Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Six members of the Lebanese parliament and one Cabinet minister have resigned following Tuesday’s deadly explosion at Beirut port. Lebanon’s Minister of Information Manal Abdel Samad submitted her resignation on Sunday following the blast and public outcry over the government’s response to the disaster. “After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from government,” she said in a television statement, …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani says a state of emergency imposed in the country because of the coronavirus pandemic will remain in place at least until the end of January 2021.“We have been in this situation for six months and we must prepare ourselves for another six months at least,” Rohani said in a statement published on his website …

RFL/RE – Reports from Iranian state television say a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the province of Kermanshah in western Iran on August 9.The reports say the earthquake was centered in the county of Gilan-e Gharb in the Kermanshah Province.There were no immediate details about casualties or damage caused by the earthquake. Based on reporting by Reuters and Iranian state television

VOA – Multiple sources say a jailed Iranian labor union leader has had his five-year prison term extended for another year by Iran’s appellate court in retaliation for his pursuit of peaceful activism while in detention. Jafar Azimzadeh One source, who is close to the jailed labor leader, told VOA Persian in a Monday interview that the court upheld his …

Radiofarda – Iranian news agencies on Saturday confirmed earlier social media reports that a Lebanese man and his daughter with possible connection with Lebanese Hezbollah were shot dead in their car. The murder took place near the house of Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the former Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Recruiting Forces (IPRF), on Friday night. Al-Muhandis himself was killed on …

Radiofarda – The White House said in a statement on August 7 that President Donald Trump spoke with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about the recent explosion in Beirut and the extension of Iran’s arms embargo. In a tweet on Friday, the Special Assistant to the president and the White House Deputy Secretary, Judd Deere, said the two leaders expressed …

Radiofarda – Hezbollah’s leader on Friday denied accusations that his Iran-backed movement has arms warehoused at Beirut port, calling for an investigation into the biggest explosion to hit the Lebanese capital. In a televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called Tuesday’s explosion “an exceptional event” that required unity and calm. The heavily armed Shi’ite Hezbollah would make its political position clear …

Radiofarda – Two members of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce have said that the “good news” Rouhani on Wednesday said should be expected “if approved” by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is a hint at the possible approval of the bills that allow Iran to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). “There are rumors that the economic breakthrough that the President …

RFL/RE – U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration will watch closely for possible interference in the November presidential election by Russia, China, and Iran.But he said he believes the last thing that any of the three countries would want is for him to win.“We are going to watch all of them. We have to be very careful,” Trump said …

VOA – Tensions between Israel and Iran have been rising quickly in recent days as Israeli forces face off with Iranian-backed militants across the Jewish state’s borders with Lebanon and Syria. This week, those tensions spiked further when several fighters – including militants – were killed when unidentified warplanes attacked a Syrian base near the Iraqi border. Linda Gradstein reports …