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☆ Iran says uranium enrichment continues based on domestic law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami looks on during a news conference with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi as they meet in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Iran's enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country's parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Sunday when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. "Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law," Eslami said, referring to a related legislation. In 2020, Iran's hardline parliament passed a law requiring the government to take measures such as stepping up uranium enrichment beyond the limit set under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal if other parties did not fully comply with the deal. After Washington ditched the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, Tehran began to violate the nuclear curbs set out in the pact.

Persons: Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami, Rafael Grossi, Majid Asgaripour, Mohammad Eslami, Eslami, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Wall Street Journal, U.S, Washington, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran

☆ Saudi crown prince meets Iran's foreign minister as relations thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Footage of the meeting on Iranian state media showed MbS and Amirabdollahian smiling as they spoke, while Prince Faisal and the Iranian delegation looked on. Saudi state news agency SPA said they discussed international and regional developments. [1/3]Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia August 18, 2023. Prince Faisal visited Tehran in June and said he hoped Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi would visit the kingdom at the "appropriate time". Saudi Arabia had meanwhile lost confidence in U.S. commitment to shared regional security concerns and wanted to bolster ties with China, which has retained good relations with Iran.

Persons: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Amirabdollahian, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Faisal, Saudi Crown Prince, Hossein Amir, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, General Antony Blinken, Angus McDowall, Mark Potter, Conor Humphries Organizations: Saudi Arabian Crown, Saudi, MbS, Saudi Crown, Iranian, Iran's Foreign, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Iran's, U.S, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saudi, Jeddah, United States, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, Abdollahian, Saudi Arabia, China, Tehran, Iran, Ukraine, Beijing, East

☆ Attack on Iran's shrine kills at least one, injures several people - official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescuers transport an injured person after an attack in Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz, Iran August 13, 2023. Iranian state media earlier reported that at least four people had been killed in the attack. "It happened around 19:00 local time (15:30 GMT) ... an armed terrorist entered the Shrine area and started shooting ... he was arrested," said Mohammad Hadi Imaniyeh, the governor of Fars province. State TV said the shrine area had been cordoned off by security forces. Videos on Iranian state media showed panicked worshippers running to find their relatives and bloodied clothes left in the aftermath of the attack.

Persons: Mohammadreza, Mohammad Hadi Imaniyeh, Shah, IRNA, Ruhollah Khomeini, Parisa Hafezi, Nick Macfie, Ros Russell Organizations: Rescuers, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, State TV, Islamic, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Shah Cheragh, Shiraz, Iran, REUTERS DUBAI, Iran's, Fars province

☆ Attack on Iran's shrine kills at least one, injures several people, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Iran says unblocked S.Korea funds to be used for 'non-sanctioned goods'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The sign of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran is seen in Tehran, Iran January 25, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoAug 12 (Reuters) - Iran's central bank chief said on Saturday that all of Iran's frozen funds in South Korea had been unblocked and would be used for "non-sanctioned goods". White House spokesperson John Kirby said Iran could only access the funds "to buy food, medicine, medical equipment that would not have a dual military use." The five Americans will be allowed to leave Iran once the funds are unfrozen, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. He added that the costs of converting the funds from South Korea's won currency to euros would be accepted by the "third country" where the money would be deposited to buy "non-sanctioned goods".

Persons: Majid Asgaripour, Mohammad Reza Farzin's, John Kirby, Farzin, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Central Bank of, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Reuters, South Korea's, Dubai, Thomson Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Iran, South Korea, Washington, Tehran ., Qatar

☆ Risking revival of unrest, Iran rulers tighten curbs on dissent
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Police on Sunday announced that the morality police force has intensified its crackdown on women flouting the compulsory dress code. Security forces crushed months of unrest during which protesters from all walks of life called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and women took off and burned the compulsory headscarves in fury. "The Islamic Republic feels threatened. By redeploying the morality police, the regime is fuelling the people's revolution," said Atena Daemi, a prominent human rights activist in Iran. "People are very angry due to repression, rights violations and worsening economic problems.

