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VOA – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi appointed a new head of the country’s top security body on Monday. State media said Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a Revolutionary Guards commander, would serve as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Ahmadian replaces Ali Shamkhani, who served in the post for a decade and played a key role in thawing relations with regional …

Iranwire – In a dramatic response to Friday morning’s executions of the detained protesters Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaqoubi, outraged Iranians have flooded the streets of several cities, igniting widespread protests against the Islamic Republic. Tehran, the nation’s capital, witnessed powerful demonstrations as protesters assembled in various locations, including Sattar Khan Street, Tehran Pars, and Ekbatan Town.  Social media reports …

Al-Arabia – Iran has summoned Iraq’s ambassador to protest over the presence of Iranian opposition groups at an official ceremony in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, media reported Sunday. Quoting the foreign ministry, ISNA news agency said that during Saturday’s meeting Tehran expressed its “strong objection” to the invitation of members of “separatist groups” at the ceremony “contrary to the recent …

iranintl – Hossein Ta’eb, a senior adviser to the IRGC says former President “Hassan Rouhani will be tried if not today, maybe another day for his decision’s during his presidency.” However, while according to Etemad Online Ta’eb insisted that Rouhani should be tried, he commented that his trial is not the establishment’s immediate priority. Several social media users commenting on the report …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have released two French citizens jailed in separate cases and they are both now returning to France, French officials say. Bernard Phélan , who also holds Irish nationality, and Benjamin Brière were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad and are “on their way to France,” Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. “Finally Freed. Benjamin Brière and Bernard Phélan will …

RFL/RE – Clashes have erupted between security forces and civilians in the southeastern Iranian city of Fanouj amid protests sparked by the death of a teen when his motorcycle collided with a police car. In response to the protests on April 25, the deputy of the police command in the region, Ali Rahimi, said expert teams have been dispatched to investigate the …

Iranwire – Iran’s former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has visited the spiritual and administrative heart of the Baha’i community in Haifa, as he wrapped up his five-day trip to Israel. Baha’is in Iran have faced persecution and discrimination since the 1979 Islamic Revolution because of their religious beliefs. Pahlavi, the son of the late Mohammad Reza Shah and an exiled …

Al-Monitor — A joint statement by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last Friday referred among other things to common efforts for reviving the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Iran that was signed in 2015 but stalled following the US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. The statement noted that …

Al-Monitor – CIA Director Bill Burns made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia this week where he reportedly aired Washington’s frustrations over Riyadh’s opening to Iran and Syria through mediation brokered by US rivals China and Russia.  Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official confirmed the trip to Al-Monitor. “Director Burns traveled to Saudi Arabia where he met with intelligence counterparts and …

Al-Monitor —  The latest signs indicate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran doesn’t have much of a pulse. The Biden administration says the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not on the agenda. However, on Monday a report by Axios revealed that the US has discussed with its European and Israeli partners an interim agreement with Iran that would include …