toward Tehran earlier this month. Rear Adm. Shahram Irani, top commander of the Iranian navy, said that the crew of its Fateh submarine …

iranintl.com – A group of 125 British MPs has signed a letter backing hunger striker Vahid Beheshti’s call for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be outlawed. The group supported the Iranian activist’s call for the IRGC to be declared a terrorist organization in a letter they signed and sent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. A group of the MPs …

Iranwire – The FBI has warned that authoritarian regimes such as in China and Iran are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to silence dissidents in the United States. In a news briefing with reporters on April 19, FBI counterintelligence officials raised alarm about what they described as an “inflection point” in these regimes seeking to engage in “transnational repression” …

Iranwire – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Saudi Arabia’s agreement with regional rival Iran to resume diplomatic relations is fraught with the risk of “misery.” “Those who partner with Iran partner with misery. Look at Lebanon, look at Yemen, look at Syria, look at Iraq,” Netanyahu told US broadcaster CNBC on April 19, adding that “95 percent …

Al-Monitor – On an official visit to Azerbaijan, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, ahead of his trip to Turkmenistan where Israel is expected to open an embassy.  A statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry after Cohen’s meeting with Aliyev said that the two countries are strengthening their diplomatic and security alliance. The two …

Al-Monitor — The US Treasury Department on Wednesday targeted an alleged sanctions-evasion network supporting Iran’s defense industry.  The department designated Iranian national Mehdi Khoshghadam, who heads Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), an Iranian company sanctioned in 2018. The Treasury accused Khoshghadam of leading PASNA’s sanctions evasion efforts by using front companies to procure electronic components from foreign suppliers mostly based …

RFL/RE – An Iranian rights group says three people sentenced to death in the case of the November 3 killing of Basij militia member Ruhollah Ajamian in Karaj have had their penalties changed to prison time, while several others had their punishments cut as well after a Supreme Court-ordered review of the case. The Telegram channel called the Committee To …

RFL/RE – Several Iranian cities have seen a new wave of suspicious illnesses mainly at girls schools sparked by what some have called poisonings, reigniting fears among families after a similar outbreak saw hundreds of students taken to the hospital. Reports on social media on April 18 noted a surge in illnesses in the cities of Sanandaj, Saqqez, Bukan, Divandarreh, …

Amnesty – The rights to education, health and life of millions of schoolgirls are at risk amid ongoing chemical gas attacks deliberately targeting girls’ schools in Iran. Since November 2022, thousands of schoolgirls have been poisoned and hospitalized. The authorities have failed to adequately investigate and end the attacks and dismissed girls’ symptoms as “stress”, “excitement” and/or “mental contagion”. View …

Iranwire – Millions of Iranian men and women have received a text message on their mobile phones telling them that mandatory hijab rules should be observed, local media reported on April 19. “Dear compatriot, it is necessary to respect and observe the hijab law, like any other law,” the message reads.  Police sent the SMS to anyone with an active …