Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

Al-monitor – Hot take on Vienna … and the other Iran talks: Rouhani notes 60-70% progress in Vienna. Let’s start in Vienna, where talks are underway for the return of both the United States and Iran to compliance with Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The details are trickling out and the messages are mixed, but the headline (cutting through the daily pressers and remarks, on …

unwatch.org – UN Watch is calling on U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and EU states to condemn the UN’s election of Iran to a 4-year term on its Commission on the Status of Women, the “principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.” The vote yesterday by the UN’s Economic and Social Council, reported first by UN Watch, …

Al-Arabia – Turkish authorities have continued with plans to help Iran silence critics seeking refuge in the country, with assassinations, arrests, and deportations of Iranian opposition figures continuing unabated. Now, at-least five Iranian asylum seekers in Turkey are at the edge of deportation to Iran – with at least one facing execution if he gets handed over to the regime authorities. Among …

Shabtabnews– The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) joins in the calls on President Joseph R. Biden to immediately sign the directive raising the numerical ceiling for refugees accepted from abroad through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for the current Fiscal Year, which runs until October 1, 2021. The International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that religious persecution …

Iranwire – On Tuesday the third round of talks on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ended in Vienna, with the various parties admitting they have a difficult task ahead. Concurrent with the new round of talks, economists have engaged in various debates about the likely impact of the revival of the JCPOA on Iran’s economy. Some compare …