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.
By Pooya Stone
Several fuel vessels were temporarily arrested in Singapore towards the end of last month on suspicion of breaching US sanctions on Iran.
The reports of these arrests come as the United States continues to maintain pressure on the belligerent Iranian regime. The Trump administration has explained that it is cutting the regime off from one of its biggest sources of revenue because it wants to isolate the regime faced with its belligerence in the region and beyond.
By Jubin Katiraie
This week, people in several Iranian cities held protests and strikes, expressing their discontent and anger over the Iranian government’s policies, poor economic conditions, and the authorities’ disregards for their demands.
By Pooya Stone
According to Iranian human rights sources, in July, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) opened fire on porters, killing six and wounding 19 others in Iran’s border areas.
The report also states that one porter was killed in a car accident and another was injured by a natural disaster.
By Jubin Katiraie
The Iranian economy is in a much more precarious situation than was predicted just a few months ago, according to political scientist Dr Majid Rafizadeh.
He explained that in April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that inflation in Iran would reach 40%, while the World Bank estimated in June that Iran’s gross domestic product (GDP) would drop by 4.5% in 2019, which was 0.9% worse than its January prediction. However, Rafizadeh cited data from the Statistical Centre of Iran that paints a bleaker picture, which inflation reaching a huge 50%. This is even worse in rural areas, where inflation has reached 60%, and for food items, given that the cost of meat has risen by 95%.
