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

iranintl – Hopes for increased economic cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia following last year’s diplomatic reconciliation have not materialized, due to historical and political factors Saudi Arabia and Iran have a long history of hostility, usually taking opposing sides in regional conflicts such as Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. This competition, fueled by disruptive activities and outright attacks on Saudi land and oil …

iranintl – UN’s rapporteur on Iran’s human rights and its fact-finding mission have renewed their call to hold Tehran accountable for its violations, including brutal crackdown on dissent and surging executions. The Human Rights Council hosted members of the UN’s fact-finding mission that was established to investigate Iran’s crackdown on the popular protests of 2022, ignited by the death in …

RFL/RE – An emboldened Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, has changed the balance of power in the South Caucasus in recent years. Baku reclaimed full control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that for three decades had been under ethnic-Armenian control, last year. A weakened Armenia, meanwhile, has distanced itself from its traditional ally, Russia, and looked to move closer to the …

Iranwire – Iran’s government announced a 35 percent increase in the minimum wage of laborers for the next Persian Year, which began March 20. This increment brings the minimum wage to 11,107,000 tomans (approximately $185) with benefits. However, the decision has been met with fierce criticism from labor representatives.  They walked out of a meeting of the Supreme Labor Council …

Iranwire – The Pentagon confirmed on Monday that United States officials visited Niger last week to address concerns about the West African nation’s potential development of ties with Russia and Iran.  “The US delegation was there to raise a number of concerns… We were troubled (about) the path that Niger is on,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, according to Reuters.  …