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

RFL/RE – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic, was publicly opposed to the United States, which he branded the “Great Satan.” But Khomeini and his close aides secretly engaged with Washington before and after he came to power following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, according to U.S. documents that have been declassified in recent years. A declassified …

RFL/R – Prominent Iranian civil activist Hossein Ronaghi says he won’t leave the country despite moves by the government to ratchet up pressure on him, including the freezing of his bank accounts and the violation of his civil rights. Ronaghi said in a tweet on June 8 that the Information Ministry had requested he be forced into exile.“Attacks and sending messages containing …

Iranwire – Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric urged the Shia-ruled Islamic Republic to address the people’s economic needs instead of allocating excessive funding to the military, after officials unveiled what they described as the country’s first domestically produced hypersonic ballistic missile. Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, made the call in his sermon on June 9, ahead …

Iranwire – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Iranian authorities to release a cartoonist arrested earlier this week on unknown charges and to stop their “unabated efforts to silence commentators and members of the press.” “Iranian authorities must release cartoonist Atena Farghadani immediately and unconditionally,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in a statement. …

Iranwire – The Islamic Republic’s relentless efforts to tighten its grip on universities and suppress student protests have reached a new level of intensity.  After nearly nine months since nationwide anti-government demonstrations began, reports are emerging regarding the authorities’ increasing use of intimidation tactics and disciplinary measures on students involved in the protest movement. One of the latest victims of …