June, 2019

• 20 June

  Mired In Corruption, Iranian Neo-Cons Eye 2020 Parliamentary Elections

  

  Radiofarda – Led by Tehran’s former mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s neo-cons hope to win a sizeable majority in the next round of the country’s parliamentary elections to be held in February 2020. In a video released on social media, Qalibaf, currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, has called on “revolutionary youths” to prepare for candidacy in the …

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• 20 June

  US envoy for Iran traveling to Middle East: State Department

  

  Al-Arabia – US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook will travel to the Middle East on Wednesday for meetings in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss “Iran’s regional aggression,” the State Department said. “He will also share additional US intelligence on the range of active threats Iran currently poses to the region,” the department …

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• 20 June

  Arab Deputies Urge UN To List Yemen’s Huthi Movement As ‘Terrorist Organization’

  

  RFL/RE – A group of lawmakers from the Arab bloc have called on the United Nations to label the Iran-backed Huthi rebel movement in Yemen a “terrorist organization.”Parliamentarians meeting in Cairo on June 19 asked “the UN and the Security Council to take a firm and immediate position by classifying the putschist Huthi militia a terrorist organization,” the group said.The …

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• 20 June

  Iran Shoots Down US Drone

  

  VOA – Iran shot down a U.S. drone Thursday in an incident Iranian officials said happened over the country’s territory, but U.S. officials say took place in international airspace. In the Iranian account, the drone was an RQ-4 Global Hawk shot down by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the airspace of the country’s southern Hormozgan province, near the Strait of …

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• 20 June

  New Charges Against Atena Daemi And Golrokh Iraee

  

  Iran-HRM – The two-hour trial of Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee was held on Tuesday, June 18, at the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. The two civil rights activists appeared before the court accompanied by their lawyers. The court will issue its ruling on their case within 10 days. The new case against Atena Daemi and Golrokh …

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• 20 June

  Iran chief justice dismisses 60 judges to uproot internal corruption

  

  Al-Monitor – The Iranian judiciary has dismissed 60 judges since early May in an anti-corruption drive launched by Ebrahim Raisi, the recently appointed conservative chief justice. During a presser in Tehran, Raisi’s first deputy, Gholam-Hossein Ejei, announced that the sacked judges came from a wide range of ranks in the judiciary. An unspecified number of those fired have also been barred …

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• 20 June

  Is Iran’s Reformist-moderate coalition coming to an end?

  

  Al-Monitor – Iran’s Reformist-moderate coalition appears to be nearing its end as the two sides say they will not cooperate with each other in next year’s parliamentary elections, raising concerns that hard-liners will win the vote again. Iran’s Reformist and moderate movements joined forces against the hard-liners during the 2013 presidential election won by moderate Hassan Rouhani. They maintained this …

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• 20 June

  Request By Murderers Of Alireza Shir-Mohammad-Ali Granted

  

  Iran-HRM – The request by the murderer of political prisoner Alireza Shir-Mohammad-Ali was granted and he was transferred from the detention center of Shapour Detective Department in Tehran to Gohardasht Prison. Hamidreza Shoja’ii Zavareh, accused of complicity in the murder of Alireza Shir-Mohammad-Ali was sent to Gohardasht aka Rajai-shahr Prison, on June 18, 2019. On the same day, Alireza’s cellmate, …

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• 19 June

  Tehran Police May Allow Some Night Life Under Pressure From Businesses

  

  Radiofarda – Tehran Police Chief Hossein Rahimi appears to have changed his mind about night life in Tehran in what seems to be a U-turn from his previous hardline position. Police Chief who had ruled out any night life in Tehran after 1 PM in an interview earlier this week, said on Wednesday June 19 “The police has not made …

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• 19 June

  Russian And Iran Turn To Barter Trade

  

