Social and Political

Radiofarda – Instagram has shut down the account of Iranian rapper Tataloo after activists and Instagram users reported him for inappropriate posts asking underage girls to join his ‘team’ for sex. In a few recent Instagram stories Turkey-based Amir-Hossein Maqsoudlou (Maghsoudlou) who is better known by his stage name of Tataloo, said he was seeking young girls between the ages …

Radiofarda – Iran’s official COVID-19 cases and deaths have been going down since early April but Iran’s health officials are concerned that relaxation of lockdown may reverse the situation. According to the latest official figures announced on Saturday, the daily death toll has been at its lowest since April 4 with 74 more death in the past 24-hour period. The …

Radiofarda – In a tweet on April 25, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran continues to lie that the Revolutionary Guard’s space program is peaceful when in reality it is part of the country’s nuclear weapons program. “Deeply troubling that the IRGC, a Foreign Terrorist Organization, launched a military satellite. Their secret space program advances technologies used …

Radiofarda – A former Iranian deputy foreign minister has questioned Iran’s military ambitions in a clear reference to Revolutionary Guard commanders’ claims about the Iranian armed force’s deterrent power following the launch of a military satellite last week. In an analysis entitled “The Strategy of Deterrence” in Saturday’s edition of reformist newspaper Sharq, Aminzadeh wrote that “further to military deterrence, …

Radiofarda – With just two days remaining to the expiration of a thirty-day U.S. waiver to import Iranian gas and electricity, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity says it will take three to four years for the country to stop importing energy from Iran. Luay al-Khatteeb, told S&P Global Platts that it would take several years for the country’s oil and …

Al-Arabia – Iran is closely monitoring US troops in the region, but will never initiate any conflict or tension, President Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Saturday.Rouhani congratulated the Qatari Emir on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, according to the official IRNA news agency.“Iran is closely monitoring …

RFL/RE – The United States has called on the European Union to place sanctions on individuals and entities working on Iran’s missile programs after Tehran said it successfully launched a military satellite. Washington also called on all countries to extend the United Nations conventional-arms embargo on Iran, saying the launch was proof the country’s space program was “neither peaceful nor …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Last January, no doubt underestimating the threat to France itself, President Emmanuel Macron made a gift of five million surgical masks to the People’s Republic. When it became clear, just three weeks later, that France itself might urgently need the masks, Beijing came out with a barrage of excuses to avoid restitution. And when the French agreed to …

Radiofarda – A newly elected Iranian lawmaker has denied his university degree is fake, admitting that the electoral commission in his province has expressed “uncertainty” about his diploma. Sina Kamalkhani was elected to parliament in February and will represent Tafresh, in Iran’s Central Province, when the new legislature is sworn in within weeks. Local news website Khabar Online says Kamalkhani …

Radiofarda – Britain says it is concerned over Iran’s launching of a military satellite and urged Tehran to uphold a United Nations resolution on refraining from such activities. “Reports that Iran has carried out a satellite launch using ballistic-missile technology are of significant concern and inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on April 24. …