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

iranintl – The Fajr Film Festival, Iran’s biggest and most extravagant annual cultural event, has become mired by the politics of fundamentalism and Islamic populism. Before conservative President Ebrahim Raisi took office in 2021, major film festivals in Europe and the United States, including those in Berlin, Cannes, and Chicago looked forward to the event to select some of the …

BBC – Videos of antisemitic speeches by Iranian generals, given to UK students, are being investigated by the Charity Commission. The regulator is also looking at footage of “death to Israel” chants at an Islamic charity’s UK premises. Verified by the BBC, two of the videos show talks by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One described an apocalyptic war …

RFL/RE – The U.S. and British militaries bombed multiple targets in eight locations used by the Iranian-backed Huthis in Yemen on the night of January 22, the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes on an array of the rebels’ missile-launching capabilities. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands contributed to the mission, including with intelligence and surveillance. …

Iranwire – The Khorramabad Revolutionary Court in western Iran has sentenced Ghazaleh Zare, a children’s rights activist, to three years in prison. HRANA human rights website reported on January 23 that Zare was sentenced on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and “forming groups and factions to disrupt the country’s security.” The judicial authorities said the verdict was based …

Iranwire – After facing intensifying pressure from Iranian security agencies, civil activist Mukhtar Ebrahimi surrendered to the authorities on January 22 to begin serving a one-year prison sentence. The Azeri activist was subsequently transferred to Maragheh prison, in East Azerbaijan province, to start serving his prison term. According to information obtained by IranWire, Ebrahimi’s office was sealed by security forces …