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☆ Iran bans film festival over poster of actress without hijab
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Cairo CNN —Iranian authorities have banned a film festival after a promotional poster showed an actress not wearing the hijab, a headcover worn by many Muslim women, the country’s state-run media outlet IRNA reported Saturday. The 13th edition of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA) festival was banned after Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance deemed the poster inappropriate, according to IRNA. The image that caused the festival to be banned is a promotional poster for the 1982 film “The Death of Yazdgerd,” starring Susan Taslimi, AFP reports. A video circulating on pro-government channels purports to show a ceremony during which the poster was unveiled by a woman not wearing the hijab. Given current sensitivities around the removal of the hijab, the publication of the poster is deemed against social interests,” Samoui told IRNA.

Persons: “, ”, Mohammad Mehdi Samoui, Amini, Susan Taslimi, ” Samoui, IRNA, Saeid Montazeralmahdi Organizations: Cairo CNN, Film, Iran’s Ministry of Culture, Mizan News Agency Locations: Cairo, Iran, Tehran, Fars, Shandiz

☆ Russia and Iran's 'unprecedented' military ties worried the US, but it's starting to look like Russia can't hold up its end of the deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran has supported Russia by providing it with arms to use in Ukraine. Kirby said "support is flowing both ways," with Moscow providing Tehran "an unprecedented level of military and technical support." As part of this burgeoning partnership, Iran expected to receive an unspecified number of Russian Su-35 jets, along with helicopters and even advanced S-400 air-defense systems. REUTERS/FARS NEWS/Ali ShayeganWhile Iran has never armed Russia to the extent it has in recent months, Moscow has sold Tehran considerable military hardware in the past. Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: John Kirby, Kirby, Russian Su, Saeed Azimi, Hassan Rouhani, Azimi, Putin, Alexei Nikolsky, Abu, Russia's, Richard Moore, Ali Shayegan, haven't, Tehran weren't, Iranian Su, ATTA KENARE, Moore, William Burns, Burns, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, National Security, Iranian MiG, Army Day, REUTERS, Sputnik, Gulf Cooperation Council, United Arab, GCC, Intelligence Service, Tehran, Soviet Union, Getty, UN, CIA Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Tehran, Wall, Silicon, Iranian, Egypt, Aktau, Kazakhstan, Kremlin, United Arab Emirates, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Persian, Hormuz, British, UAE, FARS, Iraq, Soviet, Islamic Republic, AFP

CNN —Iran’s morality police will resume patrols to make women comply with strict Islamic dress codes, state media reported Sunday, 10 months after the death of a young woman in their custody triggered nationwide protests. Saeid Montazeralmahdi, spokesman for Iran’s enforcement body, Faraja, said police will restart vehicle and foot patrols across the country from Sunday, the state-run Fars news agency reported. Authorities responded violently to suppress the months-long movement, during which witnesses said the morality police had virtually disappeared from the streets of Tehran. The morality police have access to power, arms and detention centers and control over “re-education centers,” Human Rights Watch told CNN last year. The centers act like detention facilities, where women – and sometimes men – are taken into custody for failing to comply with the state’s rules on modesty.

Persons: Saeid Montazeralmahdi, Amini, Vahid, – Organizations: CNN, Authorities, “, Rights Watch, European Union Locations: Fars, Tehran, Iran, United States

☆ Iran accuses U.S. Navy of defending fuel smuggling in Gulf incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, July 10 (Reuters) - An Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander accused the U.S. Navy on Monday of defending fuel smuggling in the Gulf by trying to interfere when Iran intercepted a ship last week. On July 7th, Iran's Fars news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guards had seized a vessel carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel with 12 crew members, following a court order. The incident was one of several involving Iranian forces and Gulf shipping last week. Chevron denied the tanker was involved in a collision and said it had not been notified of legal proceedings or court orders by Iran regarding the ship. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ramazan Zirrahi, Iran's, Tim Hawkins, Peter Graff Organizations: Iranian Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy, Revolutionary Guards, Navy, NADA, . 5th Fleet, Iranian, Richmond, Chevron, Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iranian, Gulf, Iran, Persian, Fars, Bushehr, Bahamas, U.S, Chevron

CNN —Iran on Saturday executed two men it accused of carrying out a deadly attack on a shrine in Shiraz in October 2022, according to state-run news agency IRNA. Iran’s Supreme Court had rejected an appeal filed for the two men, Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Sayed Naeem Hashemi Qatali, IRNA quoted Fars Province Chief Prosecutor as saying. Thirteen people were killed, and 40 others injured in the attack that took place at Shahcheragh Shrine in the city of Shiraz in southern Iran on October 26, 2022, according to IRNA. The attack took place on a Wednesday evening, one of the busiest times for the shrine. Protests swept through the Islamic Republic following the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman.

