Iran’s Intelligence Ministry says it has tracked down and dismantled two “terrorist cells” in the Western part of the country. The ministry said in a statement issued late on May 6 and quoted by Iranian news agencies that the terrorists affiliated with “separatist groups” had entered Iran from neighboring areas to carry out acts of […]
Trump Vetoes Resolution Limiting Iran War Powers
U.S. President Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to prevent military action against Iran without first receiving permission from Congress amid rising tensions in the Middle East. In a statement on May 6, Trump described lawmakers’ attempt to curtail a president’s war powers as “very insulting” and based on “misunderstandings of facts and law.” In […]
Iran’s Rohani Vows ‘Crushing Response’ If Arms Embargo Extended
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has threatened a “crushing response” if the United States continues efforts to prolong a UN Security Council arms embargo on Tehran that is set to expire later this year. A landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers provided for Tehran to curb its nuclear program in return for […]
Detained Iranian Student Accused Of Ties To MKO; Family Calls Charges ‘Ridiculous’
The siblings of a detained Iranian student have dismissed a judiciary claim that their brother has ties to the exiled opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MKE). Speaking on May 5, judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili accused two students detained last month of contacts with the MKO, which is considered a terrorist group by the […]
Three Revolutionary Guards Reported Killed In Western Iran
Gunmen have killed three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a shoot-out near the country’s western border with Iraq, Iranian media report. The Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, said on May 5 that the killed included a colonel. It said “several counterrevolutionaries” were also killed in the fighting […]
Israeli Missile Strikes Hit Suspected Iranian Targets in Syria
Israeli missile strikes targeted a research center and military base in the northern province of Aleppo, Syrian state media said May 4, in the fifth such strike in two weeks on suspected Iranian positions. The Syrian army said Israel struck a military barracks in Al-Safirah in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Earlier, state media said a […]
Iran: U.S. Push To Extend Arms Embargo ‘Illegitimate’
Iran has criticized what it calls the “illegitimate” efforts by the United States to prolong the UN Security Council arms embargo on Tehran and said it would react to them with “proportionate” measures. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed on April 29 to use all means available to extend the ban on conventional arms […]
Iranian OPEC Official In Coma After Suffering ‘Severe’ Brain Hemorrhage
Iran’s OPEC governor, Hossein Kazempur Ardebili, is in a coma after suffering a “severe” brain hemorrhage. In a tweet on May 3, the country’s Oil Ministry said Ardebili was hospitalized on May 1. It did not provide further details. Ardebili is a key figure in Iran’s energy industry and served as the deputy foreign minister […]
Iran To Cut Four Zeros From Currency To Fight Hyperinflation
Iran’s parliament has voted to slash four zeros from the national currency, the rial, to fight hyperinflation caused by crippling U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers also decided on May 4 that the rial, which has been Iran’s national currency since 1925, wiil be replaced by the toman, which will be equal to 10,000 […]
Iran’s Government To Keep Religious Sites Closed In Blow To Hard-Line Clerics
Iran’s Health Ministry has announced that religious shrines will remain closed in what appears to be a blow to influential hard-line clerics who are pushing for the sites to reopen amid efforts to contain one of the Middle East’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.”Until there’s full assurance that pilgrims to religious sites will not face problems, we […]
Iran-Backed Hizballah Banned In Germany
Germany has banned Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hizballah’s activities on its soil and designated it a terrorist organization, the Interior Ministry said on April 30.German police conducted early morning raids in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and the capital, Berlin, to detain suspected members of the group.”Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the […]
U.S. Seeks To Extend Iran Arms Embargo, Setting Stage For Clash Over Nuclear Deal
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will not allow Iran to buy or sell conventional arms after a UN embargo expires in October, in a move that could prompt Tehran to pull out the 2015 nuclear deal and a major nonproliferation treaty. “We’re not going to let that happen,” Pompeo told reporters […]
Iran Says 3,600 Arrested For Spreading Coronavirus-Related Rumors
A spokesman for Iran’s armed forces says 3,600 people have been arrested in the country for spreading rumors regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi made the comments on a live news program on state-controlled television on April 28, claiming that the Islamic republic’s “enemies” had “elements” inside the country who follow their orders. […]
Iran Arrests Editor, Journalist Over Cartoon Mocking Khamenei
The editor in chief and a social-media administrator of Iran’s semiofficial ILNA news agency were detained last week over a cartoon deemed insulting to the country’s leadership. The cartoon, which appeared to mock Iran’s highest authority, was reportedly removed from ILNA’s Telegram channel shortly after being posted. ILNA’s editor in chief, Masud Heydari, has been […]
U.S. Extends Waiver For Iranian Energy To Baghdad, But Pressure Mounts
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reportedly granted a fresh extension on a waiver to let Iraq import electricity from neighboring Iran as efforts continue to form a lasting government in Baghdad, but possibly for a shorter period to press the Iraqi administration into greater action.Reuters and AP quoted unnamed sources on the U.S. […]
U.S. Calls On EU To Put Sanctions On Iranians Developing Missile Program
The United States has called on the European Union to place sanctions on individuals and entities working on Iran’s missile programs after Tehran said it successfully launched a military satellite. Washington also called on all countries to extend the United Nations conventional-arms embargo on Iran, saying the launch was proof the country’s space program was […]
Rohani Tells Military To Remain Vigilant After Threats Traded With U.S.
