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Iran has pardoned and begun freeing four environmental activists who spent several years in prison on espionage charges, Iranian state media said on Monday. The pardons were granted to commemorate Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday celebrated at the end of Ramadan, according to their lawyer. Iran has a tradition of freeing prisoners, but not political ones, around religious holidays. Mr. Bayani and Mr. Jokar were freed on Monday, according to images posted by their families on social media. A lawyer for the activists, Hojjat Kermani, said he expected the other two to be freed at a later time.
Persons: Eid, Morad Tahbaz, Niloufar, Sepideh Kashani, Taher Qadirian, Houman Jokar, Bayani, Jokar, Hojjat Kermani Locations: Iran, United States, Iranian
Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. CNN —This week in travel news: Europe’s highest pedestrian suspension bridge, a groundbreaking “blended wing” plane, North America’s solar eclipse and the world’s best airports to arrive at hungry. Airport diningThere’s no more captive consumer than a traveler caught between airport security and the departure gate, which is why Food & Wine’s 2024 roundup of the world’s best airports for food and drink got our mouths watering. “Like interest on a bank account we never knew we had.”Solar eclipse across North AmericaVideo Ad Feedback A total solar eclipse will darken skies across the US. There won’t be another total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States until 2044, so make sure you’re prepped.
Persons: bartenders, Shakira, Blake Scholl, , don’t, CNN’s Chris Isidore, he’s, won’t Organizations: CNN, hawker, Singapore, Narita International, Dubai International, Pathfinder, America, Disney Locations: Changi, Raffles, Tokyo, Dubai, Italy, Umbria, Africa, Kalandula Falls, Angola, South America, American, Costa Rican, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, California, Colorado, vida, Mexico, United States, Spain, “ Andalusia, North America, Alicudi, Bogota
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Iranian man who federal prosecutors say operates a criminal network that targets dissidents and activists abroad has been charged alongside a pair of Canadians with plotting to kill two people, including a defector from Iran, who had fled to the United States. In this case, prosecutors say, Naji Sharifi Zindashti conspired with two Canadian men between December 2020 and March 2021 to kill two Maryland residents. The intended victims of the murder-for-hire plot were not identified in an indictment, but prosecutors described them as having fled to the United States after one of them had defected from Iran. The plot was ultimately disrupted, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors say Ryan and Pearson are currently imprisoned in Canada on unrelated charges.
Persons: Sharifi Zindashti, Matthew Olsen, John Bolton, Trump, Biden, He's, Damion Patrick John Ryan, Adam Richard Pearson, Ryan, Pearson, Organizations: WASHINGTON, Justice Department, Department, Justice, Department's, U.S, Associated Press, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, Security, Treasury Department, Monday Locations: Iran, United States, China, Maryland, Iranian American, Jordan, American, U.S, Canada, Minnesota
Inside the U-Haul were nearly 500 handmade shadow puppets and dozens of masks, costumes and backdrops — the culmination of three years of painstaking labor, which, on Sunday evening, came to life in a balletic performance before a crowd of hundreds at a theater in San Francisco. On Monday morning, the puppeteers awoke to find the truck gone. But when hotel employees reviewed the security camera footage, it quickly became clear that the truck had been stolen. “My face dropped — my hands became cold,” Rahmanian said. Then, more than 48 hours later, on Wednesday morning, he received a call: A resident had spotted the truck in the city’s west, and notified the police.
Persons: Hamid Rahmanian, Ferdowsi’s, Rahmanian Locations: San Francisco, Iranian American
The Americans took off in a plane from Tehran just before 9 a.m. Eastern time and were expected to fly to Doha, the capital of Qatar. Officials said that they would be given brief medical checkups before flying to Washington on a U.S. government plane. Several of the Iranian American prisoners, who hold dual citizenship, had been moved from the notorious Evin prison to a hotel last month, according to officials at the State Department and the National Security Council. The U.S. government had deemed the five wrongfully detained. Their release comes after more than two years of quiet negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Organizations: Iranian, White House, Officials, State Department, National Security Council Locations: Iran, Tehran, Doha, Qatar, Washington, U.S
How Iran and the US reached the prisoner swap deal
  + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +5 min
Sept 18 (Reuters) - Iran and the U.S. were to swap five detainees each on Monday after Qatar mediated a deal between the arch foes that also unfroze $6 billion of Tehran's funds. The transfer of Iran's funds has drawn Republican criticism that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is in effect paying ransom for U.S. citizens. WHY WERE IRAN'S FUNDS FROZEN IN SOUTH KOREA? He also reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions designed to choke off Iran's oil exports as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign on the Islamic Republic. Seoul, normally one of Iran’s largest oil customers, received a waiver in 2018 from the United States to continue purchases of Iranian oil for several months.
