Social and Political

Al-Monitor – A fire erupted at an Iranian industrial facility this morning, state TV reported, marking the latest in a wave of unexplained blasts at civilian and military sites across the country.  “The fire broke out at the industrial area of the Jajrud district in the Pardis county this morning. … There were no casualties. … Firefighters are trying to contain …

BBC – Maryam’s voice trembles as she tells what happened when her husband attacked her in public. “People’s reaction was like it was normal to see a man beating his wife. There’s no law, there are no safe houses, and even the police can’t do much. Some families also act like they’re so modern and they say, ‘Oh it’s a …

Radiofarda -The Democratic Party’s recently released policy platform was greeted warmly by certain newspapers in Iran. Media outlets associated with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the party’s rejection of “regime change” as U.S. policy. They also welcomed its proposal for a return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal from which President Donald Trump withdrew in May …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s coronavirus death toll rose by 212 in the past 24 hours to 17,617, a health ministry official said on Tuesday. With 2,751 new infections, the total number of infections in Iran reached 314,786, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. Authorities in Iran have divided the country into white, yellow, and red zones, depending on the severity …

(AP) — Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian army Monday night, hours after thwarting an infiltration attempt from Syria by suspected militants trying to plant explosives, the Israeli military said. In a rare statement acknowledging strikes in neighboring Syria, the army said the targets included “observation posts and intelligence collection …

Radiofarda – The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) announced on Monday, August 3, that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had launched a drone and missile attack on its bases in Iran-Iraq border areas. “The Peshmerga forces did not suffer any casualties in the attacks,” the anti-Islamic Republic party tweeted. A website that disseminates Kurdish-related news cited the head …

Radiofarda – Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a former Friday Prayer Imam and a member of the Assembly of Experts says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the only choice for the Islamic Republic’s next leader when Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeyni died in June 1989. “We had no other choice,” says Emami Kashani, adding that “We could have chosen a group of clerics to …

Radiofarda – The son-in-law of former industries minister who was on trial in a 6.6 billion euro corruption case has used a “different passport” to flee the country, a judge announced in court on Monday. Judge Assadollah Masoudi-Moqaddam had announced in the previous session of the trial that the court was in possession of evidence against Ali-Ashraf Riahi and that …

Iran Human Rights (IHR); August 4, 2020: The kidnapping of Iranian dissidents from neighbouring countries is becoming a regular occurrence. Failure by the international community to respond adequately to these unlawful acts will lead to its normalisation/legitimisation. The kidnapping of Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German citizen from neighbouring soil is the latest case in this trend. He has been accused by …

CHRI —With workers in Iran’s critical oil refining, petrochemicals and drilling industries striking in southern Iran over working conditions and unpaid wages since July 31, and sugar mill workers in Khuzestan Province protesting unpaid wages since June 13, the plight of Iran’s workers continues to prompt unrest in the country. Workers in Iran are among the Middle East’s most educated, …