Persons: Mohammed Ramez Rashidi, Sayed Naeem Hashemi Qatali, IRNA, “, Mahsa Amini Organizations: CNN, ISIS Locations: Iran, Shiraz, Iran’s, Fars Province, Shahcheragh, Islamic Republic

☆ Iran unveils underground base meant to protect its aging US-made fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Stefano D'Urso | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Iran unveiled an underground air force base called "Eagle 44" for the 44th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. The underground base is said to be the first large enough to host fighter jets and one of several being built. During the visit of the officers, the aging F-4 Phantoms jets of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force were shown starting up and taxiing through the tunnels to reach the runway outside of the underground base. Iranian military officials at underground air force base "Eagle 44" on February 7. According to Tasnim, the new missile was put on display in the new underground base, but Su-24s and the "Asef" missile were nowhere to be seen in the photos and videos shared by the news agencies.

☆ This company says it can cut building costs with AI technology that herds contractors and measures their progress. See the pitch deck it used to raise $10 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Construction relies on myriad contractors, making it hard for developers to fully follow projects. OnsiteIQ raised $10 million to bring AI vision on board so developers can see and record progress. The company's CEO walked Insider through the deck the firm used to raise the funds. According to Khosrowpour, that's why 72% of construction projects experience delays. Khosrowpour walked Insider through the pitch deck that helped the firm raise $10 million.

☆ Iran, Russia link banking systems amid Western sanction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Iran and Russia have connected their interbank communication and transfer systems to help boost trade and financial transactions, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, as both Tehran and Moscow are chafing under Western sanctions. Similar limitations have been slapped on some Russian banks since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year. "Iranian banks no longer need to use SWIFT ... with Russian banks, which can be for the opening of Letters of Credit and transfers or warranties," Deputy Governor of Iran's Central Bank, Mohsen Karimi, told the semi-official Fars news agency. Iran's Central Bank chief Mohammad Farzin welcomed the move. "The financial channel between Iran and the world is being repaired," he tweeted.

Tehran's oil exports have been limited since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions aimed at curbing oil exports and the associated revenue to Iran's government. "In comparison to the Trump administration, there hasn't been any serious crackdown or action against Iran's oil exports," said Sara Vakhshouri of SVB. The Iranian oil ministry did not respond to a request for comment on exports. MORE TO CHINAThere is no definitive figure for Iranian oil exports and estimates often fall into a wide range. According to another analyst, Vortexa, China's December imports of Iranian oil hit a new record of 1.2 million bpd, up 130% from a year earlier.

☆ Iran police detain top-tier football players in raid at party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Iranian police briefly detained several unidentified top-tier football players in a raid on a party on New Year's Eve where alcohol was served in violation of an Islamic ban, Iranian media reported. Mingling between sexes outside marriage and drinking alcohol are banned under Iran's Islamic laws. The semi-official news agency Tasnim said several current players and former members of an unidentified top Tehran soccer club had been detained at the party east of the capital. "Some of the players were in an abnormal state due to alcohol consumption," Tasnim reported, without giving further details. The YJC news agency said the gathering was a birthday party, and added that all those detained had been released except one person, who is not a soccer player.

