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

CHRI – A Tehran appeals court upheld a 7.5-year prison sentence against prominent political activist Hengameh Shahidi based on her social media posts in which she criticized former Chief Justice Sadegh Larijani and demanded a report on his 10-year tenure. “State forces are threatened by Iranian women leading calls for peaceful reforms in the country and Hengameh Shahidi is the latest …

CHRI – “Authors have learned that they cannot write about things that are against the country’s official religion, or against national security, or anything that promotes ‘moral corruption’ and ‘indecency.’” State censorship of the publishing industry in Iran is intensifying and increasingly arbitrary, causing book publishers in Iran to become more cautious than ever, according to Alireza Behnam, a journalist, …

Al-Monitor – Amid the Trump administration’s all-time high pressure on Iran, manifested in its decision not to extend sanctions waivers granted to Tehran’s key oil customers, Iran-US tensions are reaching levels unseen in recent decades. To alleviate the burden on its shoulders, Iran might not be fully capitalizing on China as its leading oil buyer. Yet Beijing could continue to …

Al-Monitor – The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) decided May 4 to open an economic representative office in Iraq. The decision was made during a meeting bringing together executives at Iraq’s Oil Ministry and Iranian oil industry equipment producers, on the sidelines of the Iran Oil Show 2019. Ramin Gholampour Dezfouli, NIOC’s director for support, construction and goods supply, said only Iranian companies approved by the …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeesi says officials in a meeting last week have discussed the Iranian Parliament’s bill to prevent violence against women. However, he added it takes a few weeks before the bill is finalized. The bill to prevent violence against women has been awaiting endorsement by the Judiciary since for the last five years. Meanwhile, Iranian …