Social and Political

gatestoneinstitute.org – Lawmakers in an Indian state… have approved landmark legislation to… [ban] discrimination against women based on Islamic sharia law… personal laws that would be common for all citizens, regardless of religion. Replacing sharia law with a universal civil code across all of India would vastly ensure more rights for women and children and secure gender equality, and would …

iranintl – Several top politicians in Iran warned ahead of the lackluster elections on March 1 that popular rejection of the highly manipulated electoral system could prove costly for the regime. Alongside these warnings, they have offered roadmaps and guidelines aimed at navigating the potential challenges arising from the political impasse. Despite the government’s claim of a 40-percent turnout, scattered …

VOA – Iran’s hard-liners were leading in an initial vote count Saturday in the capital, Tehran, following a record-low turnout in a parliamentary election. Officials have not yet released turnout figures, but the state-run IRNA news agency said it was 41%, based on unofficial reports. After the closure of the polls, videos and reports suggest that many people used their …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Whatever the turnout, it is clear that not a single critic of the current domestic and foreign policies will be elected. The two assemblies are likely to return as more ardently committed than before to follow the “Supreme Guide” wherever he is heading. It is in that sense that the twin elections have some interest. They will show …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron reveal their simplistic, and somewhat imperialist, Western approach to a complex Middle Eastern situation, irrespective of the aims and intentions of the two parties chiefly involved: the radical Islamists of Gaza and the West Bank, and the State of Israel itself. “They [Hamas] told us …

iranintl – While Houthi attacks on shipping have halved grain transit through the Suez Canal, grain ships bound for Iran navigate the Red Sea untroubled, commodities experts say. Apart from those headed to Iran, grain ships originating from the Black Sea are about the only ones still using the route. Iran-backed Houthis have effectively closed the Red Sea with their …

iranintl – The IRGC-affiliated Fars news website claimed a turnout of more than 40% after polls closed at midnight in Iran’s controversial elections, despite numerous reports indicating lackluster participation. The Fars reportestablished a narrative that other outlets hesitated to challenge. Shortly after vote counting commenced, the state news agency IRNA also claimed a turnout of 41%. Compared to the official …

Iranwire – An Iranian military conscript took his own life by gunshot on February 29 amid a surge in suicides among Iranian military personnel. Behnam Jafarizadeh, the revolutionary prosecutor of Bam city in the southeastern city of Kerman province, reported that the conscript was serving in the city’s judiciary office.  “After being granted a few hours of leave, the soldier …

Iranwire – A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in an airstrike in the Syrian city of Banyas. The killed IRGC officer was named as Reza Zarei. Iran’s Daneshjoo news agency attributed the attack to Israel. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported three explosions targeting a villa believed to be housing an Iranian-affiliated …

gatestoneinstitute.org – What is essential to remember is that the Houthis and other proxies of Iran are in all likelihood deeply apprehensive about the prospect of their senior leadership being targeted. By refraining from targeting Houthi leaders, the United States has inadvertently emboldened the group and allowed them to act with impunity. Pictured: Houthi gunmen trample a US flag in …