President Hassan Rohani has called on Iran’s armed forces to seek regional stability while maintaining vigilance against “provocations.” The comments on April 24 came after days of rising tensions between Iran and the United States centered on threats involving the two countries’ ships in the Persian Gulf.Rohani was quoted by state television as telling his […]
U.K. Says Iranian Military Satellite Launch ‘Of Significant Concern’
Britain says it is concerned over Iran’s launching of a military satellite and urged Tehran to uphold a United Nations resolution on refraining from such activities. “Reports that Iran has carried out a satellite launch using ballistic-missile technology are of significant concern and inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” the Foreign Office said in […]
Iranian Commander Threatens U.S. Navy After Trump Tweet
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says he has ordered his forces to potentially target the U.S. Navy after President Donald Trump’s tweet threatening to sink Iranian vessels. Speaking on state television on April 23, General Hossein Salami warned that his forces “will answer any action with a decisive, effective, and quick […]
Trump Orders Navy To Destroy Iranian Gunboats That Harass U.S. Ships
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has ordered the Navy to attack and destroy any Iranian vessel that harasses U.S. ships after Iranian ships appeared to harass U.S. vessels last week in the Persian Gulf. “I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass […]
Iran Claims It ‘Successfully’ Launched Military Satellite
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 22 that it launched a military satellite into orbit, after months of failed attempts.There was no immediate independent confirmation of the launch of the satellite.”Iran’s first military satellite, Noor (light), was launched this morning from central Iran in two stages. The launch was successful and the […]
Russia, Turkey, and Iran To Meet On Syria
The foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Iran will hold a video conference on April 22 to discuss Syria and a de-escalation deal in the last rebel-held enclave in Idlib. Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides of the conflict, brokered a March 5 cease-fire in rebel-controlled Idlib province following a monthslong Russia-backed offensive by […]
UN Rights Experts ‘Shocked’ Over Juvenile Offender Execution in Iran, Warn Of More To Come
United Nations rights experts say they are “shocked” Iran has executed another juvenile offender in violation of international law. Shayan Saeedpour, who was 17 years old at the time of his conviction for a fatal knife stabbing, was hanged on April 21, United Nations special rapporteurs Javaid Rehman and Agnes Callamard said in a statement. […]
Iran Says 1,000 Foreign Prisoners Released Temporarily Due To Virus Outbreak
Iran says it has released temporarily more than 1,000 foreign prisoners due to the coronavirus outbreak, following criticism by UN human rights experts. “What Iran has done in guaranteeing prisoners’ health and granting furlough to them is a significant move” compared with what other countries have done, said Gholamhossein Esmaili, a spokesman for the country’s […]
Iranian Foreign Minister Holds Talks With Syria’s Assad In Damascus
Iran’s foreign minister has held talks with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as both countries grapple with the coronavirus outbreak. The country’s official government news agency IRNA said Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Assad in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on April 20, but no further details were released. Photographs posted to the Iranian government’s Twitter account […]
Lawyer Of Iranian-French Academic Being Tried In Tehran Raises Hopes For Her Freedom
The lawyer of an Iranian-French academic being tried in Tehran on security charges says he expects the court in charge of the case to issue its ruling in the coming days. Fariba Adelkhah’s lawyer told AFP by telephone that Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court held a session in her trial on April 19 — […]
Iran Accuses U.S. Of Giving ‘False’ Account Of Gulf Encounter
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has accused the United States of giving a false account of a recent encounter between the two states’ navies in the Persian Gulf, after Washington blamed Iranian vessels for harassing its ships. “We advise Americans to follow international regulations and maritime protocols in the Persian Gulf and Sea of […]
Iran’s Zarif To Meet Syrian Leader In Damascus
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to travel to the Syrian capital on April 20 for talks with President Bashar al-Assad, according the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The ministry said on April 19 that Zarif will also meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem during his one-day trip to Damascus. Talks will touch upon […]
Iran’s Judiciary To Weigh More Pardons For Temporarily Released Prisoners
Iran’s judiciary is due to begin weighing whether to pardon more of the prisoners who have been temporarily released due to the coronavirus pandemic. The chief justice has ordered its committees to look into the topic, spokesman Gholam-Hussein Ismaili said on April 19. A decision on potential pardons or reduced sentences could be taken by […]
Detained Iranian Instagram Celebrity On Ventilator After Contracting Coronavirus
A detained Iranian Instagram celebrity has been placed on a ventilator in a hospital in Tehran after contracting the coronavirus while in prison.Fatemeh Khishvand, 18, known as Sahar Tabar, has been detained since October 2019 amid a judiciary crackdown on Instagram celebrities.Khishvand’s lawyer, Payam Derafshan, said that revolutionary court judge Mohammad Moghiseh, who in charge […]