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iranintl – A fire that has been burning for almost three weeks in northern Iran’s UNESCO-listed forests has triggered growing criticism of officials for what many describe as indifference, incompetence and a failure to prioritize an escalating environmental disaster. The blaze has affected Elit forest, part of Iran’s Hyrcanian forest belt along the southern Caspian Sea coast, a 50-million-year-old ecosystem …

iranintl – Iranian officials said on Saturday that the massive wildfire burning for a week in the Hyrcanian forest in northern Mazandaran Province was most likely caused by human activity, as authorities investigate suspected attempts to clear forest land for real estate projects. Reza Aflatouni, head of Iran’s Forests Organization, said initial findings “strongly suggest a human cause.” “Expert teams …

iranintl – Iran’s nuclear negotiations have long served to buy time for building atomic weapons, prominent Tehran-based political commentator Sadegh Zibakalam said in a debate published on Tuesday. Zibakalam said the Islamic Republic had hidden behind anti-US and anti-Israel slogans while deceiving the world about its nuclear goals. “You have shouted death to America all your life and done all …

Iranwire – A Kurdish prisoner held in Iran for over two years is in critical condition after authorities denied him medical treatment following torture, a human rights group said on Monday. Loqman Alizadeh, 36, has kidney and intestinal infections, heart problems, and a fractured shoulder while detained at Ghezelhesar Prison near Tehran. Prison officials have refused to transfer him to …

iranintl – An Iranian economics journalist whose work scrutinizing the country’s free trade zones resulted in multiple judicial summonses has suffered a stroke, sources familiar with her health told Iran International. Marziya Hosseini lost part of her short-term memory after the stroke and remains hospitalized, they added. Despite her condition, judicial authorities issued a new summons dated October 26, giving …

iranintl – Retirees across Iran held protests over the past week, demanding overdue pension payments and relief from rising cost of living according to voice and video submissions sent to Iran International. Demonstrations were reported in cities including Zanjan, Tabriz, Tehran, Esfahan, Gilan and Fars, with participants chanting slogans that reflected both economic hardship and political frustration, lapse in their …

iranintl – Prominent Iranian American academic Mehrzad Boroujerdi has accused ex-security chief Ali Shamkhani of involvement in his father’s killing while a member of a militia group during the 1979 revolution. Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has recently come under public scrutiny in Iran after a leaked video showed his daughter’s lavish wedding featuring unveiled women, …

iranintl – An LPG tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday was carrying an Iranian cargo, TankerTrackers reported, while Iranian state media denied the vessel had links to Iran. The Falcon (IMO 9014432), a 31-year-old, Cameroon-flagged vessel owned by an Indian company, was laden with liquefied petroleum gas loaded in Iran’s Assaluyeh on September …

iranintl – Iran will be held responsible for the actions of armed groups it supports, including Hamas, and should be kept out of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, a senior US senator told Iran International on Friday. “The Islamic Republic will be held accountable for its proxy activity,” Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said. “Iran must stay away from Israel …

iranintl – Protests against university authorities and gripped several campuses across Iran, according to videos sent to Iran International, pointing to widespread anxiety among students which stopped short of overtly political grievances. In one video, filmed at night, students are seen protesting disciplinary measures and calling for an end to harsh punishments. At Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology they …