Social and Political

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) Three men sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, were executed in Urmia Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed in Urmia Central Prison on February 21. Their identities have been established as Sadollah Farokhi Jormi (photo), Vahid Beizayi and Amir Ali Beirami. They were all sentenced to qisas for murder. Speaking to Iran Human Rights, an informed said: “They …

Al-Monitor — German human rights activists are pressuring the government in Berlin to take firm steps against Tehran, to halt the death sentence handed down on Tuesday to dual German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd. On Wednesday, Germany decided to expel two employees of the Iranian Embassy in Berlin in reaction to the death sentence ruling, but several German politicians believe the expulsion is …

Al-Monitor – Reports of a number of explosions in the city of Karaj in Iran surfaced on Thursday night local time, as tension escalates between Tehran and Israel.  The BBC’s Persian-language service reported at 11:46 pm Tehran time that people in the central Iranian city west of the capital reported hearing gunshots and explosions. It carried a video that appeared to show …

telegraph.co.uk – US says the Government can play a key diplomatic role with Tehran but this would be undermined if Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is outlawed. Joe Biden’s diplomats are pressing the UK Government not to formally declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group, despite the Home Office backing the move, The Telegraph has been told. The US State Department has argued that …

Al-Arabia – Iran on Thursday directly acknowledged an accusation attributed to international inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84 percent purity for the first time, which would put the Islamic Republic closer than ever to weapons-grade material. The acknowledgement by a news website linked to the highest reaches of Iran’s theocracy renews pressure on the West to address Tehran’s program, …

RFL/RE – A sudden hike in the price of red meat has triggered widespread public anger in Iran, where the troubled economy has sunk to new lows. The authorities have responded to the criticism by playing down the price hike and cracking down on a Tehran newspaper that ran a story critical of the government.Commodity prices have risen sharply in …

Iranwire – The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has recently sent a text message to citizens warning them over the Israeli intelligence agency’s “terrorist” activities in the country, social media users reported on February 22. The message claimed that Mossad was exploiting people’s “lack of information and awareness” to offer them cash in return for parking a vehicle at a designated …

Al-Monitor — Days before Russia mounted its invasion of Ukraine, speculation was high that a deal to restore Iran’s nuclear agreement could be within reach.  “We are nearing the end,” Enrique Mora, the European Union coordinator for the nuclear talks, tweeted a year ago today. Russia’s envoy, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that negotiations to revive the landmark pact were “about to cross the finish line.” As key …

Al-Arabia – A rocket attack in Damascus on Sunday that Syria blamed on Israel hit an installation where Iranian officials were meeting to advance programs to develop drone or missile capabilities of Tehran’s allies in Syria, sources told Reuters. Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s nearly 12-year conflict. Its support for Damascus and the …

RFL/RE – In late September, Pedram Azarnush was taking part in an anti-regime protest in southwestern Iran when he was shot dead. Nearly five months on, the 17-year-old’s family is still seeking justice. In their attempts to bring the perpetrators to account, the family has endured constant threats and intimidation from the authorities, informed sources told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.Azarnush is …