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

Al-Arabia – A senior Iranian cleric who recently died of coronavirus had previously blamed the US for the outbreak of the virus in a speech captured on video. https://vid.alarabiya.net/2020/03/19/irancleric14f1ef7ba/irancleric14f1ef7ba___irancleric14f1ef7ba_video.mp4 Ayatollah Hashem Bathaei-Golpaygani died from coronavirus on Monday. He was a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts – the clerical body that supervises, appoints and in theory, can sack the Supreme Leader. …

RFL/RE – The United States has imposed sanctions on nine companies and three individuals for allegedly doing business with Iran’s petrochemical industry. Three Chinese and three Hong-Kong-based companies, two interrelated South African firms, and the Iranian Armed Forces Social Security Investment Company are suspected of “knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of …

RFL/RE – The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) says that at least three political activists in Tehran’s Evin prison have joined imprisoned human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh’s hunger strike demanding freedom for all political prisoners. Sotoudeh’s hunger strike was launched after Iranian judicial officials announced the temporary release of 85,000 inmates to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which …

VOA – Iraqi President Barham Salih’s choice of former Najaf Governor Adnan Zurfi to form a new government is meeting opposition from the country’s divided Shiite political camp, along with the country’s main power broker, Iran.   Zurfi, who has 30 days to put together a Cabinet, is facing what some analysts see as insurmountable odds.   Despite opposition to Zurfi’s …

Amnesty – Responding to the announcement by the Iranian authorities that pardons will be granted to prisoners convicted of “security” offences who have a five-year prison sentence or less, and that those who have been granted leave in recent weeks will not be returned to prison, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, said: …