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☆ Family of Swede detained in Iran calls for international support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The family of a Swedish EU employee detained in Iran have urged the international community to help secure his release after over 500 days of incarceration for alleged spying, his family said on Sunday. "The family, friends, and supporters of Johan are calling for urgent international attention to secure his immediate release and safe return to Europe," the family wrote on a weabite dedicated to his release, on his 33rd birthday. They said that starting in February 2023 Floderus was restricted to making short phone calls once a month. For years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges. He was sentenced to life in prison last year, prompting Iran to recall its envoy to Sweden in protest.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Johan Floderus, Johan, Floderus, Marie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Iran, Islamic Republic, Europe, Tehran, Stockholm, Sweden

☆ Saudi soccer clubs to play in Iran for the first time in seven years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Iranian and Saudi soccer clubs will be facing off on a home-and-away basis for the first time since 2016, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement Monday. Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr is set to play Iranian giant Persepolis FC in Tehran on September 19. Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital following the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. But both countries agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties in March after seven years of hostility, in a landmark deal mediated by China. Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sport in recent times, with teams in the Saudi Pro League – the professional men’s league in the country – signing a slew of global stars.

Persons: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Ronaldo’s, Benzema’s Al, Neymar’s Al, Hilal, It’s Organizations: CNN, Asian Football Confederation, AFC, Asian Champions League, Persepolis FC, Sepahan SC, football, Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Football Federation Islamic, Saudi, Saudi Pro League Locations: Saudi, Iran, Tehran, Ittihad, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Asia, Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Riyadh, China

☆ 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

☆ Iran at odds with allied Russia after Moscow backs UAE in island dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Tehran summoned Russia's ambassador on Wednesday over a Moscow-endorsed statement on three Gulf islands disputed by Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE joins fellow economic Middle East heavyweights Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Following a ministerial meeting in Moscow on Monday, Russia and the GCC released a joint statement that urged a diplomatic solution to the territorial dispute. Iranian officials called on Russia to correct its position on the territorial row, according to the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency. Moscow is not Iran's only key partner to wade into hot waters over the three Gulf islands dispute.

Persons: Russia's, Reem, Abu Musa, Tehran's, Nasser Kanaani Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, UAE, State, International Co, General Assembly, International Court of Justice, Gulf Cooperation, GCC, United Nations Charter, Saudi Press Agency, of Justice, Islamic, Islamic Republic News Agency, CNBC, Kyiv — Locations: Tehran, Moscow, Iran, United Arab, Abu Musa, Tunb, UAE, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Gulf, Russia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian, Ukraine, Russian, Syria, China, Beijing, United Arab Emirates

Hypersonic missiles are those that can travel at a speed beyond Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Iran unveils its first hypersonic missile 06:13 - Source: CNNIsrael’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quick to dismiss the potential threat posed to his country. Uzi Rubin, founder and former director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization at the Israeli defense ministry has no reason to believe the missile is not real and functional. Has Iran made it to the A-list among countries that can produce hypersonic missiles? Israel has several missile defense systems.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN — It’s, ”, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Yoav Gallant, ” Iran’s, Uzi Rubin, it’s, Alex Vatanka, Iran’s, John Krzyzaniak, ’, “, Rubin, Israel doesn’t, we’d Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Aerospace, CNN Israel’s, Israel Missile Defense Organization, CNN, Iran, ”, Middle East Institute, Wisconsin, Control, ISIS, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Area Defense, UAE, Patriots, Iran’s Locations: Abu Dhabi, Jerusalem, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Washington ,, United States, Washington , DC, Syria, Iraq, Kurdish, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ukraine, Yemen, Gulf, Islamic Republic, Persian

☆ Opinion: A button, a love story, and an Iranian couple who will not be silenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Opinion Jeff Kaufman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

We were also moved by the continued defiance represented by the “I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab” button that Nasrin wore on her jacket. Iranian couple Nasrin Sotoudeh and Reza Khandan, with their friend and fellow activist Farhad Meysami (center) after being released from prison earlier this year following a lengthy hunger strike. Nasrin: When Reza and I first met, we were working at a magazine that presented a dialogue on social issues. Kaufman: Nasrin, you have one of the last “I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab” buttons in Iran (the government destroyed the rest). Reza KhandanFor example, when I was arrested, Reza and Farhad made the ‘I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab’ buttons in the hope that people would wear them.

March 22 (Reuters) - A federal judge in New York ordered Iran's central bank and a European intermediary on Wednesday to pay out $1.68 billion to family members of troops killed in the 1983 car bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon. Victims and their families won a $2.65 billion judgment against Iran in federal court in 2007 over the attack. Six years later, they sought to seize bond proceeds allegedly owned by Bank Markazi and processed by Clearstream to partially satisfy the court judgment. Bank Markazi has argued that the lawsuit was not allowed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which generally shields foreign governments from liability in U.S. courts. A Luxembourg court in 2021 ordered Clearstream not to move the funds until a court in that country recognizes the U.S. ruling.

