Iran Focus
London, 09 May – According to the spokesperson of the Iran’ Ministry of Health and Medical Education (named Iraj Hariji), approximately 30% of Iran’s population particularly the youth, suffer from mental illnesses. Etemaad online reports of 21 million people to be exact.
According to reports, mental illness affects 23.4% of Iran’s adult population; 27.6% of whom are women and 19.4% men.
By Mehdi
Iran plans to increase fuel prices, but the decision has been met with significant opposition even from members of the Iran’s parliament who warn that the move will create further unrest.
The move has been made silently and for good reason. The people have been under significant economic pressure over the past few years and a further blow could quite simply set the powder keg atmosphere off. Purchasing power has been in significant decline in recent times and inflation has resulted in the cost of basic goods sharply increasing.
By Pooya Stone
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made an unscheduled trip to Iraq, as US-Iran tensions rise.
Pompeo spent four hours in Baghdad yesterday, after cancelling a trip to Berlin, in order to assure the leaders that the US didn’t want anybody “interfering” in Iraq and to call on the Iraqi government to protect US troops stationed there.
By Jubin Katiraie
Non-profit and non-governmental institution, the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), works to facilitate economic development and growth. It has recently published a report that indicates that optimism in terms of the economy has massively dropped.
Iran Focus
London, 07 May – There have been mixed reactions to the announcement by US National Security Advisor John Bolton that Washington deployed an aircraft carrier group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in order to counter the Iranian threat, but US allies in the region have been very supportive of the measure.
Arabian media reported that the US had deployed the aircraft carrier group USS Abraham Lincoln and an air strike force because of Iranian threats to “close the Strait of Hormuz” and prevent oil shipments travelling through the Gulf.
By Mehdi
Iran will soon partially resume parts of its nuclear program that were banned under the 2015 nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite still being a party to the deal, according to state-run media.
Iranian state TV reported Monday that these activities are banned under articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but Iran is “not planning to withdraw from the nuclear deal” at present, according to an official close to the JCPOA Supervisory Board.
By Pooya Stone
From Switzerland, where Dabrina Bet-Tamraz managed to flee with the help of friends, she spoke about the persecution and suffering to which her family is being subjected after being sentenced to lengthy prison terms for “crimes” related to Christianity.
By Mehdi
In an interview with Al Arabiya, the head of Lebanon’s Kataeb opposition party Sami Gemayel indicated that the political situation in Lebanon is changing rapidly. He said that the country is being controlled by Hezbollah with the involvement of Iran and Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
By Pooya Stone
The Iranian Intelligence Minister has publically admitted for the first time that Christianity is spreading throughout Iran.
During a speech to several Shia Muslim clerics, Mahmoud Alavi said that “Christianity is spreading in parts of Iran”, but tried to dismiss the converts because they were ordinary Iranians “whose jobs are selling sandwiches or similar things”.
He then told the clerics to end their infighting if they wanted to stop Iranians from converting to Christianity, noting that several converts had listed that among their reasons for converting.
Iran Focus
London, 06 May – Donald Trump has drastically improved US policy on Iran since he has taken office, but he needs to go faster and harder, according to former US Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission Ken Blackwell.
It took over a year for Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal, a promise he made on the campaign trail, and even then, sanctions were not fully implemented for six months and some sanctions waivers were allowed to continue until last week.
