Washington Post: Iranian authorities are taking increasingly harsh measures to prevent protests marking the one-year anniversary of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed reelection, opposition leaders and analysts say, exacerbating political tensions.
Iranian government opponents see executions as warning
Exclusive: Division at the heart of the regime
Iran Focus: London, 14 May – For more than 30 years, Iran has been run on Ayatollah Khomeini’s theory of velayat-e faqih, or supreme rule of religious jurisprudence. Khomeini promoted this principle from the outset of the 1979 revolution and for 10 years held the title of Supreme Leader.
Death row Prisoner of Conscience condemns execution of 5 Kurdish activists
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 14 – The following is the text of a statement released by Saeed Massouri, 45, a political prisoner currently on death row, on the execution of five Kurdish activists in Tehran’s Evin Prison on Sunday.
Iraqi and Iranian soldiers trade fire on border
AFP: Iraqi border guards exchanged fire with Iranian troops along the two countries’ border on Thursday, the first major incident between the two since Iran took over a disputed oil well in December.
Obama, Medvedev to ‘intensify’ efforts on Iran sanctions: US
AFP: US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev Thursday agreed to step up moves on new sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program, the White House said.
US tries to blunt Iran anti-sanctions push
AP: The Obama administration moved Thursday to head off a joint Turkish-Brazilian effort that could help Iran avoid new United Nations sanctions over its suspect nuclear program.
Jailed Iran director Panahi appears on-screen in Cannes
AFP: The jailed Iranian film-maker, Jafar Panahi, described being interrogated by police in a clip screened Thursday at the Cannes film festival.
Clashes at Iran embassies in Denmark, Sweden
AFP: Police and protesters opposed to Iran’s rulers clashed in front of the Iranian embassies in Denmark and Sweden on Thursday when demonstrators threw rocks and tried to enter, authorities said.
US hikers’ mums to visit Iran ‘next week’
AFP: The mothers of three US citizens detained in Iran are to visit the country next week and see their children for the first time in almost 10 months.
Strike brings Kurdish province to a standstill
Iran Focus: Mahabad, Iran, 13 May – Public outrage has spread throughout towns in Iran’s Kurdistan Province following the hanging of five Kurdish prisoners of conscience over the weekend, an Iran Focus correspondent in the area reports.
