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Al-Monitor – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized the presence of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan and called on Baghdad to use its power against them.   Khamenei made the request at a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who was in Tehran on Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, according to Iranian state media, Sudani announced at a joint …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s World Cup dreams were crushed Wednesday night when the United States men’s soccer team defeated their Iranian opponents 1-0 in Doha. Iran was seeking to advance to the second round of the tournament for the first time in history.  Why it matters: Tensions between the American and Iranian governments are not new, but the ongoing protests in Iran have clouded …

RFL/RE – The coaches of the U.S. and Iranian soccer teams have said that they do not want to get caught up in a game of political football when their sides clash for a chance to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup. “I envision the game being hotly contested for the fact that both teams want to advance …

RFL/RE – Hard-line Iranian lawmakers have proposed a plan to enact harsher punishments against protesters who they say are cooperating with “hostile” foreign countries. According to the plan, any interaction with any Western institutions and media, including social media, will be considered cooperation and criminalized under the title of “corruption on earth” — a charge that is punishable by death and often …

RFL/RE – Iranian truck drivers have continued to strike for a third day, with more joining their ranks across the country despite threats from security agents over undelivered cargo. Trucks in the central Iranian city of Isfahan remained parked while reports published on social media indicated that drivers in the cities of Qazvin, Kermanshah, Marand, and Bandar Abbas joined the …