February, 2020

• 24 February

  Khamenei Appears Not Shaken By Lowest Election Turnout In 40 Years

  

  Radiofarda – The turnout in the parliamentary elections in Iran last Friday has been the lowest since 1979 when the Islamic Republic was established. Nevertheless, the government does not seem to be concerned. As usual, officials have blamed matters such as the spread of Coronavirus as the cause for the low turnout. Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has said …

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• 24 February

  Iran Guards’ Commander Offers Government Assistance In Combating Coronavirus

  

  Radiofarda – Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Hossein Salami on Monday offered assistance in combating COVID-19 coronavirus to Health Minister Saeed Namaki. In a phone call to the Health Minister on Monday Salami said the IRGC was prepared “for any assistance to the organizations and authorities in charge of combating coronavirus and preventing its spread,” the Revolutionary Guard-affiliated …

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• 24 February

  Iran Police Confiscate Protective Masks Hoarded By Couple At Home Parking

  

  Radiofarda – The Chief of Tehran Prevention Police on Monday said 500,000 masks hoarded by an Iranian man and his Chinese wife have been discovered in a residential parking in eastern Tehran. According to Keyvan Zahiri, neighbors alerted the police that the masks, now very highly in demand due to coronavirus outbreak in Iran, were being hoarded in the couple’s …

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• 24 February

  Pompeo Says Administration Thinking About ‘Snapback’ Option Against Iran

  

  Radiofarda – In a one-on-one talk with the Washington Free Beacon, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has outlined the next steps the Trump administration will be taking to confront “Tehran’s growing influence in key Arab nations”, including Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. “The Trump administration is waging a multi-pronged effort to thwart Iran’s expansion across the Middle East, …

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• 24 February

  Iraq Confirms Elderly Iranian As First Coronavirus Case

  

  Radiofarda – Iraq on Monday confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in an elderly Iranian national in the southern shrine city of Najaf, according to health officials. Iraq, a country with a dilapidated healthcare system, often hosts pilgrims and religious students from Iran, where 12 people have died of the novel coronavirus since an outbreak there was first reported last …

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• 24 February

  Sanctioned Iranian Airline Continues Flights To China Despite Coronavirus Ban

  

  Radiofarda – Despite a dangerous spread of corovirus in Iran, there is evidence that at least one Iranian airline is still continuing flights to China. A flight tracking website, Flightradar24 shows Mahan airlines, with links to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and sanctioned by U.S., flew from Beijing to Tehran (Flight W578) three days ago and landed at 4:40 in the …

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• 24 February

  As Iran’s Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, Neighbors Close Borders, Impose Travel Bans

  

  Radiofarda – Iranian authorities reported two more deaths from the deadly coronavirus, bringing the country’s death toll to eight — the highest such toll outside the disease’s epicenter in China. Speaking February 23 on state TV, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said a total of 15 new confirmed cases had been reported across the country, bringing the overall figure to …

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• 24 February

  About 50 dead from coronavirus in Qom, Health Minister to blame: Iran MP on ILNA

  

  Al-Arabia – Coronavirus has killed around 50 people in Qom, the Iranian city’s representative in parliament said, according to the semi-official ILNA news agency. The comments by MP Ahmad Amirabadi Farhani suggest that coronavirus is far more widepsread in Iran than previously thought. The Iranian government announced on Monday morning that the total stood at 12 in the entire country, raising questions …

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• 24 February

  Tehran Court Sentences Labor Activists To Jail, Lashes

  

  Iran-HRM – A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced three labor rights activists to prison and lashes. According to the verdict issued by Tehran’s Revolutinary Court, the three activists, Roham Yeganeh, Farid Lotfabadi and Hirad Pirbodaghi were each sentenced to six months in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security.”In addition, Roham Yeganeh and Farid Lotfabadi were each sentenced to …

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• 24 February

  Rise In Coronavirus Cases In Iran, Elsewhere Triggers Pandemic Fears

  

  RFL/RE – Fears of a coronavirus pandemic, or global outbreak, are growing as countries including Iran, Italy, and South Korea are battling to contain the spread of the disease that has already killed around 2,600 people in China.Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait on February 24 reported their first cases of the COVID-19 virus — all involving people who had come …

