Ramin Mehmanparast, speaker for Iran’s foreign ministry announced that Shahram AMiri, the missing Iranian nuclear scientist has left the US and is on his way to Iran. Iranian media reports that Mehmanparast attributed the return of Amiri to the efforts of the Islamic Republic and the “effective cooperation” of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington and [...]

Iranian MP Avaz Heydarpour announced that the “disorganized” and “unaccounted” government decision to close down offices for two days last week, cost the country $4 billion in damages. While expressing dismay at the government decision, he said: “This amount of money could have solved all the entire difficulties of the healthcare sector in Iran.” Mehr [...]

RAHANA:  The 3 students have been given prison sentences for objecting to the execution of Kurdish activists on May 9th and organizing a protest in the university. According to the RAHNA reporter, Aram Veysi, Tofigh Partovi and Dana Lanjabadi have been sentenced to a year in prison which has been suspended for 5 years. محکومیت سه دانشجوی [...]

RAHANA: The security authorities have not allowed the couple to contact their family. The authorities have also went to their home and told their families that the couple have security problems. According to the RAHANA reporter, Fatemeh’s father has referred to the Evin Prison and the authorities have told him that he would be allowed [...]

RAHANA: Nemat Asadi, a discharged accounting teacher and a civil rights activist, was detained by the security forces at his house, 20 days ago. The security agents searched his house and confiscated his books, computer, and his notes.  They have threatened his family not to contact the media. According to the RAHANA reporter, Asadi was [...]

A Balouchi youth who was kidnapped by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence seven months ago is at risk of being executed. Mohammad Saber Malek Raisi, who is fifteen and hails from Sarbaz, is accused of working with an anti-government organization.  Intelligence agents have been putting pressure on Mohammad Saber Malek Raisi in an effort to force [...]

Workers from Sanandaj’s Javeh dam have once again gone on strike as of yesterday July 10, 2010. Workers of the dam have gone on strike several times in recent months over non payment of their wages dating back more than five months. More than 300 workers building the dam have not received their wages for [...]

Shoppers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar (file photo) By Robert Tait If ever an institution typified the blend of social and religious conservatism wrapped up in Iran’s Islamic Revolution, it is the Tehran bazaar — home to an array of carpet sellers, textile traders, and food merchants instinctively suspicious of the alien values of Western commerce. [...]

“I believe that part of the Iranian rule as well as the Revolutionary Guards are in favour of sanctions as they make gigantic and astronomical profits from them,” Karroubi was quoted as saying on opposition website Rahesabz.net. The Guards regularly shrug off international sanctions imposed on Iran for its defiant nuclear programme, with some top [...]

The whereabouts of prominent Iranian human rights activist and journalist arrested last month are still unclear, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports. Parvin Tajik, the sister of activist Abdolreza Tajik, told Radio Farda on July 7 that her brother was arrested on June 12 after being summoned to Tehran’s Intelligence Ministry Office. Parvin Tajik said the family [...]