Social and Political

RFL/RE – The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog says the agency’s inspection work in Iran cannot become a “bargaining chip” in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers.“The inspection work of the IAEA must be preserved…[and] should not be put in the middle of a negotiating table as a bargaining chip,” International Atomic Energy Agency …

Jpost.com – The EU-Iran Business Forum slated to start on Monday is again marred by outrage over promoting commerce with a regime in Tehran that has carried out violations of the nuclear deal and widespread repression of Iranians, including a regime shooting spree of protesters in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province.Reports emerged on Sunday that EU officials, including the EU’s chief diplomat …

Iranwire – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly referred to security threats in his speeches in recent years using phrases such as “infiltration” and “soft war”. By playing up the perception that the country is always under threat, he has been able to justify increased repression, detentions and general restrictions on everyday life in Iran. Seemingly in support of …

RFL/RE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of carrying out an attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, a charge rejected by Tehran. “This was indeed an operation by Iran. That is clear,” Netanyahu told state radio Kan in an interview aired on March 1. “Iran is the greatest enemy of …

VOA – Iran on Sunday balked at holding an informal meeting with the United States and three European powers about reviving the 2015 accord that restrained Tehran’s nuclear development program to keep it from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran said that before talks are held, the new U.S. administration of President Joe Biden must first lift its unilateral economic sanctions against …

VOA – An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman came to Dubai’s port for repairs Sunday, days after the blast that revived security concerns in Mideast waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran.   Associated Press journalists saw the Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray sitting at dry dock facilities at Dubai’s Port Rashid. Although the …

Iran-HRM – Following the major protests over the killing of fuel carriers in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, many protesters have been brutally beaten and detained. In the past days at least four people were beaten and detained in Iranshahr by Intelligence police. In Shuru, a village near Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan, another three citizens were …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s health ministry said the country’s coronavirus fatalities broke the 60,000 mark on Sunday, as the Islamic republic battles the Middle East’s worst outbreak of the illness. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The grim milestone comes after several Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, warned of a COVID-19 “fourth …

iranintl.com – A new report by Human Rights in Iran claims that in the “bloody November” of 2019 at least 3,000 protesters were killed by the Islamic Republic security forces from November 15 to 17, and nearly 20,000 arrested. The Human Rights in Iran website affiliated with the Mehr Center, in an earlier report published on December 2, 2019, had stated that …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The mullahs had another reason to neglect the Baluch, a majority of whom are Sunni Muslims and deeply suspicious of a regime based on a militant Imamist ideology. During the past four decades, an accumulation of grievances has pushed the Baluch into a rebellious mood. According to a study by the Ministry of the Interior, almost 30% of …