Social and Political

Iranwire – Amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region, ongoing conflicts, escalating sanctions, and changing energy balances, the 25-year natural gas export contract between Iran and Turkey has quietly reached its conclusion without any official announcements from the leaders of either nation. While both Tehran and Ankara remain silent regarding the renewal, termination, or renegotiation of a new energy agreement, …

Iranwire -In an armed confrontation in the border village of Sianav, Marivan County, one Iranian Army, or Artesh, soldier was killed and another sustained severe injuries. The Islamic Republic of Iran Army reported that the assault was carried out by PJAK, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan, using two suicide micro-drones and RPG fire to target a base …

Iranwire – Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated in an interview with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, on Sunday, August 2, that any potential agreement between Iran and Oman regarding a new maritime route has no connection to whether the Strait of Hormuz is opened or remains closed. …

Iranwire – A heavy shadow of regional warfare hangs over the Middle East. Seeking to establish a posture of strategic deterrence, Tehran has issued severe warnings to neighbouring states. Media outlets aligned with the Iranian regime have published lists of potential military targets, explicitly identifying vital Saudi infrastructure, including the Ghawar oil field and the Abqaiq and Khurais processing facilities, …

RFL/RE – US President Donald Trump said he has decided to “hold off” on any new attacks on Iran, saying “the perimeters” of a deal have been agreed to with Tehran and adding that Israel was joining him in the commitment. “The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The regime that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini founded has been and shall remain dangerous for the people of Iran, the region and beyond, without closing the strait or developing the bomb. As far as one can make out, a consensus is emerging in Iran today that this regime must go… The regime that Khomeini founded has been and shall …

iranintl – Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said authorities rushed to announce Ali Khamenei’s death and call supporters onto the streets after “overseas media” broke the news, fearing the situation on the streets could otherwise “take a completely different turn.” By “overseas media,” Ghalibaf was referring to Persian-language outlets based outside Iran, a term Iranian officials sometimes use to …

Iranwire – In a continuation of missile and drone strikes carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against Iranian Kurdish opposition parties based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, drone strikes targeted the offices and encampments of the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat) in the Bashiqa and Topzawa regions early on Friday morning, July 31. According to …

RFL/RE — A renewed exchange of military strikes and threats between the United States and Iran has raised fresh fears of a wider Middle East war. But Jacob Stoil, a research professor of Middle East security studies at the US Army War College, argues the more important story may be what has not happened. In an interview with RFE/RL, Stoil …

iranintl – An illicit Iranian gambling network helped move at least $4 billion through an unlicensed Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange that also handled funds for sanctioned Iranian institutions, a Reuters investigation found. Blockchain data reviewed by Reuters showed the exchange, Shelbit, processed money for a Farsi-language gambling network spanning more than 2,000 websites. It also interacted with Iran’s central bank, the …