Persons: Mahsa, Amini, Atena Daemi, Mohammad Khatami, Parisa, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Islamic, Police, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, WANA, DUBAI, Islamic Republic, Republic

☆ Kenya's Ruto says further tax-hike protests will not be allowed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, July 14 (Reuters) - Kenyan President William Ruto vowed on Friday that protests planned next week would not be allowed following two rounds of demonstrations that have left at least 15 people dead. Opposition leader Raila Odinga's party called earlier in the day for three more days of protests from next Wednesday against tax hikes that Ruto signed into law last month. You cannot look for the leadership of this country using the blood of the citizens, the death of the citizens and the destruction of property," Ruto said at the opening of a road in the town of Naivasha. Kenya's President William Ruto attends a joint press conference with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, July 12, 2023. The most recent demonstrations took place despite bans by the police, and Ruto did not say how he planned to stop the upcoming protests.

Persons: William Ruto, Raila, Ruto, Odinga, Ebrahim Raisi, Jeremy Laurence, Humphrey Malalo, Thomas Mukoya, Hereward Holland, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kenyan, Iran's, State, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Naivasha, Nairobi, Kenya

☆ Iran's Khamenei says 'nothing wrong' with a nuclear deal with West
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the Iranian centrifuges in Tehran, Iran June 11, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File PhotoDUBAI, June 11 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader said on Sunday that a deal with the West over Tehran's nuclear work was possible if the country's nuclear infrastructure remained intact, amid a stalemate between Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear pact. "There is nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched," Khamenei said, according to state media. Echoing Iran's official stance for years, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic has never sought to build a nuclear bomb. Khamenei, who has the last say on all state matters such as Iran's nuclear programme, said the country's nuclear authorities should continue working with the U.N. nuclear watchdog "under the framework of safeguards".

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, Khamenei, Donald Trump, Parisa Hafezi, Alex Richardson, David Holmes, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, West, International Atomic Energy, IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, DUBAI, Washington, Islamic Republic

☆ Iran's Khamenei welcomes better ties with Egypt - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in Tehran, Iran May 29, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSDUBAI, May 29 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with Oman's Sultan that Tehran welcomes better diplomatic relations with Egypt, Iranian state media reported on Monday. Relations between Egypt and Iran have often been fraught in recent decades although the two countries have maintained diplomatic contacts. Khamenei's comments came as Middle Eastern countries including Egypt are taking steps to ease regional tensions. In March, regional rivals Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Muslim Iran ended years of hostility and agreed to restore diplomatic relations under a China-mediated deal.

☆ Iran resorts to security cameras, ostracism to deter unveiled women
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

For decades women who refused to wear the hijab were accosted by morality police operating from vans that patrolled busy public spaces. NOVEL TACTICSIn place of the vans, authorities are installing cameras on streets to identify unveiled women, providing a more discreet method of detecting breaches of Iran's conservative dress code. Now women show up frequently unveiled in malls, airports, restaurants and streets in a display of civil disobedience. Several lawmakers and politicians have warned that the protests could resume if authorities continue to focus on penalising women who discard the hijab. "My grocery shop was closed down for a few days by authorities for serving unveiled women," said Asghar, 45, in the central city of Isfahan.

☆ Iran installs cameras in public places to identify, penalise unveiled women
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Iranian women walk through rain in a flower market, ahead of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, in Tehran, Iran March 16, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSApril 8 (Reuters) - In a further attempt to rein in increasing numbers of women defying the compulsory dress code, Iranian authorities are installing cameras in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalise unveiled women, the police announced on Saturday. Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media. It urged citizens to confront unveiled women. Last week a viral video showed a man throwing yoghurt at two unveiled women in a shop.

