By Pooya Stone
It has been reported by the Trump administration that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with regards to the Iran situation, in particular the threat to maritime security in the Gulf.
They spoke on Wednesday and during their phone call they agreed that there is a need for “stronger maritime security” when it comes to the freedom of navigation amid the heightened tensions between Iran and the West.
By Jubin Katiraie
The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration in the United States has issued a warning about the threat Iran poses to commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and in particular in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that is crucial for a large portion of world commerce.
By Pooya Stone
Over the past few days, teachers across Iran have been holding protests and calling for the authorities to ensure that their most basic rights are recognised and so that they receive the salaries that they are due.
Earlier this year, a large number of working and retired teachers took to the streets. They protested about the poor working conditions that they are subjected to and they highlighted the poor levels of pay that they have access to.
By Jubin Katiraie
It has been reported that the Iranian authorities have executed two members of the Ahvazi Arab community. State media has reported that the execution of Ghassem Abdullah and Abdullah Karmollah Chab took place in the Fajr Prison in the city of Dezful in southwest Iran on 4th July.
By Pooya Stone
The owner of the British-flagged vessel that was seized by Iran has described Iran’s actions and continued detention as “unacceptable and unjustifiable”.
On Friday 19th July, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized Stena Impero, claiming initially that the British-flagged vessel had collided with a fishing boat. The IRGC took control of the boat and the 23 crew members that were on board and it remains in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
By Jubin Katiraie
On Tuesday, August 6, three prisoners in the prison of Urmia, northwest of Iran, were severely beaten following a verbal dispute with one the prison wardens named Mobaseri. The prisoners were identified as political prisoner Zabihollah Rigi and two regular detainees named Hassan Deh-Mard and Mansoor Sediqi.
By Pooya Stone
In its latest report on the human rights situation in Iran, the Iran Human Rights Monitor organisation has noted a number of specific concerns.
There are of course the ongoing concerns such as the continued use of the death penalty, the torture and mistreatment of prisoners, the treatment of lawyers and human rights defenders, the inhumane treatment of prisoners such as the denial of medical treatment, the use of solitary confinement, and so on, and the lack of freedom regarding religion and faith. The organisation also draws attention to the continued discrimination of women and girls.
By Jubin Katiraie
Earlier this week, the British government said that it would be joining the naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz that is being led by the United States.
Towards the end of last month, the United States military initiated efforts to protect commercial shipping interests against Iran in the Persian Gulf. Mark Esper, the US Secretary of Defense, said that the aim of the United States’ air and naval presence is to deter Iran from seizing or threatening to stop any American commercial ships.
By Pooya Stone
An Iranian publication has published details about a corruption case dating back to 2014. The Khabar Online website reported on the case of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a conservative figure and former general of the notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while he was the mayor of Tehran.
By Jubin Katiraie
Just after Iran announced that it has seized another tanker in the Persian Gulf, the United States called on Australia to take part in a “global coalition” to help protect passage through the region.
Iranian authorities announced that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has captured a foreign oil tanker, but details remain unclear. Iranian authorities have said that seven crew members were detained.
