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☆ Life in Iran is a 'general political struggle': Chatham House director
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLife in Iran is a 'general political struggle': Chatham House directorSanam Vakil, director of Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, speaks to CNBC's Dan Murphy about the situation in Iran one year after massive protests erupted in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Persons: Sanam Vakil, CNBC's Dan Murphy Organizations: Chatham House, Middle, North Africa Locations: Iran, Middle East, Chatham

☆ Beyoncé Fuels a Small-Business Boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sanam Yar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Virgo season dawned, Beyoncé — perhaps the world’s most famous Virgo, who named a track on her seventh album, “Renaissance,” after the star sign — had a birthday request. The performer, now in the last month of her Renaissance World Tour, posted a message on her website and Instagram on Aug. 23 encouraging fans to wear silver to her concerts through Virgo season, which ends on Sept. 22. “We’ll surround ourselves in a shimmering human disco ball each night,” the message read. Virgo season together in the house of chrome.”The tour has already been a fashion show, with attendees wearing bejeweled cowboy hats and more looks inspired by the album’s visuals and Beyoncé’s stage outfits. On TikTok, concertgoers posted videos of their original non-silver looks set to audio of high-pitched screaming.

Persons: Beyoncé —, —, concertgoers, Gayle King, Rosie O’Donnell Locations: Las

☆ A Saudi-Israel deal could dramatically reshape the Middle East — but don't expect it anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Saudi Arabia doesn't recognize Israel as a state and has refused to do so since the latter's independence in 1948. A deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia could dramatically reshape the geopolitics of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia wants military promisesAnother big challenge is what Saudi Arabia is demanding of Washington. But even if a security guarantee and more advanced weapons access demands are met, U.S. backing for a Saudi nuclear program is likely more challenging. Any deal on this is also complicated by the fact that Saudi Arabia has its own natural supplies of uranium and intends to mine them itself.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Louiza Vradi, Israel –, Saudi Arabia doesn't, Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, Biden, Sanam Vakil, Netanyahu, Mustafa Hassona, Hussein Ibish, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vakil, Mohammed bin Salman, Fayez Nureldine, Ryan Bohl, Rane Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Palestinian Authority, Biden, Palmachim Air Force Base, Reuters, Saudi, Chatham House, CNBC, Bloomberg, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Gulf States Institute, United Nations, Saudi Crown, Nurphoto, Republicans, Artillery, Defense, Afp, U.S, government's, United Arab Emirates, Middle East Locations: Saudi, Athens, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Riyadh, Rishon Lezion, U.S, East, North Africa, Palestine, Mecca, Medina, Gaza City, West Bank, Nablus, Gaza, Washington, Beit Lahia, Yemen

☆ Women’s Rights Activists Rounded Up in Iran as Protest Anniversary Nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Leily Nikounazar | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a sweeping operation ahead of an important anniversary, the Iranian authorities have detained at least 12 rights activists, all but one of them women, over the past two days, human rights groups and Iranian media have reported. Hundreds were killed in the ensuing government crackdown, including at least 44 minors, while around 20,000 Iranians were arrested, the United Nations calculated. The arrested activists were rounded up in cities across Iran’s northern Gilan Province, according to HRANA, an Iranian human rights organization. On Thursday, Iranian officials accused the 12 detainees of planning to incite “chaos and vandalism” on the upcoming anniversary of Ms. Amini’s death, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported. According to Fars, which has close ties to the country’s security agencies, the officials also accused the activists of being funded by foreign intelligence and collaborating with Iran International, an opposition television channel based in Washington.

Persons: Amini, “, ”, Sanam Vakil, Amini’s Organizations: United Nations, Chatham House, Fars News Agency, Iran International Locations: Iran, Iran’s, Gilan Province, Iranian, East, North Africa, London, Fars, Washington

Iran’s parliament would work on finalizing the text and voting on the bill “in the next two months,” Mehr said. Extreme punitive measuresThe hijab has long been a point of contention in Iran. The draft law would also mandate broader gender segregation in universities – common hotbeds of civilian protests – and other public spaces. If the bill is passed by parliament, it must also be approved by the regime’s Guardian Council, Raeesi told CNN. Any bill passed by the parliament must be reviewed and approved by the council to become law.

Persons: CNN —, Mahsa Amini, Mehr, ” Mehr, ” Sanam Vakil, ”, General Saeed Montazerolmahdi, Reza Shah’s, shah, Hossein Raeesi, Raeesi, ” Vakil Organizations: CNN, Judicial, of Governors, Chatham, Carleton University, regime’s Guardian Council, Guardian Locations: East, North Africa, London, Iran, Iranian, Ottawa, Canada, Tehran, regime’s

The Islamic Republic is now simultaneously holding talks with the European Union and the United States. Last week, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri-Kani met European Union mediator Enrique Mora in the Qatari capital Doha in an effort to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. It takes place as Iran’s nuclear program advances beyond the requirements of nuclear energy and toward those of a bomb. The Islamic Republic faces parliamentary elections next year, and any easing of Western sanctions could give its rulers a boost in the polls. They had lamented being left out of the talks with Iran when world powers struck a deal with the Islamic Republic in 2015, but are now actively facilitating the dialogue.