☆ Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers to meet to pave way to re-open embassies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A newspaper with a cover picture of the flag of Iran and Saudi Arabia, is seen in Tehran, Iran March 11, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSDUBAI, March 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have agreed to meet soon and pave the way for the re-opening of embassies under a deal to re-establish ties, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Thursday. Earlier this month, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to revive relations after years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria. Amirabdollahian emphasized during the call Iran's readiness to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. The deal between the regional powers, Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and long-time rival Shi'ite Iran, brokered by China, was announced after previously undisclosed talks in Beijing between top security officials from the two countries.

☆ Iran proposes locations to Saudi Arabia for foreign minister meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a news conference in Tehran, Iran March 19, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSDUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - The Iranian government has proposed to Saudi Arabia three locations for a meeting at foreign minister level, Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday, citing the latest messages with Riyadh since the countries agreed to re-establish ties. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a news conference in Tehran his country had agreed to such a meeting, although he did not list the three locations or say when such a meeting might take place. Iran and Saudi Arabia, the region's Shi'ite Muslim and Sunni powers, agreed on March 10 to re-establish relations and re-open embassies within two months after years of hostility. Amirabdollahian signalled Iran was also hoping for steps towards normalising ties with Bahrain, a close Saudi ally.

☆ China, Russia, Iran conduct four-day naval exercises in Gulf of Oman
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A Russian warship is seen during a joint naval military drill between Iran, Russia, and China in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, in this picture obtained on March 15, 2023. Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERSBEIJING/MOSCOW, March 15 (Reuters) - China, Iran and Russia are conducting joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman from March 15-19, the Chinese and Russian defence ministries said on Wednesday. The drills, the 2023 edition of the "Marine Security Belt" exercises, will help "deepen practical cooperation among the navies of participating countries", China's defence ministry said. Russia's defence ministry said the active phase of the exercises would be on March 16-17, involving various joint manoeuvres including daytime and night-time artillery firing. Reporting by Beijing and Moscow newsrooms; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran pardons 22,000 people who took part in protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, March 13 (Reuters) - Iranian judicial authorities have pardoned 22,000 people who took part in anti-government protests, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Monday, according to the official IRNA news agency. State media reported early last month that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had pardoned "tens of thousands" of prisoners including some arrested in the protests in a deadly crackdown on dissent. "So far 82,000 people have been pardoned, including 22,000 people who participated in (the) protests," Ejei said. People light a fire during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. Iran has been swept by protests since the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the country's morality police last September.

☆ Iran and Saudi Arabia: Key developments towards resumption of ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 10 (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to re-establish relations after a seven-year diplomatic rupture, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. Here are key dates in Saudi-Iranian relations since the suspension of ties in 2016:Jan. 2, 2016: Saudi Arabia executes nearly 50 people including prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Jan. 3, 2016: Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran. Jan. 7, 2016: Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of air strikes on its embassy in Yemen. Sept. 14, 2019: Saudi Arabia blames Iran for attacks on its oil installations that knocked out half of the kingdom's supply.

☆ Iran says it has developed long-range cruise missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Our cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km has been added to the missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force, told state TV. The television broadcast what it said was the first footage showing the new Paveh cruise missile. Iran has expanded its missile programme, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries. Iran has said it had supplied Moscow with drones before the war in Ukraine. In November, the Pentagon said the United States was skeptical of reports quoting Hajizadeh as saying Iran had developed a hypersonic ballistic missile.

☆ China, Iran call for Iran sanctions to be lifted; Xi to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stands next to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, February 14, 2023. Xi also accepted an invitation from Raisi to visit Iran and would do so at his convenience, the two leaders said in a joint statement on the last day of a three-day state visit to China by Raisi. In 2018, then U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal and ordered the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran. "All relevant sanctions should be fully lifted in a verifiable manner to promote the full and effective implementation," Xi and Raisi said. China and Iran emphasised that lifting sanctions and ensuring Iran economic benefits were important components of the agreement, they said.