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• 24 February

  Iran’s Lowest Election Turnout Since Islamic Revolution A Blow To Khamenei, Clerical Establishment

  

  Iranians have largely ignored a massive get-out-the vote effort by the government to record the lowest turnout for a nationwide election since the establishment of the Islamic republic in 1979.The Interior Ministry says a record low of 42.57 percent of registered voters took part in Iran’s February 21 parliamentary elections, which is about 20 percent lower than the 2016 elections.Analysts …

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• 24 February

  How Should the West Respond to the Iranian Protesters?

  

  gatestoneinstitute,org – “Right now people are mad, not just because of their own government… People are furious about the Western reaction, with the silence of the world. When they see that people are getting killed, but still the Western governments do not dare to openly support human rights and ask the United Nations to make an open investigation into the …

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• 23 February

  Historic low voter turnout in Iran shows ‘dissatisfaction’ with regime: Experts

  

  Al-Arabia – Iran’s interior ministry announced a 42.57 percent voter turnout in Friday’s parliamentary election, the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The interior ministry released the figure on Sunday with unprecedented delay, but did not give a reason for the wait. The decision by Iranian authorities to hold back the final voter turnout count “means that they are …

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• 23 February

  The annual celebration of international Sufi day

  

  ShabtabtNews – For the past eleven years  the 22nd February (3rd of Esfand in the Iranian calendar) has been celebrated as the international Sufi day . This year the international Sufi day was celebrated by the soveida ensemble through holding a special concert in the heart of London in the honour of this day . In this concert the soveida …

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• 23 February

  Coronavirus death toll rises to 18 in Iran: Sources

  

  Al-Arabia – The death toll from the deadly coronavirus rose to 18 in Iran on Sunday, reported Al Arabiya citing Iranian sources. The Iranian government confirmed two more deaths on Sunday, putting their total to eight, but Al Arabiya sources put the number initally at 18 and then at “more than 15.” On the same day, Iran International media outlet …

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• 23 February

  Media Freedom Group Condemns Harassment Of Iran Journalists

  

  Radiofarda – In a statement on Friday, February 21, the international press freedom NGO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), condemned the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) fearsome Intelligence Organization for summoning and threatening journalists in the clergy-dominated Iran. Referring to seven Iranian journalists, including Mohammad Mosaed, RSF says that pressure on them has intensified in the past few days. The IRGC …

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• 23 February

  Iran’s Health Minister Says Virus Came From China Travel

  

  AP —Iran’s health minister said Sunday that travel from China brought the new virus to the country, amid concerns that coronavirus clusters in Iran, as well as in Italy and South Korea, could signal a serious new stage in its global spread. Iran reported its first case of the virus last Wednesday, and six deaths from the illness since then. …

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• 23 February

  Iran Announces Closure Of Universities, Schools As Coronavirus Death Toll Rises

  

  Radiofarda – Iran’s health ministry announced three more deaths from coronavirus to 8 in total, the second highest in the world after China. The number of those infected was also raised from 28 to 43 people. While most of the deaths are from the central province of Qom, four victims died in the capital city, Tehran. Iran’s Ministry of Health …

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• 23 February

  Three November Protesters In Iran Sentenced To Death

  

  Radiofarda – A Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced three people arrested in the heat of anti-government protests last November to death. They were sentenced behind closed doors by the notorious ultraconservative judge, Abolqassem Salavati. An Iranian monitoring groups, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has named the three as Amir Hossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi, and Saeed Tamjidi. An …

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• 23 February

  Iran’s Currency Falls Again After Watchdog Decision To Strengthen Penalties

  

  Radiofarda – Iran’s currency rial continued to lose value against major currencies on Saturday, reaching as low as 154,000 to the U.S. dollar at one point. The main reason for rial’s fall was the decision of an international financial watchdog to call on all countries for countermeasures against Iran for not ratifying legislation against money laundering and financing of terrorism. …

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• 23 February

  Iranian Doctors Call For ‘Long Holiday’ To Contain Coronavirus, As Sixth Victim Dies

