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

Radiofarda – Iran unveiled on Saturday what authorities said was a locally upgraded missile defense system with a range of 400 km (250 miles) and able to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. The announcement comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and United States. Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf …

Radiofarda – Hashem Aghajari, an outspoken academic in Iran, has stated in a recent article that the relatively open political environment prevailing in the late 1990s and early 2000s marked the limit of the Islamic Republic’s tolerance for reforms. Aghajari maintains that not only did reforms not continue beyond that point, but Iranians have witnessed a day-by-day decline in the …

Radiofarda – Iran’s traditional clerics see smaller families, empowered women and global lifestyles as threats that cross political borders, but they find it hard to confront modern changes with their outdated tools and methods. The Chairman of Iran’s Islamic Propagation Organization says there are nearly 100,000 religious associations active in Iran “to solve modern day’s problems,” but still calls for …

Al-Arabia – France said on Friday it “needs no permission” to work towards easing tensions between Iran and the US, after President Donald Trump accused his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of meddling in the standoff. “On Iran, France speaks with complete sovereignty. It is working hard for peace and security in the region, it is working to facilitate a de-escalation in …

RFL/RE – Iran’s foreign minister has described “any extra-regional presence” in the Persian Gulf as a “source of insecurity” and said his country “won’t hesitate to safeguard its security” in the strategic waterway that abuts eight Middle Eastern states and serves as a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies.A recent spate of naval confrontations and a shipping seizure …