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

Al-monitor – Speculation surrounding which film would represent Iran at the 2017 Academy Awards finally came to an end in mid-September with the selection of “The Salesman” by Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi. The movie was chosen by a committee of the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. “The Salesman” won the best …

Iranhumanrights.org – Cases Expose Judiciary’s Lack of Independence In another example of the Iranian Judiciary’s lack of independence, an Appeals Court has upheld disproportionate prison sentences against four civil rights activists following pressure by the Revolutionary Guards, the activists told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Fatemeh (Atena) Daemi and Omid Alishenas have each been sentenced to seven years in prison while Aso …

VOA – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in a phone call that it was essential for oil-producing countries to decide to raise the price of oil and stabilize the market, Iranian state news agency IRNA said. Iran and Venezuela are members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which agreed at an informal …

VOA – A U.S. journalist who was jailed in Iran for 18 months has filed a federal lawsuit against the Iranian government, claiming he was taken hostage and tortured in an attempt to extract concessions from the U.S. government. Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian said in the suit that he was targeted for arrest so Iran could gain negotiating leverage …