Social and Political

Al-Monitor – In an auditorium-style conference room at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters, the top general overseeing all American military forces in the Middle East was beaming. Flanked by executives from Microsoft, Google and Blue Origin, US Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla had just been presented with the best idea he had heard in long time — by a buck sergeant …

Al-Arabia – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to step up his efforts to derail a return to the Iran nuclear deal by airing his opposition openly and in public, in an apparent shift from a more circumspect approach taken by the previous government. “We will act powerfully and openly on the international level against the return to the nuclear …

Al-Arabia – Russia is planning to launch a long-term campaign of attacks against Ukraine using Iranian-made drones in an effort to demoralize and “exhaust” the war-weary country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing intelligence reports. During his nightly address on Monday in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said he received intelligence indicating that the attacks would be carried out using Iranian-made …

RFL/RE – Demonstrators in the western Iranian city of Javanrud were set on by security forces and have reportedly faced a martial-style clampdown since gathering in a local cemetery on December 31 to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period for seven protesters killed by security forces in ongoing anti-regime unrest. Reports from Javanrud on January 1 described harsh …

VOA – Nearly four months after the start of anti-government protests in Iran, a U.S.-based human rights monitor says 516 protesters have been killed. Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, said Monday the dead included 70 children. The latest figures from the group also put the number of people arrested at more than 19,200, among them 687 students.SEE ALSO:2 …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Mehdi Mohammadifard, an 18-year-old protester in Noshahr, has been sentenced to two executions for charges of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and moharebeh (enmity against god). Writer and artist, Mehdi Bahman has also been sentenced to death for charges of “espionage and contact with Israel.” Furthermore, in a statement issued today, the Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of six …

Al-Arabia – Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves even in cars, media reported Monday, as unrest continues following the death of Mahsa Amini. Protests have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of Iranian-Kurdish Amini, 22, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. Tehran …

RFL/RE – The interest of Russian intelligence services in Germany continues to increase the longer the war in Ukraine lasts, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence service. The head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, also counts China and Iran among the states whose intelligence services are active in Germany. “Russia’s intelligence interest here in Germany …

VOA – Germany has warned Iranians living in the country who have been critical of the Iranian government to be careful about traveling to Iran. Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told the Germany Press Agency that for some years the Iranian government has worked to identify critics, and that those people could …

Iran-HRM – On Thursday, December 29, 2022, in Semirom, Isfahan Province, people attended funeral ceremonies. They had participated in large scales to commemorate Ali Abbasi who was killed by Iran’s security forces during protests on November 2022. On the next day, Iran’s security forces torn down photos and posters of Semirom’s slain protesters. This event provoked outrage among the people. …