Social and Political

RFL/RE – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claims to have prevented the hijacking of a passenger plane, but has offered few details on what allegedly happened. The elite paramilitary force said on its website on March 5 that the purported hijacking targeted an Iran Air Fokker 100 jet heading from the southwestern city of Ahvaz to the northwestern city …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – An Interior Ministry motion for the dissolution of the Imam Ali Popular Student Relief Society (IAPSRS), one of Iran’s leading and most prominent civil society charities, has been granted by Branch 55 of Shahid Beheshti Judicial Complex in Tehran. Established in 1999 by a group of Sharif University students, the organisation is run entirely by …

Al-Monitor – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday said that Israel’s military is updating its operational plans for a potential future strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites. Gantz’s comments come as the Biden administration considers its options for resuming negotiations on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Israeli officials, chief …

screendaily.com – A member of the Competition jury for the online Berlinale, the Iranian filmmaker discusses his ”difficult and very specific” situation, connecting to nature, and the influence of Loach, Haneke and Herzog. SOURCE: COSMOPOL FILM / BERLINALE MOHAMMAD RASOULOF Iranian producer and director Mohammad Rasoulof won the Golden Bear last year for There Is No Evil at the Berlinale. Not that he …

Shabtabnews – In a twitter statement and a full report the UN Human Rights council strongly condemned the Iranian Regime’s recent use of force against unarmed Baluchi fuel couriers. 🇮🇷 #Iran: We condemn use of force violations in recent weeks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and State security forces against unarmed fuel couriers & protesters belonging to the #Baluch …

Al-Arabia – US Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the United States’ “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House said. She “underscored the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to the US-Israel partnership,” the statement read. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. “The …

Al-Arabia – Israel will not wait for the international community to stop Iran’s “nuclear escalation,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Thursday, adding that Tel Aviv was ready to act independently if needed. “Iranians are breaking everything that was agreed with them; they are bluffing in any aspect that one can think,” Gantz said in an interview with Fox News. For all the …

Iranwire – The U.S. State Department will honor 14 “extraordinary” women from Belarus, Iran, and other countries who have demonstrated leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and a willingness to sacrifice for others. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) awards in a virtual ceremony on March 8 — International Women’s Day — to honor jailed …

Iranwire – The nationwide protests of January2018 and November2019 were arguably turning points in the history of street protests in Iran. Although they were brutally supressed, the ruling establishment is now deeply afraid of further demonstrations. Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s state-sponsored think-tanks and study centers have offered various recommendations to officials on how to prevent a recurrence. The latest of …

Amnesty – The near total Internet shutdowns began as protests got underway on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 after reports and videos surfaced indicating that the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards Corps had opened fire with live ammunition at a group of unarmed civilian fuel porters near the border city of Saravan in Sistan and Baluchistan province, killing at least 10 people …