  

  Radiofarda – A group of doctors from various universities of Tehran has called on the government to shut down all schools, universities, theaters and cinemas, stadiums and other public places until after Nowrouz (New Year) holidays to contain the coronavirus outbreak and prevent the virus from spreading. Nowrouz is celebrated on March 21 and public holidays last through March 24, …

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• 23 February

  Iran’s Khamenei blames coronavirus, foreign media for discouraging voter turnout

  

  Al-Arabia – Supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday accused foreign media of trying to use a deadly outbreak of coronavirus in Iran to “discourage” people from voting in a general election. “This negative propaganda began a few months ago and grew larger approaching the election and in the past two days, under the pretext of an illness and a virus, …

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• 23 February

  Protesters clash with police in north Iran over handling of coronavirus outbreak

  

  Al-Arabia – Clashes erupted between Iranian security forces and protesters in the northern city of Talesh over the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, videos being shared by activists on social media showed. https://vid.alarabiya.net/2020/02/22/iranprotestf0a323c9/iranprotestf0a323c9___iranprotestf0a323c9_video.mp4 Protesters gathered in front of the Noorani Hospital of Talesh country in Gilan Province, northern Iran, on Saturday. Activists said protesters were angry …

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• 23 February

  Regime fails to prevent alarming spread of COVID-19 in Iran

  

  Iran-HRM – Official reports from the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran confirm that it has so far taken the lives of eight people and infected hundreds more. Deputy health minister Kiyanoush Jahanpour said on Sunday that 15 new cases of infection with the virus have been confirmed, seven of them were in Qom, four in Tehran, two in Gilan, one …

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• 23 February

  Iran’s Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches Eight; Authorities Closing Schools, Theaters

  

  RFL/RE – Iranian authorities reported two more deaths from the deadly coronavirus, bringing the country’s death toll to eight — the highest such toll outside the disease’s epicenter in China.Speaking February 23 on state TV, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said a total of 15 new confirmed cases had been reported across the country, bringing the overall figure to 43.Jahanpur …

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• 23 February

  Iran’s State TV: Hardliners Win All Seats for Tehran in Vote

  

  VOA – Iranian hardliners have won all 30 parliamentary seats in the capital, Tehran, state TV reported on Sunday, but officials have yet to announce the voter turnout from the nationwide elections two days ago.    State TV also said that former Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a top contender for the post of parliamentary speaker, was the top winner in …

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• 23 February

  Iranian Leaders React After Apparent Popular Boycott of Parliamentary Election

  

  VOA – Iranian media is saying that preliminary results of Friday’s parliamentary election are showing conservatives winning 70% of the 290-seat chamber, with independents taking about 20%, and reformists just 10%. Many observers, however, are pointing to extremely low turnout in most parts of the country.                         Amateur video broadcast by Arab and Iranian media showed several men outside an Iranian …

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• 23 February

  Iran: Two Men Hanged, Including One With Mental Disorder

  

  Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Two men were hanged on February 19 at Rajai-Shahr prison, near Tehran. One of them was suffering from a mental disorder.  According to IHR sources, death-row prisoner Mohammad Cheraghi was hanged on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at Rajai-Shahr prison. He was sentenced to death for murder charges.  The second prisoner who was identified by his …

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• 23 February

  Iran: the Masks of Jefferson and Attila

  

  gatestoneinstitute.org – The difficulty was that the leadership of the revolution had no intention of creating a Western-style society in which economically and socially Westernized Iranian middle classes would feel at home. One way to deceive them was to continue with a tradition of elections dating back to 1907. Four decades later, a new middle class has emerged. President Hassan …

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• 22 February

  Tehran City Council In Limbo After District Mayor Diagnosed With Coronavirus

  

  Radiofarda – The meetings of Tehran City Council may be cancelled after the mayor of one Tehran’s 22 districts was diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday. Mohsen Hashemi, Chairman of Tehran City Council, and Mojtaba Rahmanzadeh, Mayor of District 13 of Tehran who has been diagnosed with coronavirus speaking at a meeting of the Council on February 18. The Mayor of …

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