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

Al-Monitor – The top Shiite religious authority in the holy city of Najaf has remained silent despite increasing friction reported among Iraq’s Shiite political parties. Najaf has long avoided direct involvement in politics, but it is unprecedented for religious leaders to remain silent during a period of dangerous uncertainty.  Background Iraq has been experiencing political and societal division since the …

RFL/RE – An Iranian academic group says dozens of female students have been forced to participate in “mandatory counseling sessions” for failing to “properly” observe the country’s mandatory hijab law. Anger over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly has prompted thousands of Iranians to take to the streets …

RFL/RE – The Canadian government has imposed sanctions on 12 senior officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) for “gross violations of human rights” in a deadly crackdown on protesters angered by the death of a young woman while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said …

RFL/RE – Iran says the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, will visit Tehran “in the coming days” amid a dispute over uranium enrichment levels in the Islamic republic. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier this month that it was in discussions with Tehran after Bloomberg News reported that the watchdog’s inspectors in Iran …

Iranwire – Amnesty International says a Belgian aid worker imprisoned in Iran for more than a year is being held in solitary confinement in a windowless basement cell with bright lights turned on 24 hours a day and is denied access to adequate healthcare and fresh air, which the group said amounted to torture. Iranian authorities are subjecting Olivier Vandecasteele, …