Persons: Joe Biden, Tehran's, Dado Ruvic, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Mehrdad Moin, Ansari, Kambiz Attar, Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour, Amin Hassanzadeh, Kaveh, Donald Trump, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Parisa Hafezi, William Maclean Organizations: Qatar, Reuters, Iranian Foreign, Democrat, Doha, U.S, Iranian, REUTERS, WHO, United Nations, KOREA, Washington, U.S ., Islamic, Thomson Locations: Iran, U.S, Qatar, Doha, Tehran, Qatar's, United States, Iranian, Lebanon, Israel's, Washington, Islamic Republic, Seoul, IRAN
Iran's Presidency/Mohammad Javad Ostad/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Five U.S. citizens detained in Iran who are expected to be swapped for five Iranians imprisoned in the United States as early as next week are "in full health," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday. The United States said it will have "oversight" on how and when the funds will be spent. IRNA, citing Iran's mission to the United Nations, said "some of the freed Iranians will remain in the United States while others will return ... "The arrangements have been done and the final action of swapping the prisoners should be finalized in the due time," Raisi told NBC, according to excerpts released by the network. "This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money," Raisi said in the interview, speaking through an Iranian government translator.
Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mohammad Javad Ostad, Matthew Miller, Raisi, Lester Holt, Siamak, Morad Tahbaz, Mehrdad Moin, Ansari, Kambiz Attar, Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour, Amin Hassanzadeh, Kaveh, IRNA, John Kirby, Arshad Mohammed, Rami Ayyub, Daphne Psaledakis, Parisa Hafezi, Timothy Gardner, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: State House, Iran's, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, United, Department, NBC Nightly, U.S ., British, U.S . State Department, United Nations, White House, MSNBC, NBC, Thomson Locations: Harare, Zimbabwe, Iran, United States, South Korean, Washington, Tehran, U.S, Emad Sharqi, Qatar, Islamic Republic of Iran, Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek shipper has pleaded guilty to a charge over it smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine, U.S. federal court papers seen Thursday by The Associated Press show. In July, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s naval arm threatened further action against anyone offloading the Suez Rajan, with state media linking the recent seizures to the cargo’s fate. In its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran regained the ability to sell oil openly on the international market. It also began a cat-and-mouse hunt for Iranian oil cargo — as well as series of escalating attacks attributed to Iran since 2019. China is believed to be a major buyer of Iranian oil, likely at a significant discount.
Persons: shipper, Tourkantonis, Mark Wallace, George W, Bush, , ” Wallace, Biden, Suez Rajan, Donald Trump Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Associated Press, Navigation, U.S, Nuclear, Empire, United Nations, Nuclear Iran, AP, Suez, Chevron Corp, Revolutionary, Embassy, U.S . Navy, Iranian, Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, Islamic Republic, Tehran, Washington, South Korea, Iran, U.S, Nuclear Iran, Persian, South, Singapore, Mexico, Houston , Texas, Athens, Greece, Gulf of Mexico, America, Hormuz, Swiss, Switzerland, Bataan, Strait, Gulf of Oman, China
Attendees hold flags from Iran and the United States as Iranian Americans from across California converge in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 11, 2020. REUTERS/ Patrick T. Fallon/ File PhotoDUBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A U.S.-led naval coalition in the Gulf has warned ships in the region to stay away from Iranian waters to avoid possible seizure, the U.S. Navy said. "The International Maritime Security Construct is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate," Commander Timothy Hawkins, spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet, said late on Saturday. "Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible." The United States would release some Iranians from U.S. prisons as part of the deal, Iran's mission to the United Nations has said.
Persons: Patrick T, Timothy Hawkins, Yousef Saba, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Navy, Fifth Fleet, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Iran, United States, California, Los Angeles , California, U.S, DUBAI, Hormuz, Washington, Tehran, South Korea, Bahrain, Oman, United
When Siamak Namazi traveled to Tehran in the summer of 2015, Iran had just signed a landmark nuclear deal and the government was encouraging expatriates to return home and bring their expertise and dollars. So the 51-year-old Iranian American businessman flew from his home in Dubai to visit his parents and attend a funeral in Iran. But he was arrested and charged with “collaborating with a hostile government” — an allusion to the United States — and eventually became the longest-held American citizen that Iran has acknowledged imprisoning. In January, he went on a hunger strike for seven days to bring attention to his ordeal. On Thursday Mr. Namazi, along with four other dual national Iranian Americans, became part of a prisoner swap deal between Iran and the U.S.
