Social and Political

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Iran authorities have frozen the prominent human rights defender’s bank accounts. According to her family, none of the charges against Nasrin Sotoudeh were finance related. Iran Human Rights warns against the increasing pressure on human rights defenders and their families and calls for a response from Iranian civil society and the international community. Mahmood Amiry …

atlanticcouncil.org – On June 28, President Hassan Rouhani, referring to US sanctions and the coronavirus outbreak, explained the state of the Iranian economy in simple words: “The economic pressure began in 2018 and today we are facing the most immense economic pressure.” On July 8, Health Minister Saeed Namaki provided a clearer picture. The reopening of the economy “was not over our …

thehill.com – If President Obama succeeded in bringing Israel and the Gulf Arabs closer together in the face of their common Iranian enemy, President Trump is on the verge of successfully bringing China and Iran together in the face of their own common enemy — the United States. As has been widely reported, the Iranian parliament is reviewing a 25-year agreement between Tehran and …

Al-Arabia – Iran registered a record 235 deaths from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, according to official health ministry figures released on Tuesday. Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section. The Islamic Republic is the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East, and COVID-19 infections and deaths have risen sharply since …

Radiofarda – In an open letter, more than 500 Iranian film directors, authors, and legal experts have expressed concern over restrictions on the Imam Ali Society and demanded the immediate release of its founder and director. The Imam Ali’s Popular Students Relief Society, usually referred to as Imam Ali Society — was founded in 1999 as the first non-political student …

Radiofarda – An Iranian delegation will visit Ukraine later this week to discuss compensation for a Ukrainian jet shot down by Iran on January 8, the Ukrainian foreign minister has said.“Given the circumstance of what happened, there are all reasons to ask from Iran to pay the highest price for what it did,” Dmytro Kuleba said at a news conference …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which oversees censorship in the clergy-dominated country, has cnesured Etemad, a local pro-reform daily for an interview touching upon the sensitive issue of revolt against the regime. The foreboding is based on Etemad’s interview with a former Shiism scholar and human rights advocate, Emaduddin Baqi (Baghi.) In the interview published on …

Radiofarda – A conservative newspaper in Tehran has observed in its July 27 issue on Monday that there is a rising interest evident in a part of the Iranian media about the U.S. presidential elections that take place in November. Farhikhtegan [The Learned] newspaper, affiliated with the hardliner, conservative-dominated Islamic Azad University, dedicated its front page on Monday to the …

Radiofarda – Ali Rabiei, the Cabinet Spokesman of the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, has been hospitalized after testing positive for corornavirus, the state-run television reported on Monday. Rabiei had been resting at home since last week, the report said but did not say when the symptoms had appeared or since when the Spokesman’s health condition has worsened. He is …

RFL/RE – Several fuel tankers have caught fire at a truck park near the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, sparking panic among local residents. Governor Fazlollah Ranjbar was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that the fire broke out on July 28 during repair work to a heavy vehicle before spreading to seven others. The governor, however, …