☆ Iran warned off spy plane near Iranian war games in the Gulf, Fars reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Iran's military launched a drone to warn off a reconnaissance plane trying to approach Iranian war games on the Gulf coast, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Saturday. The report did not specify the nationality of the reconnaissance aircraft, but Iranian forces have had repeated similar confrontations with U.S. forces in the Gulf. Iran launched annual joint naval, air, and ground exercises in the Gulf on Friday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway. Departments of Defense and State did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by Dubai newsroom; additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iranian city shops shut after strike call, judiciary blames 'rioters'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Iranian shops shut their doors in several cities on Monday, following calls for a three-day nationwide general strike from protesters seeking the fall of clerical rulers, with the head of the judiciary blaming "rioters" for threatening shopkeepers. Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for flouting the strict hijab policy, which requires women to dress modestly and wear headscarfs. Iran's public prosecutor on Saturday was cited by the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency as saying that the morality police had been disbanded. Security forces would show no mercy towards "rioters, thugs, terrorists", the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the guards as saying. Kurdish Iranian rights group Hengaw also reported that 19 cities had joined the general strike movement in western Iran, where most of the country's Kurdish population live.

☆ Iran’s Top Paramilitary Commander Warns Protesters in Eastern Province Against Unrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s top paramilitary commander on Sunday visited a restive province in eastern Iran, where the military has attempted to violently suppress a two-month-old protest movement, to warn locals against further unrest. Major General Hossein Salami , the commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, traveled to Sistan-Baluchistan’s capital of Zahedan, where he praised the Baloch minority who live there for their “chivalry, zeal, love, loyalty and sacrifice,” according to the Fars news agency. At the same time, he threatened more crackdowns on protesters he alleged were being manipulated by foreign powers.

☆ Iran's violent crackdown against protesters escalates in parts of the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alexander Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The group, which focuses on human rights in Iranian Kurdistan, said that at least 1,500 people have been injured. Scenes from reported clashes in the northeastern Iranian city of Javanrud, shared by a Kurdish human rights group on Tuesday. The regime-aligned agency blamed the violence on “rioters” and “Kurdish separatists” who infiltrated crowds of protesters and attacked an IRGC base. Some protesters have called for an overthrow of the regime and “death to the dictator” — meaning Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These have been condemned by Kurdish officials and the Iraqi government, despite the latter being dominated by parties close to Iran.

DUBAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Iran has begun enriching uranium to 60% purity at its underground Fordow nuclear site, the government's nuclear chief said on Tuesday, a move that may irk Western powers pushing Tehran to roll back its nuclear work by reviving a 2015 pact. "We had said that Iran will seriously react to any resolution and political pressure ... that is why Iran has started enriching uranium to 60% purity from Monday at the Fordow site," said Mohammad Eslami, according to Iranian media. The semi-official ISNA news agency reported Iran had informed the agency in a letter about the decision to use "IR-6 advanced centrifuges to produce 60% enriched uranium" at Fordow, a site buried inside a mountain. In June, Reuters reported that Tehran was enhancing its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use IR-6 centrifuges, which can easily switch between enrichment levels, at the Fordow site. "Iran has also started the process of injecting gas into two cascades of IR-2m and IR-4 advanced centrifuges at the Natanz site," state TV reported.

☆ Iran strikes dissident sites in Iraqi Kurdistan, two dead - officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Local officials and security sources said the attacks had struck targets near Erbil and Sulaimaniya. The Revolutionary Guards have attacked Iranian Kurdish militant opposition bases in Iraq's Kurdish region since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 triggered nationwide unrest. Iran has accused Iraq-based Kurdish militants of fomenting the unrest and threatened strikes against armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents. In an attack by the Guards in September, 13 people were killed and 58 were wounded near Erbil and Sulaimaniya. A media and public relation official with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition party, told Reuters two of its fighters were killed in attacks on four of its offices.

☆ Sister of executed Iranian wrestler arrested and identified by state news as ‘agent’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iranian officials said they have identified the “Iran International agent” arrested Thursday as Elham Afkari, the sister of famous Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed two years ago, according to state news agency IRNA. Wrestler Navid Afkari was executed by the Iranian government on September 12, 2020. “It should be noted that she [Elham Afkari] is the sister of Navid Afkari, the killer of martyr Torkman, an employee of the regional water company of Fars province,” IRNA reported. Saeed Afkari, Elham and Navid’s brother, confirmed his sister’s arrest on Twitter on Thursday, saying that Elham’s three-year-old daughter was also missing. Since Navid Afkari was executed, his family has faced many court cases over involvement in the demonstrations in 2018.