Persons: Siamak Namazi, , United States —, Namazi Organizations: Mr, Iranian Locations: Tehran, Iran, Dubai, United States, U.S
Siamak Namazi, left, a U.S. citizen who has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, with his father, Baquer Namazi. The U.S. government has identified three American citizens held in Iran — Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. NBC News first reported on the prisoner exchange negotiations in February. The families of the Americans held in Iran say their loved ones are "hostages" taken captive on false charges and used as bargaining chips by the government. And Siamak Namazi has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, longer than any of the other current American detainees.
Persons: Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Barack Obama, Emad, Shahab Dalili, Jared Genser, Namazi, Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Donald Trump, Tahbaz, Shargi, Baquer, Robert Levinson, Levinson, Bob Levinson Organizations: NBC, Administration, NBC News, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, Congress, British, Tufts, Rutgers, FBI, CIA Locations: U.S, Iran, Tehran, Washington, Qatar, South Korea, United States, Israel, Iranian American, Iranian, Iran's
"The move by Iran of the American hostages from Evin Prison to an expected house arrest is an important development," Genser said in a statement. A second source familiar with the indirect U.S.-Iranian talks said it could be weeks before the U.S. citizens could leave Iran, saying September was a possible time frame. Namazi, who in 2016 was convicted of espionage-related charges the United States has rejected as baseless, has been detained by Iran for more than seven years. His father, Baquer, was allowed to leave Iran in October for medical treatment after being detained on similar charges also rejected by Washington. Tahbaz was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "assembly and collusion against Iran's national security" and working for the United States as a spy.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tehran's, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Jared Genser, Genser, Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Baquer, Tahbaz, Shargi, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk, Jeff Mason, Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb, Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Iranian, Security, eventual, Democrat, Washington, Iran's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, South Korea, United States, U.S, Washington, Tehran, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Dubai
"The move by Iran of the American hostages from Evin Prison ... is an important development," Genser said in a statement. Iran's mission to the United Nations, however, told Iranian state media the release of the dual nationals from prison was part of a U.S.-Iranian prisoner exchange deal. The five Americans will be allowed to leave Iran after $6 billion of Iranian funds in South Korea are unfrozen, a source told Reuters. Karim Sadjadpour, a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analyst, said Iranian Americans should still avoid travel to Iran. "This deal will reinforce the view of (Iran's) Revolutionary Guards that hostage taking is a lucrative practice with minimal costs," he said.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tehran's, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Jared Genser, Genser, Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Henry Rome, Donald Trump, Karim Sadjadpour, Namazi, Tahbaz, Shargi, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk, Jeff Mason, Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb, Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Iranian, National Security, United Nations, Reuters, South, Democrat, Washington Institute for Near East, Republican, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Guards, Iran's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, South Korea, United States, U.S, Washington, Tehran, Qatar, IRAN, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Rome, Dubai
But recent setbacks for the most powerful Iranian opposition group have some observers wondering whether its glory days are numbered. The MeK believes these actions were part of a “policy of appeasement” of the regime in Tehran, a top representative from the group told CNN in an email interview. Gobadi told CNN the raid “was carried out at the behest or under pressure” from Iran. ‘Illegal and subversive activity’An Albanian foreign ministry coordinator told CNN by email that the country has not provided any seized material to Iran. Gobadi told CNN that that speakers or attendees have never received payments from the MeK.
Persons: Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Mike Pence, Saddam Hussein, bode, ” Shahin Gobadi, Ashraf, Gobadi, , ” Gobadi, cyberattack, Albania “, Saud, Maryam Rajavi, Bryan Olin Dozier, Prince Turki al, Faisal, Al Faisal, ’ “, Emanuel Macron, Ebrahim Raisi, Trita Parsi, , Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Liz Truss, Ali Ahmadi, ” Ahmadi, Alex Vatanka, ” Vatanka Organizations: CNN, United States National Security, Foreign Affairs, National Council of Resistance, Paris, Washington Summit, Organization of Iranian, Communities, Hyatt, Quincy Institute, British, Geneva Centre, Security, Middle East Institute Locations: Iran, Islamic Republic, Albania, France, Tehran, Paris, Tirana, Albanian, Saud Arabia, Washington ,, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, al, Riyadh
Siamak Namazi made the plea in a letter to Biden seven years to the day that Iran released five other U.S. citizens in a prisoner exchange choreographed to coincide with the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Namazi, whose father was allowed to leave Iran in October for medical treatment after being detained on espionage-related charges rejected by Washington, said he would be on a hunger strike for the same seven days. read more"All I want sir, is one minute of your days' time for the next seven days devoted to thinking about the tribulations of the U.S. hostages in Iran," he added. Asked for comment, a White House national security council spokesperson said the government was committed to securing Namazi's freedom. "We are working tirelessly to bring him home along with all U.S. citizens who are wrongfully detained in Iran," the spokesperson said.