  Radiofarda – Iran imports Russian equipment and agricultural products in exchange for crude oil it had already sold to Moscow, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said on Tuesday, June 18, in Tehran. Novak arrived in Tehran Monday to hold talks with the Iranian Oil Minister, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh. The Islamic Republic state-run monopolized TV&Radio news agency (IRIB) cited Namdar Zanganeh …

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• 19 June

  US envoy on Iran says Tehran ‘without question’ behind Gulf of Oman attacks

  

  Al-Arabia – The US special envoy for Iran told a congressional hearing that Tehran was “without question” behind last week’s attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. “Those who have seen the intelligence all come away without any question Iran is behind these attacks,” Brian Hook told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The United States sought on …

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• 19 June

  US Point Person on Iran Says Trump Wants to Negotiate

  

  VOA – The U.S. special envoy says President Donald Trump’s Iran policy is ultimately aimed at bringing Tehran to the negotiating table. Brian Hook briefed lawmakers at a House panel Wednesday amid concerns from some in Congress that the situation in the Middle East could escalate into military conflict. Hook said, “no one should be uncertain about our desire for peace …

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• 19 June

  Iran Has No Good Options In Responding To American Pressures

  

  lobelog.com – With the failure of the latest mediation efforts between Iran and the United States by the prime minister of Japan, followed by attacks on two tankers in the Gulf  of Oman, Iran has decided to speed up the process of reducing its commitments under the nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA). First, Iran practiced …

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• 19 June

  Q&A: A Look At The Standoff Between The U.S. And Iran

  

  Radiofarda – Hostilities are heating up between the United States and Iran and while President Donald Trump says he’s not looking to go to war, it’s unclear how the standoff can be resolved. Here’s a look at what’s behind the mounting tension and what’s at stake for both sides, as well as U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere: __ IS …

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• 19 June

  Top Iran Officials Claim US Spies Uncovered, Some Executed

  

  Radiofarda – Iran’s Counter-Intelligence Chief says Tehran has executed a number of online spies linked to the United states, without providing much detail. The official who has not been identified in Iranian news agency reports said on Tuesday that Iran has “successfully” clamped down on “cyber-spies” he claimed were linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), ISNA reported. On …

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• 19 June

  Europeans Plan New Iran Push But May Be Nearing End Of Diplomatic Road

  

  Radiofarda – Britain, France and Germany plan a new push to keep Iran in the 2015 nuclear deal despite Tehran’s threat to violate one of its central limits, but they may be nearing the end of the diplomatic road they embarked on more than 15 years ago. The E3 countries have strained to keep the accord between major powers and …

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• 19 June

  Rocket Hits Site Of Foreign Oil Firms In Iraq’s Basra

  

  Radiofarda – A rocket struck the site of the residential and operations headquarters of several global major oil companies, including U.S. giant ExxonMobil, near Iraq’s southern city of Basra early on Wednesday, wounding three people, Iraq’s military said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. It came after two separate attacks in as many days on bases housing U.S. military …

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• 19 June

  Iran Reports A Huge Drop In GDP As Sanctions Halt Oil Exports

  

  Radiofarda – Iran’s gross domestic product, including oil production, shrank 4.9 percent in fiscal year 2018-19 compared with the year before, according to the latest report by Statistical Center of Iran’s (SCI). Based on the report, published on SCI’s website on June 16, Iran’s overall GDP figure stood at 7,130 trillion rials ($52 billion at current market exchange rates) for …

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• 19 June

  Strait Of Hormuz: Imbalance of Forces And Guerilla Warfare

  

  Radiofarda – The deployment of 1,000 more US troops to the Middle East highlights the imbalance of forces in the region between Washington and Tehran, which is experienced in maritime guerilla warfare and likely to avoid full-scale battles, experts say. Washington has not specified when and where the new contingent will be deployed, but it comes less than three weeks …

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• 19 June

  US Navy says mine fragments, magnet point to Iran in Gulf tanker attack

  

  Al-Arabia – The United States Navy on Wednesday displayed limpet mine fragments and a magnet it said it had removed from one of two oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week, saying the mines bore a striking resemblance to Iranian ones.The United States, waging a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Iran to curb its nuclear and regional …

