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

VOA – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to travel to Moscow Saturday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting will likely focus on the Iran crisis, with both Germany and Russia calling for de-escalation following the U.S. targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the retaliatory airstrikes by Tehran on Western military bases in Iraq.  The …

CHRI – Iran’s judiciary should free all women and men who were arbitrarily detained as state forces violently repressed street protests this past November, said a group of UN human rights experts* on December 20, 2019. UN Experts Call on Iran to Release Detained ProtestersIran's judiciary should free all women and men who were arbitrarily detained as state forces violently …

Al-Monitor – Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, spoke today about Iran’s retaliation for the killing of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Hajizadeh first addressed a topic under debate by many analysts and Iran observers: whether Iran intended to kill American troops stationed at Ain al-Asad base in Iraq in the missile attack. “We could have targeted …

Al- Monitor – Iran’s hard-liners and conservatives appear to have failed to reach a unified platform ahead of the Feb. 21 parliamentary election, though they face no serious competition, as Reformists are mostly determined to boycott the ballot boxes. For a year, conservatives and hard-liners have sought to set their differences aside and form a united front. Senior conservatives established the unofficial Council of Unity to manage the election. The council was at …

Radiofarda – In a rare move, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a cable sent to all American missions overseas has ordered them to limit contact with Iranian opposition groups unless specifically approved, in order not to worsen tensions with the Iranian regime. “Many exiled Iranian opposition groups try to engage U.S. officials regularly to gain at least …