Persons: Ali Bagheri, Kani, Enrique Mora, “ we’re, ”, Sanam Vakil, Ali Khamenei, Matthew Miller, Donald Trump’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Naysan Rafati, ” Vakil, Biden Organizations: UAE CNN, European Union, Qatari, Doha, CNN, US, Islamic, North Africa, Chatham House, Group, Russia Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Iran, Russia, Republic, United States, Union, EU, Tehran, Ukraine, Islamic Republic, “, Washington, London, Iraq, Arab, Qatar, Oman, Israel, ”, Korea, US

☆ 'Things will just have to be accepted as tense': Saudi-Iran relations have a long way to go despite rapprochement efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister made a high-profile visit to Tehran over the weekend, drawing coverage and praise about the improvement in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two longtime foes. His Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian praised the re-establishment of diplomatic ties, saying it would improve security for the region. The meeting was the result of Iran and Saudi Arabia agreeing to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each other's countries after China-led negotiations in Beijing in March. The Iranian hosts complied with the minister's request for a change of venue in order to avert a diplomatic incident, regional outlets reported. What exists is a fragile agreement that can only be made stronger with time, consistency and trust building."

Persons: Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Qasem Soleimani, Sanam Vakil Organizations: Mutual, United Nations, Saudi, Chatham House Locations: Saudi, Tehran, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Beijing, East, North Africa

☆ Protests in Iran shed light on the four-decade struggle its women have been facing: Think Tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailProtests in Iran shed light on the four-decade struggle its women have been facing: Think TankSanam Vakil, deputy head of the Middle East North Africa program at Chatham House, discusses the country's patriarchal system.

☆ Rapper who became the voice of the Iranian revolt is in danger of execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Sanam Mahoozi | Sanam Mahoozi Is A Freelance Writer Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Fear for his safety have also grown after Salehi’s official Twitter account posted Friday that despite being in danger of losing his eyesight, he was being repeatedly beaten. Iranian mourners march towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez in Iranian Kurdistan to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death on Oct. 26, 2022. ESN / AFP - Getty ImagesUsing his voice and lyrics, Salehi came out in support of the anti-government protesters from the beginning. At the heart of the protests, and Salehi’s lyrics, is the conviction that the government must go. “This is Toomaj Salehi,” he wrote, reposting a Salehi video supportive of the protesters.

☆ Iran supreme leader Khamenei hints at loosening of hijab rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Sanam Mahoozi | Sanam Mahoozi Is A Freelance Writer Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

While his comments were vague and did not promise to change the existing laws, they were a recognition of how potent the issue of the hijab remains, according to Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. “I think he knows how pervasive women’s rejection of compulsory hijab has been,” he said. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency, or HRANA, estimates that more than 18,000 people have been arrested. In his speech, Khamenei also criticized the West for its treatment of women. Women in the West are “alienated,” he said, adding that the “Western capitalist system is a patriarchal system,” according to Mehr News Agency.

LONDON — Iran’s government has spent months violently cracking down on protests gripping the country. The first known executions of people arrested over the monthslong protests prompted an outcry from Western governments and human rights activists, but they came as little surprise to those involved in the demonstrations or carefully watching them from afar. Human rights groups and Western governments say Iran’s judicial system is based on sham trials behind closed doors. A week earlier, Iran executed another man, Mohsen Shekari, for allegedly blocking a road in Tehran and stabbing a pro-government militia member who required stitches. Around a dozen others have been sentenced to death, according to human rights groups.

☆ 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.

☆ Many young Iranians lose their fear in struggle for "freedom"
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Her sentiment was echoed by a dozen young Iranians from across the country interviewed by Reuters by phone. As a young woman, her death sparked anger among Iranians who do not want their daughters arrested because of how they dress. Many young Iranians have long called for the lifting of social restrictions, such as internet censorship and strict dress codes. With student numbers swelling in Iran's young population, such signs of growing dissent cannot be easily ignored by the authorities, a former moderate official said. By defying state warnings to end protests, students have paid a heavy price.

☆ Iran university students strike, piling pressure on rulers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asieh Bakeri, the daughter of a war hero from the country's conflict with Iraq in the 1980s, lashed out at Iran's rulers. Protesters from all walks of life have taken part, with students and women playing a prominent role, waving and burning headscarves. Analysts doubt that the protests can bring down Iran's clerical rulers but they say the unrest is seen as a step that may eventually lead to dramatic political change. At least four students from Bahonar Middle School in the city of Sanandaj were arrested by security forces, said HRANA. Iran's hardline judiciary will hold public trials of about 1,000 people indicted for unrest in Tehran, intensifying efforts to crush weeks of demonstrations.

☆ No hope for the future: Economic struggles add fuel to Iran's protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Anti-government uprisings are to remain a sticking point and increase in frequency in Iran's political landscape as dissatisfaction with other factors like the country's economic conditions surface, according to analysts. These protests will be met with force, and increase the Islamic Republic's dependence on Iran's elite armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, she told CNBC. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khameinei broke his silence last week and called the protests "riots." Iran's economic troublesInflation in Iran is expected to remain high at over 30%, according to the World Bank. Anti-government uprisings are to remain a sticking point and increase in frequency in Iran's political landscape as dissatisfaction with other factors like the country's economic conditions surface, according to analysts.

☆ Aide to Iran's Khamenei visits family of woman killed in custody -media
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

People protest outside Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology following death of a woman in custody, in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022 in this still image taken from a video obtained by REUTERS. Pourzahabi told Amini's family "all institutions will take action to defend the rights that were violated" and that he was sure Khamenei was "also affected and pained" by her death. "As I promised to the family of Ms. Amini, I will also follow up the issue of her death until the final result." In the nationwide condemnations of Amini's death, the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini has reached over 3 million Twitter mentions. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said an investigation had been ordered into what he called Amini's tragic death and accused Washington of "shedding crocodile tears".

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