Social and Political

VOA – The United States said Thursday it had removed sanctions on three former Iranian officials and two companies that previously traded Iranian petrochemicals, a step one U.S. official called routine but that could show U.S. readiness to ease sanctions when justified. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the U.S. official said the moves by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign …

VOA – The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on “members of a smuggling network” that generate millions of dollars for the Iranian-affiliated Houthi movement in Yemen.  The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned individuals from Yemen, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia and India. Also sanctioned were entities in Dubai, Istanbul and the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa.  “This network generates tens of …

Al-Monitor – Another presidential election is unfolding in Iran. Many observers expect a low turnout as many ordinary Iranians are either discouraged or disillusioned. However, those in power seem not to mind. The political elite of the Islamic Republic of Iran had once considered elections a source of the regime’s legitimacy. According to them, Iranians who voted in the past polls approved the system …

Al-Monitor – Since finalizing a 25-year strategic partnership agreement in March, Beijing and Tehran have remained rather quiet on any news regarding the deal and there have been no major announcements. This may be because Iran’s presidential elections are just around the corner, on June 18, and any further decisions would be taken by the next administration. While there are …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said his country’s already “friendly relations” with Russia have expanded during his eight years in office, as he expressed “gratitude” to his “esteemed” Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Rouhani made the comments during a virtual inauguration ceremony for the launch of a 1,400-megawatt power plant in the southern province of Hormozgan. The plant is to be built …

thedispatch – In the past, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader inevitably gave a speech before a presidential election extolling how the revolution welcomed variety among the men running for office. This was never true, of course: Ali Khamenei and his minions on the Guardian Council, which supervises elections, have always tried to prune off those who didn’t have the right …

Iranwire – On June 13, 2021, a bill will go before the Iranian parliament’s Judicial Committee bearing the cumbersome title “Intensifying the punishment of collaborators with hostile countries to disrupt security and national interests.” Part of the bill includes specific mention of Iranian citizen journalists. According to Article 7 of the bill, Iranian citizens found to have sent videos or …

Iranwire – Iranians became aware of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program at the same time as the existence of the Natanz facility went public; from time to time, the name of a new nuclear facility in Iran then becomes known, and while it may be familiar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is wholly new to the Iranian …

Iranwire – Revolutionary Guards commander Mahmoud Seif. Mohammad Hadi Razavi, the son-in-law of Labor Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari. Hossein Hedayati, known as the Football Bank’s “cash machine”. Abolfazl Mir Ali, managing director of Samen al-Hojaj Finance and Credit Institution and a figure close to the current Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeesi. Hossein Fereydoon, President Rouhani’s elder brother. These are just a handful of the …

VOA – Iraq has released an Iran-aligned militia commander arrested in May on terrorism-related charges after authorities found insufficient evidence against him, in the latest blow to government attempts to rein in armed groups. Security forces arrested Qasim Muslih, an Iran-aligned paramilitary leader who operates mostly in Iraq’s western Anbar province and is from the southern holy city of Kerbala, …