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Iranwire – In the lead-up to Iran’s parliamentary polls on March 1, authorities have intensified their crackdown on supporters of an election boycott. On February 28, the police commander of West Azerbaijan province announced the arrest of 50 “social media page operators” accused of “disrupting public order and inciting non-participation in the elections.”  The police official warned that publishing “tension-inducing …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have arrested Masoud Shekari, the father of a young protester executed in connection with the 2022 uprising.  The Shekari family reportedly said that Shekari “suffers from a mental illness” that has worsened since the execution of his son, Mohsen Shekari, leading to his hospitalization. Journalist Amirhossein Miresmaeili, citing a family member, said that Masoud Shekari was …

Al-Arabia – Operatives from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are on the ground in Yemen helping with Houthi attacks, a senior US diplomat said on Tuesday. “Credible public reports suggest a significant number of Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah operatives are supporting Houthi attacks from inside Yemen,” US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking told lawmakers. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted commercial and international …

iranintl – One of the oddities in Iranian elections over the years is the dwindling presence of clerics in parliament, while the regime shifts towards greater ideological rigidity and less tolerance. When questioned about the absence of clerics on his candidate list for Tehran, Ali Motahhari, a former deputy speaker of the Majles (parliament) and current candidate, responded candidly. He explained, …

iranintl – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s chief of staff requested a higher budget for organizations affiliated with his office and religious institutions in 2023, according to a leaked letter. The confidential correspondence from Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpaygani, Khamenei’s chief of staff, to Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, dated January 31, 2023, reveals dissatisfaction with the stagnant budget allocation for Khamenei’s affiliated entities and …