Social and Political

VOA – The top U.S. Navy official in the Mideast said Sunday America has reached an “uneasy deterrence” with Iran after months of regional attacks and seizures at sea, even as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.  Vice Adm. Sam Paparo, who oversees the Navy’s 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, struck an academic …

Al-Arabia – Iran continues to fund terrorist militias in the region while Iranian terrorist groups carry out operations in Europe, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said during his panel discussion at the Med Dialogue. “The Kingdom supports dialogue between US and Iran, but Tehran is the one who closes the door on dialogue,” Prince Faisal said during …

Radiofarda -German diplomat Helga Schmid, a key participant in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, was appointed secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), becoming the first woman to head the post. The Foreign Ministry of Albania, which chairs the organization, made the announcement on Twitter on December 4 following a vote by the foreign ministers of all …

Iranwire.com – The Persian month of Azar, or November-December in the Gregorian calendar, is the official month of the Iranian navy. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iranian navy’s national day fell on November 29, marking the reclamation of three islands, Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, from British forces in 1971. After the Islamic Republic came …

Iranwire.com -On the morning of June 23, 1981, Ghamarolmolouk Seif (Farhangi) was working in her kitchen when she heard the news on the radio. The office of the Islamic Revolutionary Court had announced the execution of four Baha’is, including her husband, Masih Farhangi. Dr. Masih Farhangi, a 69-year-old cardiologist, had been arrested at his home by the Revolutionary Guards about …

RFL/RE – New Iranian legislation requiring officials to boost uranium enrichment within the country’s controversial nuclear program is seen as an attempt to hurt moderates and sabotage President Hassan Rohani’s efforts to deal with the incoming U.S. administration. The law — which was passed by parliament on December 1 and quickly ratified by the powerful Guardians Council — comes amid …

RFL/RE – Iran plans to install more advanced uranium-enriching centrifuges at an underground plant in breach of its troubled deal with major powers, Reuters reported on December 4, citing a UN nuclear watchdog report. The confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report obtained by Reuters said Iran plans to install three more clusters of advanced IR-2m centrifuges in the underground plant …

VOA – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Friday a resolution to a bitter dispute with Qatar seemed “within reach” after Kuwait announced progress toward ending a row that Washington says hampers a united Gulf front against Iran. The United States and Kuwait have worked to end the dispute, during which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have …

(HRW) – Iran should address gaps in its long-awaited draft law on violence against women that offers limited protections for survivors of domestic violence, and put it before the parliament for a vote, Human Rights Watch said today. Over the past year alone, several widely publicized instances of violence against women in Iran have drawn national attention and outrage. The authorities should also …

Al-Monitor – President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to reenter the landmark Iranian nuclear deal if Tehran comes back into full compliance, says it’s “hard to tell” how the recent assassination of the country’s chief nuclear scientist would impact those negotiations.  Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, whose car was fired on in broad daylight just …