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☆ U.S. sanctions senior employees of Iranian state-run media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday sanctioned senior employees of an Iranian state-run media corporation it accused of being a "critical tool" in Iran's suppression and censorship of its people, stepping up pressure on Tehran over its crackdown on protests. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on six senior employees of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which was designated by Washington in 2013. "The United States remains committed to supporting the Iranian people as they continue their peaceful protests," he said, adding that Washington would continue to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations and censorship. Those that engage in certain transactions with the targeted employees also risk being hit with sanctions. Iran, which said Amini's death was due to pre-existing conditions, has accused its enemies, including the United States, of fomenting the unrest to destabilise the country.

☆ Iran blamed for a drone attack on an Israel-linked oil tanker off the coast of Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A drone armed with a bomb hit an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Tuesday evening. An Israeli government official has said that they believe Iran is responsible for the strike. The company said there had been "minor damage to the vessel's hull," but there was no "spillage of cargo," referring to the gas oil the tanker was carrying. However, no one has claimed responsibility for the Oman drone attack. Due to tensions between Iran and Israel, Tehran's possible involvement in the attack is suspected.

The first known death sentence handed down to a defendant linked to the unrest sweeping Iran has fanned fears of an even harsher crackdown as the government struggles to stamp out demonstrations challenging its rule. Mansoureh Mills, a researcher on Iran for the human rights group Amnesty International, said the sentence and arrests showed that the government was trying to end the unrest, once and for all. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that 15,800 protesters have been detained and 344 killed since the protests began. On Monday, the European Union announced new sanctions against 29 individuals in Iran and three entities over the ongoing crackdown on protesters. The United Kingdom also announced two dozen sanctions against Iranian officials on Monday.

☆ Iran sentences first person to death over protests triggered by death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Iran has issued its first death sentence to a protester accused of setting a building on fire. Iran has been rocked by protests following the death of a young woman in police custody. At least 20 other people are also facing potential execution, the outlet said, citing Iranian human rights activists. Thousands of people have been detained across Iran since mid-September, when mass protests began following the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Iran Human Rights, an activist group based in Norway, on Monday accused the Islamic Republic of "using the death penalty to create societal fear."

☆ Iran indicts 11 over Basij agent's death, basketball team skips anthem
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Videos posted on social media purportedly showed the national basketball team refraining from singing the national anthem during a match with China in Tehran on Friday - widely seen as another show of support from athletes for the protests. The activist HRANA news agency said 336 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Friday, including 52 minors. Earlier this week, videos posted on social media showed the national water polo team failing to sing the national anthem at a competition in Thailand. 'STEP UP THE PRESSURE'On Friday, a cleric in the northwestern city of Urmia called during prayers for the punishment of athletes who refrained from singing the national anthem, according to Iranian news agencies. "We want to continue to step up the pressure on the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the political leadership," he said in a video posted on Twitter.

☆ The Culture War Behind Iran’s Protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Kian Tajbakhsh | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s feminist uprising poses a stark challenge to the Islamic regime that has held power since 1979. Since September the world media has been awash in images of men and women demonstrating in the streets. Indeed, the protesters’ opponents have more than power on their side; they have significant numbers, too. Most of the surveys that can be considered reliable show a slow liberalization of Iranian attitudes toward the imposition of religious values on society. But they also show the persistence of a significant minority—between 10% and 20% of the population—that favors a religious government, including the mandatory hijab.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

☆ 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.

CNN —Two British-Iranian journalists working in the United Kingdom have been warned by police of a “credible” plot by Iran to kill them, according to their employer, London-based news channel Iran International. The Iranian government has labeled Iran International as a “terrorist organization,” Iran’s state-aligned news agency ISNA reported Tuesday, citing the country’s information ministry. CNN reached out to Iran International for comment. Iran International’s protest coverageFounded in 2017, Iran International has been at the forefront of covering the recent demonstrations with exclusive footage of events on the ground. The sanctioned entities included what Tehran referred to as “anti-Iranian TV channels” such as Iran International, Tasnim reported.

