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

RFL/RE – Two well-known leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran who had already served decade-long prison terms have been handed new 10-year sentences, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) said. The BIC said in a statement released in Geneva on December 11 that the women, Mahvash Sabet Shahriari and Fariba Kamalabadi, received the additional sentences in “an unbelievable injustice” following an hour-long …

RFL/RE – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on December 11 that Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons. “If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi. “We are in a very …

Iranwire – In the wave of protests in Iran that started with the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, the main targets of protesters in the streets and on social media have been the “ideological coefficients” of the Islamic Republic. But what is an “ideological coefficient”? In the newfangled literature about security, an “ideological coefficient” is a concept or a …

Iranwire – Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia caused a shock for Iran. China unexpectedly stood with Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries on two big issues. The Iranian regime, which is facing its lowest level of domestic legitimacy and international acceptance, seems to have lost China as well. *** The Chinese leader published a joint statement with the …

Iranwire – Armed Iranian security forces arrested a Tehran University theatre student today and transferred her to the notorious Evin prison. They violently raided the home of Mahdieh Suleimani, 22, and took her into custody without telling her the charges. Students have been at the forefront of protests sparked by the September death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in …