Social and Political

Al-Monitor – US Iran Envoy Robert Malley told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, Wednesday, May 25, that “as I speak to you today, we do not have a deal with Iran and prospects for reaching one are, at best, tenuous.” Elizabeth Hagedorn has the report on the hearing here. And nonetheless, the slight hedge continues to be that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), …

Al-Arabia – A subtle shift in official US statements suggests Washington believes reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is better than the alternatives despite the advances in Iran’s nuclear program, diplomatic and other sources said. For months, the Biden administration argued there would soon come a point where the non-proliferation benefits of a revived deal – its ability to limit …

RFL/RE -Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodaei, a shadowy figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was killed by gunmen outside his home in Tehran on May 22. Iranian media described Khodaei as a “defender of the shrine,” which refers to members of the IRGC’s overseas arm, the Quds Force. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack. But …

Iranwire – In the city of Abadan in Khuzestan province, grief and shock are now giving way to anger. The collapse of the 10-storey Metropol building, the known death toll of which now stands at 14, is regarded as a collective tragedy. Hundreds of people flooded to the scene in Amiri Street within hours of hearing the news that one …

Iranwire – Iranian celebrities have been implored to stop taking selfies and recording videos at the scene of a fatal building collapse in the city of Abadan. In fewer than 24 hours several celebrities have made the journey to Khuzestan to film themselves in front of the wreckage of the Metropol complex, a vast planned commercial hub where the unfinished …

Iranwire – Ever since Iraq’s October 2019 protests thrust their existence back into the spotlight, pro-Islamic Republic militants have stopped at nothing to intimidate and silence critics in the country. Scores of Iraqis who took a stand against the Iranian regime, Hezbollah or Tehran-backed armed forces meddling in their country’s internal affairs have been targeted with death threats, kidnappings and even assassinations. …

Iran held a funeral procession on Tuesday in the center of the capital Tehran for Revolutionary Guards Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodai, who was shot dead by two people on a motorcycle, and his commander vowed to avenge the attack. State television showed crowds surrounding a truck carrying Khodai’s casket, wrapped in Iran’s flag and strewn with flowers. Mourners held portraits …

Iran-HRM – According to sources and human rights activists in Iran, several prisoners are currently on hunger strikes in various prisons across the country. Despite the many health problems caused by hunger strikes for prisoners, many prisoners in Iran have no other choice but to go on hunger strikes as the last way to achieve their legitimate demands. At least …

Iran-HRM – The Iranian regime has increased its crackdown against civil and political liberties to counter a society crushed under skyrocketing prices and inflation. Repression maneuvers, executions, restrictions on the Internet, and setting up bases to impose compulsory hijab on women are among the measures that the authorities have taken to suppress the people. New bases established to enforce mandatory …

A few weeks ago Nader Talebzadeh, Iranian regime’s chief propagandist and media mogul, passed away following cardiac arrest, according to official reports. Iranian state media tells a story of a famous and most accomplished Iranian documentary film maker, even though he was only able to produce one film during his whole career. A man so important to the regime that …