Social and Political

Radiofarda – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says the United States will be “expelled from Iraq and Syria,” adding that “The U.S. government’s long-term performance has led to abhorrence by a major part of the world.” Khamenei’s remarks came during a virtual meeting via video teleconference on Sunday May 17 with a group of students and the members of student …

Radiofarda – Buenaventura is one of the most violent and poorest cities in Colombia. In one of the most dangerous neighborhoods, a music sang by children voices is wafting from a house with a big sign saying Mezquita in front of it. It is a mosque and a headquarters of the local Shia Muslim community led by Sheikh Munir Valencia, a Colombian …

VOA – Iran is warning the United States against threatening its tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela, where gasoline and oil are in desperately short supply despite Venezuela being a major oil production center.  As many as five Iranian ships loaded with gasoline are believed to be on their way to the South American country.  U.S. sanctions forbid Iran from selling oil and the U.S. is also pressuring all countries against supplying fuel to Venezuela, as part of Washington’s efforts to drive President Nicolas Maduro from power.  Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote a letter Sunday to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Tehran’s concerns over whatever action the …

Radiofarda – Iran has cancelled the anti-Israeli Qods Day rallies planned for the last Friday of Ramadan, said a statement by the Islamic Propagation Council on Sunday May 17. The statement added that a speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be the only program planned for the May 22 and that no other related event will take place …

Radiofarda – A senior Iranian official has defended shipping fuel to Venezuela, saying two independent countries are free to conduct trade and it is no one’s business. Reports emerged May 14 that at least one Iranian tanker was loaded with fuel and sailing towards Venezuela. Both countries are under U.S. sanctions and Washington has said it is monitoring the situation. Ali …

Al-Arabia – An MBC TV show has prompted furious reactions from several Iran-backed political groups and media outlets in the Middle East for discussing historical events including a terrorist attack in the 1980s. ‘Malek Beltawilah,’ which means “long story short” in Arabic, is a family educational show that airs during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It covers a range of topics including history, …

gatestoneinstitute.org – That leaves the third angle, missiles, to thrive. Missiles are the weapon of the poor, especially when copied from foreign models courtesy of North Korea, China and, to a lesser extent, Russia. One more problem is Iran’s continued dependence on North Korean and Chinese partners for spare parts, technology, maintenance and training-for-use of virtually all its missiles. There …

Radiofarda – The Research Center of the Iranian parliament (Majles) has estimated that about 190 trillion rials have been spent on setting up the National Information Network (NIN) by last year. The amount quoted is hard to estimate in U.S. dollars since the rial has steadily declined over the years. But if the current official exchange rate is applied the …

Radiofarda – The extent and the exact nature of a reported attack on a Jewish shrine in western Iran early Friday local time remains unclear and no attacker has been identified yet. Iran’s official news agency IRNA on Saturday morning confirmed that there had been an attempt to break into the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, a holy Jewish site …

Radiofarda – In a virtual conference of representatives from Islamic countries on Thursday, Iran’s Minister of Education blamed U.S. sanctions for shortages of online teaching tools during coronavirus lockdown. Mohsen Haji-Mirzai told the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ISESCO ministers that the sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States have limited the ability of the government to …