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

VOA – A member of a council that advises Iran’s supreme leader died Monday after falling sick from the new coronavirus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness that is affecting members of the Islamic Republic’s leadership.   The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 …

gatestoneinstitute.org – For the first time in 40 years…. [t]he so-called “moderates” and “reformists” whose task was to give a North Korean-style regime a Scandinavian varnish have been reduced to insignificance…. Thus even without Ahmadinejad’s bloc, the IRGC and affiliates enjoy a solid majority. The fact that the new Majlis reflects the true nature of the regime as never before must be …

RFL/RE – Iranian officials have announced another jump in confirmed cases and deaths from the coronavirus that is causing global havoc since its outbreak began in central China late last year. Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told a televised news conference that 385 newly confirmed cases of the COVID-19 illness in Iran brought the total to 978. Eleven new deaths …

RFL/RE – Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival for his film titled There Is No Evil, which he made despite being forbidden to do so by the government in Tehran. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof Rasoulof was not present at the February 29 ceremony to receive the Golden Bear award for the film, which tells …

NPR – The U.S. and the Taliban have struck a deal that paves the way for eventual peace in Afghanistan. U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad and the head of the militant Islamist group, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed the potentially historic agreement Saturday in Doha, Qatar, where the two sides spent months hashing out its details. Under the terms of …