Social and Political

Al-Monitor – In an effort to slow down the third wave of the coronavirus in Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said the country would fine those not following the health guidelines that have been recommended by the Health Ministry. Rouhani announced the fines Oct. 1 at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Combatting Coronavirus. He said the fines would be applicable to offices, private …

Twitter said this week that it has removed accounts purportedly originating in Iran that sought to influence the US presidential election. Other social media giants have also taken action recently against Iranian information operations. Twitter announced Wednesday that it had removed around 130 accounts Tuesday night from its platform that “appeared to originate in Iran.” The information on the accounts …

Al-Monitor – Held in solitary without a formal charge for nearly 100 days, Sharmin Meymandi-Nejad, the founder of a reputable Iranian charity, is facing deteriorating health as interrogators protract his indefinite detention. Members of Iran’s civil society have raised serious concerns about the prolonged detention and worsening health condition of Sharmin Meymandi-Nejad, a prominent activist, outspoken government critic and founder of one of …

Al-Arabia – The Iranian rial fell to a new low against the dollar on Thursday as the country’s economy continues to suffer from the coronavirus pandemic and US sanctions, data showed. The US dollar was selling for as much as 300,000 rials on the unofficial market Thursday, data from foreign exchange website Bonbast.com showed, 2,000 rials up from Wednesday. Dollars …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The US and its allies need to do everything possible never again to be caught in a state of unpreparedness. The Congressional EMP Commission estimates that, given U.S. current unpreparedness, within one year of an EMP attack that causes a nationwide blackout… up to 90 percent of the U.S. population could perish from starvation, disease and societal collapse. …

(AP) — The second of three ships loaded with gasoline from Iran approached fuel-starved Venezuela on Wednesday amid simmering social unrest over a lack of goods and services that’s sparked protests across the South American nation. More than 100 street demonstrations have flared up in remote towns over the last week. Despite each being relatively small, they have raised concern …

RFL/RE – Iran has spent nearly $20 billion pushing its controversial foreign policy objectives in the region, the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in an interview on state television.Speaking to state TV channel Ofogh on September 26, Ali Fadavi said Iran had spent $19.6 billion on the 1980-1988 war with Iraq while adding that the …

RFL/RE – The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it has gained access to a second site in Iran where nuclear activities are suspected to have taken place in the past, as agreed with Tehran last month.“As part of an agreement with Iran to resolve safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, the agency this week conducted a complementary access at the …

VOA – Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, acknowledges that Iran has ‘legitimate interests” in his country as a neighbor that hosts millions of Afghan refugees. Iran’s contacts with various Taliban groups, he says, could be used as an opportunity to advance peace efforts. Ayesha Tanzeem has more.

​Al-Monitor – Mahmoud Vaezi, the most influential man in Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s entourage as well as his chief of staff, has reasserted the Islamic Republic’s stance that talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration are not an option. “We have to make sure that what he failed to achieve at home will not be covered by a foreign policy gain,” Vaezi said …