☆ Ukraine in danger of running out of air defenses as Russia launches relentless drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

However, the Iranian government acknowledged for the first time Saturday that it had sent a number of drones to Russia, but insisted this was before Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley rejected that claim, saying Tehran supplied drones to Russia in the summer. He also warned that Russia needed Iranian missiles for a "possible repetition of mass attacks on our infrastructure." For its part, Ukraine continues to plead for more air defense weapons to help it combat Russian drone and missile attacks. RUSI's analysts agree that Ukraine requires urgent assistance to ensure that "Kyiv can counter Moscow's updated approach to the air war in Ukraine."

☆ Biden vows Iran will be 'free' amid anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

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.

☆ Video: Rapper known for speaking out against Iranian government faces death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ How the Federal Reserve Makes (And Loses) Money
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Iran's Protests Have Spread Across the Country Despite crackdowns and internet shutdowns, demonstrations against the Iranian government have grown into one of the biggest challenges to its leadership in four decades. WSJ maps out how protests have bubbled up across the Iranian society. Photo composite: Adam Adada

☆ 'This is not our national team' - why some Iranians want their own country banned from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last week, in conjunction with a Spanish law firm, they sent a letter to world soccer's governing body FIFA demanding their own country be withdrawn from next month's World Cup. "Iran is different to any other country," former wrestling world junior champion and national team coach Sardar Pashaei told Reuters. They should be banned until we have a democratic country like any other country in the world." "One of the important reasons for banning this football team by FIFA is everybody across the world will ask, 'What happened to Iran?'" "Russia attacked Ukraine, killed people, so it was the right decision they got banned - the same should happen to Iran.

☆ Facing a wave of public anger, Iran’s regime could be in a fight for long-term survival, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

From anti-government graffiti to students heckling government officials, to women walking in the street without headscarves to workers putting down their tools, Iran’s regime looks increasingly bewildered by events. “It’s like a war, the Islamic Republic versus the Iranian people,” said the woman from Tehran. She and other Iranians say the helmeted police flooding the streets resemble an occupying force, unsure of their position and unable to trust the local population. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Friday more than 250 protesters have been killed in the six weeks since protests began. “We all know that this time we will overthrow the regime,” said the woman in Tehran.

☆ Exclusive: United States to put United Nations focus on Iran protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Soodabeh Saeidnia/via REUTERSUNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The United States will next week put the United Nations spotlight on protests in Iran sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody and look for ways to promote credible, independent investigations into Iranian human rights abuses. The United States and Albania will hold an informal U.N. Security Council gathering on Wednesday, according to a note outlining the event, seen by Reuters. "It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government's human rights violations and abuses." Independent U.N. investigator on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other U.N. member states and rights groups. Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.

☆ Iranian Government Shifts Blame for Terrorist Attack to Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s top military commander on Thursday blamed protesters demonstrating against the country’s clerical rule for a deadly terrorist attack in southern Iran where a gunman killed 15 people, promising to punish anyone who threatened public security. The explicit linking of the protest movement and the terrorist attack, for which Iranian authorities have presented no evidence, could signal an even more brutal crackdown by security forces against demonstrations that appeared to kick into a new gear Wednesday with tens thousands of people filling the streets.

☆ Biden admin imposes sanctions on Iranian officials over 'brutal' crackdown on protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

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.

Security forces clashed with crowds who had gathered at 22-year-old Amini's grave in her hometown of Saqqez, according to a semi-official Iranian news agency, which also said that the internet in the region was subsequently cut-off. Anti-government protests since Amini’s death last month have persisted across Iran despite an intense crackdown. Cemetery clashes“A limited number of those present at Mahsa Amini’s memorial clashed with police forces on the outskirts of Saqqez and were dispersed," according to the semi-official news agency ISNA. Internet in Saqqez was then "cut off due to security considerations,” the agency reported, adding about 10,000 people had gathered. The governor also said that Amini's family decided against holding a memorial service for her and described as "false" any reports of roads to Saqqez being closed.

