Social and Political

Iran-HRM – A man was killed and over 40 locals were injured when security forces used pellet shots to disperse protesters in the northwest city of Naqadeh on August 7. According to Kurdish human rights websites, the man killed was identified as 27-year-old Mohammad Alizadeh. Protests started after locals had gathered outside the Police Station Number 11 building to demand …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in full support of former prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, overturning an earlier two-year jail sentence, which had found him guilty in connection with the death of a political detainee. His lawyer confirmed the acquittal on Tuesday. In 2017, the hard-line ex-prosecutor was convicted of “accessory to murder“, following a protracted trial in Tehran which ultimately …

realclearworld – The Biden administration and its advocates have never hidden their contempt for Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran. According to Robert Malley, the lead U.S. negotiator at nuclear talks in Vienna, “we’ve seen the result of the maximum pressure campaign. It has failed.” A few days later the New York Times editorial board declared “‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran Has Failed.” The administration’s plan …

thehill – The Iranians are thirsty. In the past few weeks, thousands have taken to the streets in cities and towns throughout the Islamic Republic to protest the country’s deepening hydrological crisis — and the Iranian regime’s chronic mishandling of it. Beginning in mid-July in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan, protests broke out over water shortages brought about by deepening …

Al-Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has made a phone call to his US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Saudi Press Agency. “During the call, the two diplomats reviewed the strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and the US and ways to enhance them in all fields, in addition to discussing the most …

RFL/RE – A former Iranian prosecutor accused of involvement in the 1988 execution of thousands of political dissidents has gone on trial in Sweden on August 10 in a landmark case likely to stoke tensions in the Islamic republic. Hamid Nouri, 60, appeared in Stockholm District Court on August 10 charged with “intentionally taking the life of a very large …

Iranwire – Clashes involving Iran-backed militias have intensified in Syria’s Daraa Governorate over the past week again, following a brief period of relative calm. The fighting between pro-Assad groups and locals in Daraa began in late June after a blockade of the town, which is home to many armed opposition members. Russian forces managed to calm the situation in early …

Iranwire – Alireza Zakani, a controversial figure throughout his career, was elected mayor of Tehran on Sunday, August 8 after winning 18 votes from the 21-member city council. It came hot on the heels of his recent, provocative move to stand as an effective “cover candidate” for Ebrahim Raisi during the 2021 presidential election campaign. Apart from enabling Raisi in the debates, Zakani’s standing helped …

Iranwire – Normally when a new president takes the helm in Iran, it’s the appointments to ministerial roles overseeing foreign affairs and culture that make headlines. But under Ebrahim Raisi, the biggest tussle has broken out over who will oversee Iran’s economic and financial portfolio – to the point that it has delayed the formation of a new cabinet. During the …

Al-Monitor – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday told French President Emmanuel Macron that Iran’s rights must be upheld as part of the nuclear negotiations with the West, Raisi’s office said of his first call with a Western leader.   According to an Iranian readout of the call, Raisi said that both the United States and the Europeans must meet their commitments under the …