Social and Political

gatestoneinstitute.org – For Hamas and Islamic Jihad, what matters is the money and weapons coming from Iran. They see Soleimani as a hero because of his role in providing the Gaza-based terror groups with cash and weapons in order to continue their jihad (holy war) against Israel and Jews. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and all of Iran’s militias throughout the …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed that the Islamic Republic’s presence in countries such as Iraq and Syria is not for military control, but rather for “advisory” assistance. “We are there to support sovereign governments at their own behest,” he said, rejecting the US depiction of Iran as a “destabilizing” factor. Khamenei also criticized the American military for establishing bases in …

Iranwire – Orders targeting Iran’s Baha’i religious minority and instructing local security agencies and government departments to “conduct strict controls” on the Baha’is were revealed this week by two human rights groups. The directives were issued by a “high-level government commission” for the city of Sari, in the country’s northern Mazandaran province, and a copy was received by the League …

RFL/RE – Iran will hold a presidential election in less than three months amid speculation that a hard-liner and a “military man” could succeed Hassan Rohani, who is serving his final term and is under heavy pressure from his hard-line opponents who have consolidated power in the Islamic republic.As with all elections in Iran, potential candidates for the June 18 …

Al-Arabia – The “ball is in Iran’s court,” and it is on Tehran to prove that it’s serious about re-engaging with the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Washington has repeatedly expressed an interest and willingness to sit down with Iran for direct talks on the nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. For all the latest headlines, …

RFL/RE – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has demanded the “immediate release” of aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other dual nationals detained in Iran. Johnson raised the case of Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, and said her “continued confinement remains completely unacceptable” and that she must be allowed to return to her family in Britain, …

Iranwire – On Tuesday, March 9, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei declared that Iran was ready to take part in fresh prisoner exchanges with the United States. Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran and quoted by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the official stated that Iran was still waiting to see whether the Biden administration was committed to rejoining the …

Iranwire – British soldiers introduced football to Iran in 1908, but it took 62 years before women could get anywhere near the sport. Women’s football began in Iran in 1970. The first sparks were ignited when women first joined men in playing for local and street teams in various cities, serving as goalkeepers and sometimes playing other positions too. It is worth noting that at that time, football …

VOA- A U.N. report on the human rights situation in Iran presents a bleak picture of a society living under a system of brutal political repression and rampant violations of fundamental freedoms.  The report has been submitted to the U.N. human rights council.  In his presentation to the council, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran …

VOA – The family of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran after being abducted in 2007, says it is encouraged by the Biden administration’s latest vow to press Tehran for answers on his fate, but also wants U.S. officials to do more than make public appeals for Iranian authorities to act. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken …