Iran

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Iranian security forces cracked down on protests in Kurdish areas of the country on Saturday and briefly detained the father of Mahsa Amini, a year after the young woman's death in custody set off some of the worst political unrest in four decades.

State-affiliated media reported arrests of several "counter revolutionaries" and "terrorists" in different Iranian cities and said security forces had foiled plots to create disturbances around illegal demonstrations.

15 September 2023; MEMO: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two foreign-flagged oil tankers allegedly smuggling more than 1.5 million litres of fuel in the Persian Gulf, Anadolu Agency reports.

The tankers with Panama and Tanzania flags were held by IRGC Navy, Iranian media quoted Admiral Mohammad-Sharif Shirali, deputy Commander of the IRGC Navy’s Third Naval Zone, as saying.

TEHRAN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's atomic chief said on Wednesday his country will not completely implement a 2015 nuclear deal if the Western sanctions on Tehran are not fully lifted and the other parties do not honor their obligations under the agreement.

President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, while elaborating on the country's nuclear activities and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the official news agency IRNA.

12 September 2023; MEMO: Iran’s Supreme Leader accused the US on Monday of forming “a crisis group” tasked with creating crises and incitement in Iran, Al-Mayadeen has reported.

12 September 2023; MEMO: Five US citizens detained in Iran, who are expected to be swapped for five Iranians imprisoned in the United States as early as next week, are “in full health”, Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, said in a television interview on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

13 September 2023; MEMO: Iran’s judiciary yesterday confirmed the detention of Swedish diplomat working for the EU for “committing crimes” during his stay in the country, Iranian and international agencies reported.

This came a week after Stockholm and Brussels revealed the latest known case of a foreign national being held by Tehran.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Snap checkpoints. Internet disruptions. University purges.

Iran’s theocracy is trying hard to both ignore the upcoming anniversary of nationwide protests over the country’s mandatory headscarf law and tamp down on any possibility of more unrest.

Yet the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini still reverberates across Iran. Some women are choosing to go without the headscarf, or hijab, despite an increasing crackdown by authorities.

TEHRAN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that Azerbaijan's officials have sent a message to Tehran stressing that they do not seek to take any military action against Armenia.

Kanaani made the remarks at a weekly press conference in Iran's capital Tehran, responding to a question about the recent rise in tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Iran is in constant contact with both sides and is concerned about the possibility of a conflict, Kanaani said.

TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday said Iran is ready to help establish strong relations between regional states and the European Union (EU).

He made the remarks when meeting with Luigi Di Maio, the EU special representative for the Gulf region, in the Iranian capital of Tehran, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran welcomes any EU initiative to enhance cooperation between the block and regional states.

TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that his country is ready to play an effective role in preventing any new conflict and geopolitical change in the Caucasus region.

Raisi made the remarks in a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during which he also expressed satisfaction with the "favorable" progress in bilateral economic cooperation and implementation of the joint agreements, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office.