Social and Political

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 …

Iranwire – A London-based Iranian lawyer has called on the UN’s chemical-weapons watchdog to probe an ongoing wave of poisoning attacks that has sickened thousands of schoolgirls across Iran over more than four months. In a letter addressed to the director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Hamid Sabi requested the appointment of an inspector to …

VOA – Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out the holding of popular referendums on state policies. Iran faced calls for a referendum on the Islamic Republic itself during anti-government protests last year, and a moderate former president recently suggested such votes should be held to decide major policies as a way of reducing divisions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, …

gatestoneinstitute.org – In the absence of any desire on the part of the Biden administration to support the Saudis — for decades one of Washington’s most important allies in the region — China has moved quickly to fill the diplomatic vacuum to launch its own initiative to restore ties with Iran. [T]he fact that the Chinese can pull off a …