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

rudaw—Iran has resumed shelling within the Kurdistan Region targeting Barbzinan area in Sidakan, a few kilometres within the Region’s northwestern borders in the Soran district of Erbil province Saturday morning, Rudaw’s correspondent reported. Mustafa Mawludi, deputy secretary general of Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDP-I), told Rudaw English that Iranian forces had been attacking locals in the border areas since Friday evening …

AP — An Iranian semi-official news agency is reporting that a soldier killed himself after shooting to death three of his comrades in southern Iran. The late Friday report by ILNA quoted Fattah Mohammadi, deputy governor of the southern city of Yasuj, as saying the shooting happened Friday in a youth correctional facility in Yasuj, some 700 kilometers (455 miles) …

NewsWeek – Even after the nuclear deal, Iran will be unable to fund a modernization of its forces to match its rivals. On September 1, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said something quite remarkable. In a speech at an Iranian military expo, the ayatollah stated that the development of Iran’s “defensive and offensive capabilities” is an “inalienable and clear …

Al-monitor— Lengthy negotiations between the United States and Russia appear to have finally paid off when they reached a deal on a cease-fire in Syria announced Sept. 10. If the truce — the cessation of all air and ground attacks by all parties for one week — is adhered to by both sides, the United States and Russia plan to …

Amnesty – The trial of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national and permanent US resident held in detention in Tehran’s Evin Prison since September 2015, has concluded after two brief sessions before Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. His health is deteriorating but the authorities are denying him access to medical care. View report in English https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1348472016ENGLISH.pdf