☆ Iraq and Iran sign deal to tighten border security
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as Iraq's National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji and Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani sign the security agreement that includes coordination in protecting the common borders between the two countries, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 19, 2023. The joint security agreement includes coordination in "protecting the common borders between the two countries and consolidating cooperation in several security fields", a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office said. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani signed the deal with Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the prime minister office said. "Under the signed security deal, Iraq pledges it would not allow armed groups to use its territory in the Iraqi Kurdish region to launch any border-crossing attacks on neighbour Iran," said an Iraqi security official who attended the signing. Iran has also accused Kurdish militants of working with its arch-enemy Israel and has often voices concern over the alleged presence of the Israeli spy agency Mossad in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region.

☆ Arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to revive ties, reopen embassies in China-brokered deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"As a result of the talks, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies ...within two months," Iran's news agency IRNA reported Friday. Saudi Arabia's state Saudi Press Agency confirmed the announcement in its own statement. The Saudi statement profusely thanked Beijing for its leadership in the talks. The Saudi statement also expressed thanks to Riyadh's neighbors Iraq and Oman, which it said had hosted "rounds of dialogue that took place between both sides during the years 2021-2022." Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016, after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in response to Saudi authorities executing 47 dissidents, including a leading Shia cleric.

☆ 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.

The families, comprising more than 10,000 people, had asked U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan to put his Feb. 21 decision on hold while they appeal. "An important public interest lies in the enforcement of terrorism judgments," Daniels wrote. In ruling against the families, Daniels said awarding them the frozen assets would effectively recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, which the Biden administration has not done. The president ordered $3.5 billion set aside to benefit the Afghan people, leaving the rest for the families to pursue. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ 9/11 victims are blocked from seizing $3.5 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan because Biden would have to recognize the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The families of 9/11 victims are blocked from seizing $3.5B in frozen Afghan central bank funds. A federal judge ruled that seizing the funds would mean recognizing the Taliban as legitimate rulers. A group of families of 9/11 victims had previously sued the Taliban for their losses, winning a default judgment when the militant group did not turn up to court. Last February, Biden cleared a legal path for relatives to pursue the $3.5 billion held in Afghanistan's central bank to pay off the judgment debts. "This decision deprives over 10,000 members of the 9/11 community of their right to collect compensation from the Taliban," he said.

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Tuesday victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5 billion of assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban. U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan said he was "constitutionally restrained" from finding that the Taliban was Afghanistan's legitimate government, a precursor for attaching assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB. Daniels said letting victims seize those assets would amount to a ruling that the Taliban are Afghanistan's legitimate government. He said U.S. courts lack power to reach that conclusion, noting that Biden administration does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ 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.

☆ South Korea envoy in Iran summoned over Yoon's 'enemy' remarks -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yoon, speaking with South Korean troops stationed in Abu Dhabi early this week, said South Korea and the UAE are under "very similar" circumstances, each facing North Korea and Iran as "the enemy, biggest threat." His remarks prompted a rare spat between Seoul and Tehran, at a time when relations have already been testy over frozen Iranian funds in South Korea and suspected arms dealings between Iran and North Korea. Iran's deputy foreign minister on legal affairs, Reza Najafi, summoned Yun Kang-hyeon, the South Korean ambassador on Wednesday to protest against Yoon's "interventionist remarks," the official IRNA news agency said. Najafi also accused South Korea of pursuing an "unfriendly approach" toward Iran, singling out its frozen funds. Iran has repeatedly demanded the release of some $7 billion of its funds frozen in South Korean banks under U.S. sanctions.

☆ Iran Restricts Supply of Cheap Oil to Syria, Leaving Ally in Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s ambitions to position itself as a leading power broker in the Middle East have been dealt a fresh blow—this time by its own struggling economy and how it is crimping Tehran’s ability to supply cheap oil to allies such as Syria. The Islamic Republic of Iran has used cash and discounted oil in a hearts-and-minds campaign to expand its influence in Syria and challenge regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel. Iran and Russia are the main military sponsors of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad , helping him to suppress an armed rebellion that began during the pro-democracy Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.

☆ The F-14 Tomcat first flew 52 years ago. Here's why the US destroyed them rather than let anyone else buy them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Blake Stilwell | We Are The Mighty | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Navy's famed F-14 Tomcat fighter jet first flew on December 21, 1970. There was only one foreign customer for the advanced F-14 Tomcat fighter during its heyday: Iran. Rob Tabor/USAFThe Iranian air force was so skilled in the Iran-Iraq War that a lone Tomcat could clear the skies of enemy aircraft without firing a shot. The idea of selling Iran rare F-14 parts so it didn't have to cannibalize its own F-14 inventory was preposterous. It was this concern that led the Pentagon to shred every leftover F-14 Tomcat.

