Social and Political

RFL/RE – The United States has declared the leader of the Iran-backed Kataib Hizbullah (KH) militant group in Iraq a terrorist following a number of recent rocket attacks on bases hosting U.S. and other foreign troops in Iraq. A State Department official on February 26 said the United States had listed Ahmad al-Hamidawi, head of the armed faction of the group, as …

CHRI – Grave Concerns Mounting Amid Rising Death Toll, Fears of Regional Outbreak Amid a rising death toll in Iran from the COVID-19 coronavirus strain, public health experts are suggesting that the number of infections in the country is significantly higher than those officially reported by the Iranian government. “[Iranian authorities] don’t want to admit that they’re facing a major outbreak,” said public …

CHRI – Reza Khandan, a women’s rights activist and the husband of prominent imprisoned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, has called on Iranian authorities to release his wife and other prisoners to the extent possible to protect them from contracting the potentially deadly COVID-19 coronavirus in overcrowded prisons and detention centers. “After my detention last year, I was incarcerated with 60 people inside …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip seem to have endorsed the banner of Netanyahu’s political rivals in Israel: “Anyone but Bibi (Netanyahu’s nickname).” The two Palestinian groups ‘ perceive Netanyahu as a major threat to their dream of destroying Israel and as someone who has further strengthened Israel’s standing in …

gatestoneinstitute.org – In many respects the ayatollahs only have themselves to blame for this dire outcome. Prior to the poll they attempted to fix the election in their favour by refusing to allow large numbers of potential candidates, many of whom were highly critical of how the country is being run, even to contest the election. This maneuver meant that …

LA Times – Like many Iranians scared about contracting the deadly coronavirus, Omid Rahimi has been reading the news, tracking rumors and watching television for updates, which, in these unsettled times, has left him only more confused over what to believe and whom to trust. With fears over a rapidly rising death toll, along with disclosures that a top Iranian …

Radiofarda – The Head of Iran’s Prisons Organization on Wednesday ordered prison wardens to take special measures to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from spreading to prisons. Addressing prison wardens across the country Ali-Asghar Jahangir said prisoners should not be sent to courts unnecessarily and without due coordination. He also said all visits to prisons except for judicial and health officials …

Radiofarda – The implications of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak in Iran for Iranian authorities seem to go far beyond only a national health issue. Officials, including the President himself, now allege that the outbreak has become a propaganda tool in the hands of Iran’s enemies, and first and foremost, the United States to bring the Iranian economy to a standstill. …

Radiofarda – A group of University of Toronto scientists and doctors have published an article offering an estimate that based on Coronavirus cases traveling from Iran to other countries it is statistically possible that 18,000 people are infected in the county. The research results were published on February 24 based on information available until that date. Researchers focused on volume …

Al-Arabia – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said the United States was “deeply concerned” Iran may have covered up details about the spread of coronavirus, and he called on all nations to “tell the truth.” “The United States is deeply concerned by information indicating the Iranian regime may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak in that …