The daughters of two Iranian Americans imprisoned in Iran for more than four years appealed for a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden and called on him to take the tough decisions necessary to bring their fathers home. Morad Tahbaz has been imprisoned in Iran since 2018. It is his duty to bring Americans home who are wrongfully detained,” Tahbaz said. She said Biden was committed to securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained overseas. The third American held in Iran, Siamak Namazi, has been imprisoned for seven years.
President Joe Biden vowed to "free Iran" on Thursday, before saying demonstrators there appeared on track to "free themselves" as anti-government unrest sweeps the country. They have also triggered support from women and others across the world, with the Biden administration facing growing pressure from Iranian American activists to do more. "Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran," Biden told supporters in an aside during a campaign speech in California late Thursday after audience members appeared to call on him to address the ongoing protests. The president was speaking at a campaign rally for Democratic Rep. Mike Levin at the MiraCosta College near San Diego. “Change in Iran should only come from within Iran.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions on 14 Iranian officials after a violent crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, vowing to hold the regime accountable for its "brutal suppression" of dissent, officials said Wednesday. The sustained protests, which have spread to universities and some factories and teachers associations, mark an unprecedented challenge to the regime’s authority. But officials still say they remain open to restoring the deal, which imposes limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions. The administration views the protests as a moral issue, a question of "right and wrong," the official said. The package of sanctions unveiled Wednesday designated Hossein Modarres Khiabani, the governor of Sistan and Baluchistan province, where U.S. officials say some of the worst violence against protesters has unfolded.
Iranian Americans rally outside the White House in support of anti-regime protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2022. Belgium's foreign minister and two other lawmakers cut their hair in parliament. "We are not looking to get involved in regime change," said a Western diplomat. Some officials and analysts argue Tehran may not seek a deal given the political sensitivities at home. "Why would we throw a lifeline to a regime that is on the ropes and that is killing young women?"
Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon poses for a photograph in front of a building in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Raphael SatterLaw firms Dechert LLP FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A former Wall Street Journal reporter is accusing a major U.S. law firm of having used mercenary hackers to oust him from his job and ruin his reputation. Azima - who filed his own lawsuit against Dechert on Thursday in New York - did not immediately return a message. read moreSolomon’s suit is the latest in a series of legal actions that follows Reuters’ reporting about hired hackers operating out of India. Reuters has reported that lawyers for Ras Al Khaimah’s investment agency – RAKIA – used the emails to help win a fraud lawsuit filed against Azima in London in 2016.
Videos show smoke rising from Tehran's Evin prison, shots heard
  + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
DUBAI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Online Iranian videos appeared to show smoke rising on Saturday from Tehran's Evin prison, which holds political prisoners, as shots and an alarm could be heard. There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials or reports from state media on the footage, which was shared on social media. "Gunshots can be heard from Evin Prison and smoke can be seen," said the activist website 1500tasvir, which also shared video footage it said showed special forces on motorbikes heading for the prison. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Families of prisoners have gathered in front of the main door of Evin prison," said a witness contacted by Reuters. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Dubai newsroom, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Samy Rose Moshiri, an Iranian American artist and activist, covers the mouth of Belarusian activist Yadviga Krasovskaya after dousing themselves in fake blood on stage at a Freedom Rally for Iran, in support of Iranian women and against the death of...moreSamy Rose Moshiri, an Iranian American artist and activist, covers the mouth of Belarusian activist Yadviga Krasovskaya after dousing themselves in fake blood on stage at a Freedom Rally for Iran, in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California, October 1, 2022. REUTERS/Bing GuanClose
LOS ANGELES — Painful memories of a violent and chaotic past were resurrected this week for many Iranian Americans watching from afar as protesters flooded the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities following the death of Mahsa Amini. Her death has sparked outrage across Iran and waves of protesters clashed with Iranian security forces this week. The deadly unrest has been documented on social media and triggered demonstrations in other parts of the world, including in Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian population outside Iran. Gladkikh was born and raised in Southern California after her family fled Iran in the 1990s. Iranian officials are investigating after they said Amini had a pre-existing condition and suffered a heart attack while in custody.
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