☆ China's Xi calls for early resolution of Iran nuclear issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, February 14, 2023. Iran's President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERSBEIJING, Feb 14 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for the early and proper resolution of the Iran nuclear issue while expressing his support for the Islamic Republic in safeguarding its rights and interests, according to Chinese state media. China will continue to "participate constructively" in talks to resume negotiations on implementing the Iran nuclear agreement, Xi told Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in talks in Beijing. In September, the United States imposed new sanctions on companies involved in Iran oil exports, including five based in China. Washington said it would continue enforcing sanctions on Iran's oil and petrochemical sales so long as Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear program.

☆ Iran marks revolution anniversary, hackers interrupt state TV coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Iranians are seen under a large flag of Iran during the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2023. His live televised speech was interrupted on the internet for about a minute, with a logo appearing on the screen of a group of anti-Iranian government hackers that goes by the name of “Edalat Ali (Justice of Ali). A voice shouted “Death to the Islamic Republic.”Nationwide protests swept Iran following the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. Government television on Saturday aired live footage of the state rallies around the country. His speech was frequently interrupted by chants of “Death to America” - a trademark slogan at state rallies.

☆ Iran reveals an underground air force base, IRNA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A Fighter aircraft is seen at the first underground air force base, called "Eagle 44" at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on February 7, 2023. Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERSDUBAI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday revealed an underground air force base, called "Eagle 44" and the first of its kind large enough to house fighter jets, the official IRNA news agency said. The "Eagle 44" base is capable of storing and operating fighter jets and drones, IRNA said. IRNA said it was one of the country's most important air force bases, built deep underground, housing fighters equipped with long-range cruise missiles. In May, Iran's army gave details about another underground base, which houses drones, as the country seeks to protect military assets from potential air strikes by regional arch foe Israel.

☆ Iran blames Israel for Isfahan drone attack, vows revenge -ISNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Eyewitness footage shows what is said to be the moment of an explosion at a military industry factory in Isfahan, Iran, January 29, 2023, in this still image obtained from a video. "This action undertaken by the Zionist regime (Israel) goes against international law." Iran has accused Israel in the past of planning attacks using agents inside Iranian territory. Several nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, the centrepiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, which Iran accuses Israel of sabotaging in 2021. There have been a number of explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial sites in recent years.

☆ Azerbaijan strongly protests to Iran after fatal embassy shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Nailia Bagirova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Necessary security measures have been taken to continue normal activities at the embassy and diplomats of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran," he said. [1/5] A general view of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan after an attack on it, in Tehran, Iran, January 27, 2023. It said an "anti-Azerbaijani campaign" in Iran had contributed to the attack, without elaborating, and accused Tehran of long ignoring its appeals to boost embassy security. Iran's Amirabdollahian later told Azeri Foreign Minister Jayran Bairamov in a phone call that he hoped the attack would not damage bilateral ties. Israel has had an embassy in Baku since the early 1990s and has been a significant military backer of Azerbaijan in recent years.

☆ Analysis: Iran executions quash protests, push dissent underground
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

They argue the resort to deadly state violence is merely pushing dissent underground, while deepening anger felt by ordinary Iranians about the clerical establishment that has ruled them for four decades. Executive Director at the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hadi Ghaemi said the establishment's main focus was to intimidate the population into submission by any means. People are either in prison or they have gone underground because they are determined to find a way to keep fighting," he said. Defying public fury and international criticism, Iran has handed down dozens of death sentences to intimidate Iranians enraged by the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22. Ghaemi said the main officials pushing for the executions today were deeply involved in the 1980s killings of prisoners.

☆ Marchers in southeast Iran denounce top leader in renewed protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

protesters chanted in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a social media video said to be from Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province. The impoverished province is home to Iran's Baluch minority of up to 2 million people, who human rights groups say have faced discrimination and repression for decades. Separately, a rights group said at least 100 detained protesters in Iran faced possible death sentences. This is a minimum as most families are under pressure to stay quiet, the real number is believed to be much higher," the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said on its website. Reporting by Dubai newsroom Editing by Hugh Lawson and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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