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

Iranwire – It has been reported that an Iranian court sentenced 17 workers to fines and flogging for protesting last year the management practices of their employer, the state-owned Iran National Steel Industrial Group, and their employment status. According to the semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), the Revolutionary Court of the southern city of Ahvaz ordered the workers to …

Iranwire – Iran’s Shargh newspaper says security forces arrested one of its reporters on October 2.  It said that Maryam Lotfi was taken into custody after visiting Fajr Air Force Hospital to report on the situation of a girl who had lost consciousness in the Tehran subway.  According to some reports, a high school girl was sent to the hospital …

VOA – Iran said Monday it opposes any “geopolitical changes” in the Caucasus, where it has long been angered over Azerbaijan’s desire to set up a transport link along the Armenian-Iranian border. Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani, while voicing support for Azerbaijan’s reclamation of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region last month, said Tehran is “against making geopolitical changes in the region …

Al-Monitor – A Saudi soccer team refused to play an Iranian squad on Monday, reportedly due to a statue on the sidelines depicting slain Iranian commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, an indication of the continued complexities of Iran-Saudi relations. What happened: The Saudi soccer team Al-Ittihad was in the Iranian city of Isfahan for a match against the Iranian club Sepahan at Naghsh-e …

Iranwire – Hardliners have labeled concerns about rising Afghan immigration as “Afghan-Phobia,” defending the government’s perceived “open borders” policy, despite public outcry. The fast-growing Afghan population in Iran has given rise to protests on social media and even debates in Iran’s government-controlled media, with many claiming that the government has a hidden agenda in letting thousands of Afghans enter the …