Iran

„As the world marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday tweeted that he too, is a fan of The Bard, and highlighted ‚The Merchant of Venice‘ – famous for its derogatory depiction of Jewish moneylender Shylock – as being in „accordance with Western values.“ ‚I have read most of works by Shakespeare…

„Iran’s central bank must pay nearly $2 billion to victims of terrorist attacks, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. In a 6-to-2 decision, the court said Congress had not exceeded its constitutional role in enacting a statute to make it easier for the plaintiffs to recover damages that had been awarded to them in a series of lawsuits. The cases…

„Stimmte [der niedersächsische Ministerpräsident Stephan] Weil seinem Gesprächspartner [Ali Akbar Rafsanjani] bei der Analyse des Terrorproblems im Nahen Osten und weltweit noch zu, waren damit die Gemeinsamkeiten erschöpft. Rafsanjani sprach nun nämlich ein Thema an, das man durchaus als Affront gegenüber einem Gast aus Deutschland verstehen konnte: Israel. Dabei verlor sich der Ex-Präsident in eben jenen antisemitischen Klischees, die dem…

„Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday vowed to defend Muslim countries against terrorism and Israel while insisting that its neighbors should not feel threatened. Speaking during a National Army Day parade in which Iranian forces displayed sophisticated air defense systems recently acquired from Russia, Rouhani praised Tehran’s role in helping the Syrian and Iraqi governments roll back the Islamic State…

„Major Ahmad-Reza Khosravi, 39, a pilot in the helicopter unit of the Iranian Security Services, fled Iran to Turkey in March 2015 after he was refused repeated requests to be discharged from the military, requests he made due to ideological differences with the regime. Recently the subject of an apparent kidnap plan to bring him back to Iran, Khosravi has…

„Manchmal fragt sich der Menschenrechtsaktivist, um die deutschen Massenmedien einfach nur uninformiert und naiv in Sachen islamistischem Terrorismus sind oder ob sie einfach nur ein bestimmtes Bild des internationalen Terrorismus zeichnen müssen. Anders sind solche Beiträge wie der in der FAZ (04.04.2016 – ‚Terrorgefahr in Nahost: Saudi-Arabien und Iran sollten zusammenarbeiten‘) erschienene Artikel des sogenannten ‚Iran-Experten‘ Seyed Hossein Mousavian nicht…

„In a ceremony to mark Iran’s National Day of Nuclear Technology, the Islamic Republic on Thursday announced the unveiling of twelve new, self-developed nuclear products in several different fields, ranging from fuel and laser technology to power plants and reactors. Among the products unveiled at the ceremony, which was attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, were new centrifuge systems and…

„Governments across the Middle East executed at least 1,196 people in 2015, according to a new report released by Amnesty International, with Iran leading the region. ‚The rise in executions last year is profoundly disturbing,‘ said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s secretary-general. ‚In 2015 governments continued relentlessly to deprive people of their lives on the false premise that the death penalty…

„In its most serious challenge since the July 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have turned against the agreement and the Rouhani Government. The commander of the Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, criticized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in an address to officers on Tuesday. He also confronted President Rouhani, who has proclaimed that the JCPOA will…

„Das mediale Interesse des Westens an den iranischen Wahlen war groß. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es wohltuend, dass eine aktuelle Studie mit Verweis auf den institutionellen Aufbau des iranischen Regimes ausführlich darlegt, warum die Islamische Republik nicht reformierbar ist und inwiefern das Dauergeplänkel zwischen vermeintlichen ‚Reformern‘ und ‚Hardlinern‘, zwischen ‚Moderaten‘ und ‚Konservativen‘ letztlich nur der Stabilität der Herrschaft der Ayatollahs…

„If you wouldn’t do business with Islamic State, you shouldn’t do business with the Islamic Republic. Since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Western companies have quietly started to explore business opportunities in a country some view as an emerging market with untapped potential. After years of sanctions and economic stagnation, Iran is welcoming foreign investment with…

„In other areas, according to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic remains a leading executioner of minors. Currently, 160 juvenile offenders are on Iran’s death row. Other human rights groups also believe that Iran has executed more juveniles than any other country. Michael G. Bochenek, senior counsel of the children’s rights division at Human Rights Watch pointed out ‚Iran is almost…

„Seven hackers allegedly tied to the Iranian government have been charged with cyber-attacks on a small dam outside New York City and dozens of banks. Unsealing the indictment in Washington DC, the Justice Department said all seven accused were employed by Iranian computer companies that have worked for the Iranian government. The attacks on the American financial sector disabled bank websites…

„Iran’s supreme leader said Sunday Washington has continued its animosity toward Tehran, despite a friendly message by President Barack Obama marking the Persian New Year. In a New Year’s speech on Sunday in the northern city of Mashhad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US had not kept to its commitment to lift sanctions as part of a nuclear deal. ‚From…

„Evidence against Iran and Hezbollah keep on accumulating on both being firsthand involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks that reportedly killed thousands of U.S. citizens. Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper has exclusively attained and published six documents New York courthouse Judge George Daniels used for the verdict which fines Iran with billions of dollars in compensation for the families of the victims…