☆ Video: Iranian government official heckled by student protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Spanish soccer fan walking to Qatar World Cup missing in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Spanish man, Santiago Sanchez, walks in Iraq's Kurdistan region towards Qatar, where he aims to attend the 2022 World Cup, near Zakho, Iraq August 28, 2022. REUTERS/Charlotte BruneauMADRID, Oct 26 (Reuters) - A 41-year-old Spanish soccer fan who set out to walk to Qatar to attend the World Cup in November has gone missing in Iran, where unrest has erupted in the past few weeks, Spain's foreign ministry has confirmed. Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed Sanchez was in Iran and its embassy in Tehran was urgently seeking information on his whereabouts to provide him with consular assistance. He has already been to Iran, it's a hospitable country... but this time it was a delicate moment." He told Reuters in Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan last month that he hoped he might meet the Spanish team and inspire them to victory in the 2022 World Cup.

☆ U.S. issues fresh sanctions against Iranian officials for 'brutal' crackdown on peaceful protestors following Mahsa Amini's death continue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Treasury announced a fresh round of sanctions Wednesday against Iranian officials for brutal violence against peaceful demonstrators as protests following the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini continue. The new sanctions come 40 days after the 22-year-old Amini's death in the custody of Iran's morality police. Iranian officials have continued their crackdown on protesters while limiting access to internet services. "The United States is imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials overseeing organizations involved in violent crackdowns and killings, including of children, as part of our commitment to hold all levels of the Iranian government accountable for its repression." Treasury designated 10 Iranian officials, two Iranian intelligence actors and two Iranian entities involved in the Iranian government's efforts to interfere with internet access:Mohammad Kazemi: Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Intelligence Organization.

The FBI has warned that an Iranian government-tied hacker group that tried to interfere in the 2020 election is currently active and a threat to the U.S. The group, which federal agencies say operates from an Iranian cybersecurity company called Emennet Pasargad, is engaged in “ongoing” operations to hack and leak material, and may target American organizations, the FBI said Thursday in an industry warning. In October 2020, the FBI announced that Iran was behind the most significant foreign attempt to influence that year’s U.S. elections. Democrats registered to vote in Florida, which makes voter information publicly accessible, received intimidating emails in the weeks before the election, instructing them to become Republicans. It was not clear what organization the FBI was referring to, and the agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Iranian Crackdown on Protests Imposes Economic Toll
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Iranian government’s crackdown on the weekslong protest movement is taking a growing toll on the country’s sanctions-pummeled economy, hitting a broad swath of ordinary citizens, as authorities’ slowdown of the internet has choked vital payment channels for businesses. So far, Iran’s internet restrictions have cost the IT industry and businesses around $24 billion, according to a member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Farzin Fardis, cited by the reformist-affiliated news outlet Entekhab. Mr. Fardis also said that over the past month, up to 700,000 shops selling goods through the social-media app Instagram had closed down.

☆ Russian fighter jet 'released a missile' near unarmed British surveillance plane, U.K. defense secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — A Russian fighter jet “released a missile” in the vicinity of an unarmed British surveillance plane, the U.K.’s defense minister said Thursday. He added that Russia’s Ministry of Defense had replied “that they had conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and stated it was a technical malfunction of the SU-27 fighter.”NBC News has reached out the Russian defense ministry for comment. Wallace also urged Iran to “desist” from supplying Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles dubbed “kamikaze” drones, which Moscow has been using to attack Ukraine. Iran has denied supplying Russia with drones. Both Washington and Kyiv have accused Tehran of supplying the drones to Moscow to be used in Ukraine, accusations Iran has denied.

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