☆ Exclusive: Afghan government officials helped smugglers sneak almost $1 billion in cash and gold out of Afghanistan as the US-backed government neared collapse, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Edris Lutfi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The office of Ashraf Ghani, the US-backed Afghan president, had been informed about the problem, insiders say. The smuggling flouted Afghan laws requiring travelers to declare cash or gold worth $10,000 or more and a strict ban on exporting $20,000 or more. The documents identify the two men as being part of the 2021 smuggling ring; they do not allege who was behind the $824 million smuggled in 2019 and 2020. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets with President Joe Biden in June 2021. The UAE is also the home of Ghani and Noor, the former provincial governor with alleged ties to the Hairatan smuggling ring.

CNN —United Nations member states have removed Iran from a key UN women’s rights group just months after it joined. The Commission is the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women. Iran condemned the US resolution, calling it an “illegal request” and said it weakens the rule of law in the United Nations. Iran had only just begun its four-year term on the 45-member Commission on the Status of Women – which was created to advocate for gender equality globally – after being elected to the body in April. Reacting to news of Iran’s removal from the body, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch said it was a “welcome step,” but remained a “far cry” from true accountability.

☆ Iran ousted from U.N. women's group after U.S. campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Iran was ousted from a United Nations women's group on Wednesday for policies contrary to the rights of women and girls, a move proposed by the United States after Tehran's crackdown on protests over the death of a young woman in custody. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said removing Iran was the right thing to do. "It's hugely important for the women of Iran," Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters after the vote. IRAN REJECTS EXPULSIONSpeaking before the vote, Iran's U.N. Tehran accused Western states of using the council to target Iran in an "appalling and disgraceful" move.

☆ Iran's state media denies abolition of 'morality police' as three-day strike begins
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty ImagesSome Western media outlets are facing backlash from Iranian activists over headlines printed Sunday saying that Iran was abolishing its "morality police." Many Iranian anti-government activists now feat it will distract from three days of major strikes around the country. What's more, the higher branches of Iran's government have not confirmed it, and Iranian state media has denied any abolition of the morality police. "In reality morality police have been inactive since protests started, but there is no substantive news on their future." "This disinfo was propagated today to distract media attention from the 3 days of major protests in Iran which begin tomo.

☆ Iran morality police: Is this the end for the regime's notorious force?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An Iranian official’s comment signaling that the country’s notorious morality police had been shut down has raised more questions than answers. The attorney general was quoted by an Iranian state media outlet as saying: “Morality police have nothing to do with the judiciary. It was abolished from the same place it was launched.”It is possible the comment was misinterpreted, and the tone from state media quickly changed. On Sunday, state media was keen to downplay Montazeri’s comments, saying that the morality police does not fall under the authority of the judiciary. Notorious for terrorizing citizens as they enforce the country’s conservative rules, the morality police have been the main coercive tool implementing Iran’s hijab law.

CNN —A top Iranian official has said that the nation’s mandatory hijab law is being reviewed, as state media played down the same official’s claim that the country’s much-feared morality police force had been “abolished” amid ongoing protests. Montazeri was also quoted as saying on Saturday that Iran’s morality police had been “abolished,” but Iranian state media strongly pushed back on those comments, saying the interior ministry oversees the force, not the judiciary. The wearing of a hijab in public is currently mandatory for women in Iran under strict Islamic law that is enforced by the country’s so-called morality police. Her death on September 16 touched a nerve in the Islamic Republic, with prominent public figures coming out in support of the movement, including top Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti. “But no official of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that the Guidance Patrol has been shut,” Al-Alam said Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday, those criticizing the team made their voices heard: This was the Islamic Republic's loss, not Iran's. Meanwhile, there were thousands of tweets in Persian, or in English from prominent Iranians, saying how happy they were their own team had fallen at the first hurdle of the competition. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images"For 43 years the regime brainwashed Iranians to hate America," Masih Alinejad, a New York-based Iranian journalist and activist, tweeted . "But see how people across Iran are celebrating the victory of the U.S. soccer team against the Islamic Republic." Reuters TVWhere the Iranian soccer team fits into all this has been a subject of debate among Iranians and those watching from abroad.

☆ Ali Karimi: Iranian soccer great alleges death threats made against him by the Iran government after supporting protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian soccer great Ali Karimi has alleged that death threats have been made against him, while his family and close friends have been intimidated and harassed by the Iranian government following his support of ongoing protests in the country. Kai-Uwe Knoth/APDuring the frequent government induced internet blackouts in Iran, Karimi informed protesters on his social media accounts on how they could bypass internet restrictions using VPN and other workarounds. Increased threatsUntil nearly four months ago Karimi and his family resided in Iran but then left for Dubai. Karimi notes that the threats made against him, his family and friends are incomparable to the dangers that protesters in Iran are facing. “Reading those comments and posts gave me the courage to become active [on social media] again.”The Iranian government has not responded to the claims made in Karimi’s interview.

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