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• 19 June

  Iran says will not extend 60-day deadline to scale back nuclear deal commitments

  

  Al-Arabia – Iran will not extend a 60-day deadline for it to start pulling out of more commitments agreed under its nuclear deal, the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said on Wednesday.Iran stopped complying in May with some commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal that was agreed with global powers, after the United States unilaterally withdrew from …

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• 19 June

  Pompeo: US must be able to respond to any Iranian attack

  

  Al-Arabia – The United States must have the capability to respond to any Iranian attack on US interests, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday. He spoke at the Florida headquarters of US Central Command, which oversees the US forces in the Middle East, a day after the US said it was sending another 1,000 troops to the region in response to …

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• 19 June

  Is Washington’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ Bringing An End To Iran’s ‘Strategic Patience?’

  

  RFL/RE – Iran is turning up the heat on the United States and its allies by shifting away from a policy of “strategic patience” and pushing back against Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” — which has significantly cut Iran’s oil exports, a major source of income, and caused the economy to shrink.Tehran has signaled recently that it is ready to …

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• 19 June

  Iran: New Terrorist Activity in Europe

  

  gatestoneinstitute.org – One of the more disturbing discoveries regarding Iran’s ever-expanding terrorism horizons has emerged in London where it was revealed by the Daily Telegraph earlier this month that a terrorist cell with links to Iran had been caught stockpiling tonnes of explosive materials on the outskirts of London at a secret bomb factory. British intelligence officials have now concluded the …

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• 19 June

  I Funded My Own Twitter Troll With Taxpayer Dollars

  

  HRW – On May 31, the State Department announced that it was suspending funding for a project called Iran Disinfo, which over the last few months has engaged in an online campaign against analysts, journalists, and human-rights defenders that crossed the line into personal abuse. All of the campaign’s targets had diverged, in some form or another, from the administration’s …

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• 19 June

  Iran Executions: Man Executed at Ahvaz Prison

  

  Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A prisoner was hanged for murder charges at Ahvaz (Ahwaz) Central Prison last Saturday. According to IHR sources, on Saturday, June 15, prisoner Mohammad Shekaf was hanged at the Iranian southern city of Ahvaz’s central prison. He was arrested on January 29, 2015, and charged with murder. His execution is not announced by Iranian authorities …

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• 19 June

  Prominent Iranian Activists Speak Out Against Councilman’s Imprisonment

  

  CHRI – A group of prominent political and civil rights activists in Iran has issued a statement condemning the imprisonment of a councilman after he publicly denounced the arrests of two citizens for their religious beliefs, as well as the state’s persecution of peaceful activists. Mehdi Hajati, a member of the City Council in Shiraz, Fars Province, was taken to …

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• 19 June

  Iran says not seeking war after announcing boost in uranium stockpile

  

  Al-Monitor – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told France’s new Iranian Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud June 17 in Tehran that time was quickly running out for the remaining signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to “play their historic role in salvaging the deal.” Rouhani warned that the pact’s collapse would not serve the interests of any side involved the agreement. A few …

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• 19 June

  Top Iranian universities on the list of Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019

  

  PayvandNews – Iranian universities are included in different subjects of 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, according to its website. In physical science, 24 Iranian universities are amongst 963 universities worldwide. Twenty one universities in Iran are amongst 903 universities assessed in engineering and technology subject. Eleven Iranian universities are on ranking table for life sciences amongst 751 universities …

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• 18 June

  Young Painter Sentenced To 35 Lashes For ‘Insulting’ Filmmaker

  

  Radiofarda – A court in Tehran has sentenced a student of painting at the University of Tehran to 35 lashes on the charges of ‘insulting’ a filmmaker. Mahyar Bahram Asl, a graduate student, may have to receive the lashes if he is convicted for the same or any other reason within the next three years. Bahram Asl criticized Mrs. Tahmineh …

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