Social and Political

Radiofarda – Tehran’s new military agreement with Damascus has strengthened Syria’s chances of receiving Iranian designed and produced air defense systems to boost the war-torn country’s inefficient and weak anti-air networks. As a part of the new agreement, Tehran and Damascus confirmed that they have pledged to upgrade Syria’s air defenses. The confirmation was officially announced last week, when the …

Reuters – Yemen’s Saudi-Led coalition said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed four missiles and six explosive drones launched overnight by Houthi forces towards the kingdom. Cross-border attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement have escalated since late May when a truce prompted by the novel coronavirus expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh. The coalition, in a …

Radiofarda – A top lawmaker in Iran has said that foreign minister Javad Zarif defended the Iran-China cooperation pact proposed document and told parliament today that talk about selling an island and cheap oil to China are mere rumors. The spokesman of parliament’s national security commission, Abolfazl Amuee quoted Zarif as saying that “national interests” have been considered in drafting …

Radiofarda – In a rare address to the Iranian parliament (Majles), Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made it clear that impeaching President Hassan Rouhani is out of the question. Speaking via video link on Sunday July 12, Khamenei said: “I strongly believe that governments should carry on doing their job until the last day of their term of …

Al-Monitor , Gaza Strip — Since Hamas and Islamic Jihad remained on the sidelines in the Syrian civil war and left their respective offices in Damascus in 2012, Iran, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime, suspended its financial support to both movements, cutting off their largest sources of funding. The return of these relations, however, seems to be in the offing, especially with …

Radiofarda – Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has lambasted the Islamic Republic of Iran for interrogating the jailed director of the now-defunct dissident website AMAD News on TV. Interrogating suspects on TV and airing it amounts to “torture” RSF says. In a tweet on Saturday, July 11, RSF asserted that Mr. Rouhollah Zam has been in “solitary confinement” and his …

Radiofarda – President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff has said the coronavirus pandemic delayed negotiations on a proposed Iran-China 25-year pact, but probably a final agreement can be reached by March 2021, when the current Iranian calendar year ends. Mahmoud Vaezi who was speaking on state television July 11, also tried to deny rumors about some aspects of the deal, …

Radiofarda – Iran’s deputy health minister issued a warning Saturday that a cheap medication is mislabeled and sold as remdesivir in Iran at extremely high prices. Iraj Harirchi speaking in a television program said a 50-cent medication is relabeled as remdesivir and sold at 1,300 to 1,600 U.S. dollars on the black market. The prices quoted by the deputy minister …

Radiofarda – An agreement between the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and an organization controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader was signed today to develop and expand an exisiting oil field. Shana news agency connected with NIOC reported the deal, without mentioning that the contractor, Persia Oil and Gas Industry Development Company, belongs to Imam’s Executive Headquarters, an organization operating under …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities say a misaligned missile battery and miscommunication between soldiers and superior officers were to blame for the January downing of a Ukrainian jetliner that killed 176 people.The conclusions by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization were detailed in a new report released late on July 11.Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was struck by two missiles and crashed shortly …