☆ Iran arrests 'agent' of London-based opposition TV channel -Fars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Iranian forces have arrested an "agent" of an opposition television broadcaster, Iran International, while the individual was fleeing the Middle Eastern country, its semi-official Fars news agency said. On Tuesday, Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, called the London-based channel a "terrorist" organisation. Iran believes Saudi Arabia is behind the opposition news outlet which has covered the protest movement extensively since it started. On Wednesday, Khatib warned Riyadh there was no guarantee Tehran would continue to maintain "strategic patience" towards its regional rival. read moreReporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran warns Saudi Arabia 'our strategic patience' may run out - Fars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Iran's intelligence minister told its regional rival Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that there is no guarantee of Tehran continuing its "strategic patience," according to semi-official Fars news agency. "Until now, Iran has adopted strategic patience with firm rationality, but it cannot guarantee that it will not run out if hostilities continue," Fars quoted Esmail Khatib as saying. Last month, Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami warned Saudi Arabia Riyadh to control its media outlets. "I am warning the Saudi ruling family.... Watch your behaviour and control these media ... otherwise you will pay the price. Last week Iran denied that it posed a threat to Saudi Arabia after the Wall Street Journal reported that Riyadh had shared intelligence with the United States warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.

☆ Iran protests flare again as U.N. voices concern at detainees' treatment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody last month. Amnesty International has said security forces killed at least 66 people in the violent crackdown on Sept. 30. The provincial security council has said armed dissidents had provoked the clashes, leading to innocent people's deaths, but admitted "shortcomings" by police. The U.N. human rights office on Friday voiced concern at Iran's treatment of detained protesters and said authorities refused to release some of the bodies of those killed. Rights groups have said at least 250 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested across Iran.

Almost six weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini, the unrest in Iran shows little sign of abating. Defying security forces, thousands marched to her grave in the northwestern city of Saqqez on Wednesday, as crowds clashed with security forces on the streets of the capital, Tehran, and several other major metropolitan areas. Wednesday was 40 days since Amini's death after she was detained by morality police last month. “Freedom, freedom! A crowd chants "Freedom, freedom!

☆ Attack on Iran shrine will not go unanswered - foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view of the Shah Cheragh Shrine after an attack in Shiraz, Iran October 26, 2022. Iranian officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried out the attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in the city of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists" - a label Tehran uses for hardline Sunni Muslim militants such as Islamic State. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi blamed the protests sweeping Iran for paving the ground for the Shiraz attack, and President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran would respond, according to state media. State media said he was not Iranian, but did not give his nationality.

☆ U.S. Commerce issues order targeting Russian carrier Ural Airlines
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday it had issued an order denying export privileges to Russian carrier Ural Airlines, citing what it said were ongoing export violations. The order terminates the right of Ural to participate in transactions subject to U.S. export regulations. President Joe Biden's administration has stepped up the crackdown against Russian airlines that followed the invasion of Ukraine, seeking to deny them access to spare parts, refueling and other services. To date, Commerce has issued 10 orders against Russia and Belarus’s biggest airlines, said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. With the additions, there were 183 Boeing and Airbus aircraft on the list mostly operated by Russian airlines for apparent violations of U.S. export controls, the department said.

☆ Iran airs video from Evin prison hours after fire, tells Biden to stop interfering
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Iran, which has blamed the violence on enemies at home and abroad, deny security forces have killed protesters. The footage of Evin aired on state television showed firefighters inspecting a workshop with fire damage to the roof. State news agency IRNA said on Saturday eight people were injured in the fire at the Evin prison. Video obtained by Reuters showed protesters marching amongst traffic towards Tehran's Evin prison on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Iran's notorious Evin prison, which holds criminal convicts as well as political detainees, has long been criticised by Western rights groups and was blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2018 for "serious human rights abuses".

☆ Khamenei warns Iran is like a 'mighty tree' that cannot be uprooted
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"That seedling is a mighty tree now and noone should dare think they can uproot it," he said in remarks shown on state TV. Rights groups say more than 200 people have been killed in the crackdown, including teenage girls. Amnesty International said at least 23 children have been killed by security forces in Iran during the protests. State TV reported at least 26 members of the security forces have been killed. Security forces have also pressed their crackdown this week in Kurdish regions where the Revolutionary Guards have a track record of putting down dissent.

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