Social and Political

Iranwire – Russia has provided Iran with advanced digital-surveillance capabilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 27, as the two countries seek to bolster cooperation in the field of security and defense. The US newspaper quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has provided Tehran with “communication-surveillance …

VOA – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised women in Afghanistan and Iran for standing up for freedoms as he spoke Tuesday at an event highlighting the role of women in democracy. Blinken praised women who have protested in Iran in response to the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini last year, saying they have courageously demonstrated “under …

Al-Monitor — Iran’s Foreign Ministry suggested on Tuesday that a statement by a group named the Iranian Advisory Center in Syria — which has warned US forces of fresh attacks — was not representative of Tehran’s stance.   “Iran’s official positions on the fight against terrorism in Syria will either be made public by the Foreign Ministry or the embassy in Damascus,” ministry …

Al-Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation for the Chinese initiative “to support efforts to develop the good neighborly relations” between Saudi Arabia and Iran during a phone call with China’s President Xi Jinping, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed on restoring diplomatic ties through …

Iranwire – Prominent Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi has reiterated that she is ready to testify “anytime” about the sexual abuse and acts of torture inflicted to women incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison. Mohammadi, who is serving a long-term sentence in Evin, said in a written message on March 27 that she is “not seeking amnesty” from the Iranian government. Instead, …

Iranwire – The BBC’s Persian radio service, one of the oldest Persian-language media, went off the air after 82 years of broadcasting. The radio station was a crucial source of information for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and other officials who relied on it for their daily political updates. The last king of Iran, Mohammadreza Pahlavi, …

VOA – The United States expressed concern Monday about the strengthening of ties between Russia and Iran. “It should be a concern for countries not just neighboring Russia and Iran, but the world broadly,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a briefing. “We have seen the havoc caused by Iranian-made drones that Russia has unleashed on Kyiv, …

RFL/RE – The British Defense Ministry said on March 26 that Russia had “likely launched” at least 71 Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine after a two-week letup in late February. The resumption suggests that “Russia has started receiving regular resupplies of small numbers of Shahed” uncrewed aerial drones, the U.K. military added in its daily intelligence assessment. It said Russian forces …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have withdrawn the license of prominent lawyer Nemat Ahmadi, according to the country’s lawyers’ association, amid growing pressure on attorneys who have represented protesters in recent months. More than 50 defense attorneys have been arrested since the September 2022 death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody triggered an ongoing wave of nationwide anti-government …

Iranwire – The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to meet during the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan under a deal to restore ties. Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia discussed the matter during a phone call on March 26, the two countries’ state media reported. “During the call, …