Iranian Opposition Launches Its Own Satellite TV Channel - Ebrahim Nabavi, one of the channel's organizers, said their aim is to break the state-controlled broadcasters' monopoly on the flow of information, fight against censorship in Iran, reflect the views of all Iranian people, and frankly discuss all issues related to Iran. -RFE 9/2/10
Iran Risks Crash With Record Stock Market Boom, Say Economists - A record boom in Tehran's stock market will end in a spectacular crash that could trigger a prolonged depression producing multiple bankruptcies, mass unemployment, and acute economic hardship, analysts say. -Robert Tait, RFE 9/2/10
Attackers swarm Iranian opposition leader's home again - Iranian pro-government forces once more attacked the home of opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi last night at 10 p.m. chanting slogans against the reformist leader and vandalizing his residence. -Zamaneh 9/2/10
Iranian filmmaker decries 'mental imprisonment' - Prominent Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, barred from attending the screening of his short film "The Accordion" at the Venice film festival, on Wednesday decried his "mental imprisonment." -AFP 9/2/10
Iran: Zahra Rahnavard attacked by pro-government forces - Zahra Rahnavard, Iranian opposition figure, was attacked by a group of plainclothes forces of the Islamic Republic on the streets of Tehran. Kaleme website reports that the attack occurred a few nights ago in an alley close to her residence. 9/2/10
Zionists Waiting To Kill Hidden Imam, Says Iranian Cleric - Mojtaba Zolnour, deputy representative of Iran's supreme leader in the Revolutionary Guard, has said that "Zionists" are waiting for the Hidden Imam to appear to kill him. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 9/2/10
Energy Industry Publication Defends Proposed New York Mosque - The plan to build an Islamic Center and mosque two blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City has drawn widespread opposition and, as a result, many Muslims feel they are being unfairly blamed for the actions of the terrorists who brought down the two skyscrapers on September 11, 2001. -Greg Flakus, Houston 9/2/10
Fatemeh Karroubi Takes Iran's Supreme Leader to Task - Fatemeh Karroubi, wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, in a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, condemned the attacks made on her home and family by the pro-government crowds. -Zamaneh 9/1/10
New Sanctions and Outlook of Iran-EU Relations - Relations between Iran and the European Union (EU) have followed a sinusoidal course of "continuation and change" in the past 30 years as a result of the establishment of multilateral institutions in Europe. -Behzad Khoshandam 9/1/10
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Music Review: Angels Of Persepolis - Of Persian descent, Mehran Jalili is based in Chicago and, after years of playing rock and blues guitar, he steps into the artist spotlight with his 2010 CD, Angels Of Persepolis. -MWE3 9/1/10
Call for release of Iranian detainee, Shiva Nazar-Ahari - Chairwoman of European Parliament's Subcommittee in Human Rights issued a statement calling for the immediate release of Iranian human rights activist, Shiva Nazar-Ahari. -Zamaneh 9/1/10
Denel: We did not help Iran with UAVs - Denel Dynamics is formally denying it has supplied tactical surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles or target drones to Iran. That country recently launched a turbojet-powered drone, called the “Karrar.” -defenceWeb 9/1/10
Japan set to toughen sanctions on Iran - Nikkei - Japan is set to toughen sanctions against Iran as early as this week over its disputed nuclear programme, the Nikkei business daily said, following the United States and European Union's leads in pressuring Tehran. -Reuters 9/1/10
Iran wins first game at FIBA world championship - Iran's national basketball team earned its first win at the preliminary round of 2010 FIBA world championship against Tunisia 71-58 in the Turkish capital, Istanbul. 8/31/10
Hossein Karroubi: My father's house is surrounded to prevent him from participating in Qods Day rally - Tens of plain clothes militias and Basij thugs gathered in front of Mehdi Karroubi's house in the past two nights and prevented Mehdi Karroubi from leaving his home. These organized pro-government thugs by chanting insulting slogans threatened that they would not allow Mehdi Karroubi to participate in Qods Day rally on Friday. 8/31/10
Controversial articles of Iran's family protection bill to be reviewed - Iranian parliament has decided to send the controversial articles 22, 23 and 24 of the family protection bill to its Legal and Judicial Commission for further review. ILNA reports that a week into the reintroduction of the family protection bill, decisions regarding the three articles that have drawn the protest of women's rights activists have been postponed. 8/31/10
One fifth of Iran's workforce unemployed - ILNA, Iran's Labour News Agency, reports that while Iran's Statistics Bureau estimated Iran's workforce at 24 million last spring, the new statistics indicates that five million people are currently unemployed in Iran and unemployment, at 18 percent, has reached its highest point in recent years. 8/31/10
Exhibition: Ahoo Hamedi at AB Gallery in Switzerland - One of Iran's promising young talents is Ahoo Hamedi. She was born in 1981 in Iran. Hamedi studied at the Azad University of Fine Arts, Tehran where she received her BA. Ahoo Hamedi's paintings are matured works of art that bear resemblance to sketches a painter would draw to start a major project. 8/31/10
Iran to Produce Fuel for Tehran Research Reactor in One Year - Iran announced on Tuesday that it would continue enriching uranium to the level of 20% and would produce the nuclear fuel needed for the Tehran research reactor within the next one year. -FNA 8/31/10
Iran to increase gas imports from Azerbaijan - The Iranian deputy oil minister stated that high-ranking officials will soon discuss importing daily 5 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan. -Tehran Times 8/31/10
Armenia Importing Wheat from Iran - Armenian Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan announced that his country is importing wheat from Iran due to Russia's ban on wheat exports. -FNA 8/31/10
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Armenians Torn Over Emigration from Iran - Tehran resident Anjik has seen her three sons emigrate to the United States in recent years, and now her daughter plans to go as well once she gets married. Anjik, 60, is a member of the Armenian community, which counts itself the world's oldest Christian nation. Although their homeland lay within the Ottoman Empire, there have also been Armenians in Iran for centuries. -Karen Stepanian 8/30/10
Iran loses to Croatia in FIBA World Championship - Iran was defeated by Croatia in the 2010 FIBA World Championship on Sunday night. Iran, who was beaten by Brazil 81- 65 in its opener, lost 75-54 to Croatia in Group B. 8/30/10
Tempered People : Iron- Sculptures by Ahmad Nadalian - Every summer blacksmiths come to Polour. They recycle iron and make tools for workers. Most blacksmiths who travel around are Gypsies who usually widespread in Asia and Europe. Back in the days Gypsy blacksmiths followed nomad and they made tolls for them. My ancestors who were Sangsari nomad commissioned some iron tools to Gypsies. -Ahmad Nadalian, RiverArt 8/30/10
Iran to guard universities against 'plots' - Minister of Science, Research and Technology Kamran Daneshjoo says the "enemies" of Iran are plotting a cultural invasion of the country's universities. -Press TV 8/30/10
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Negotiation with US on Afghanistan Is an Opportunity - I think that the offer of negotiations by western countries is not a political gesture, but is as genuine as sanctions are; both UN sanctions and unilateral ones imposed by the United States and Europe. These are realities, not political maneuvers. -Iranian Diplomacy 8/30/10
In One Azerbaijan Village, 'Carrying Water Is Women's Work' - The women smile ruefully when asked if they have time for small luxuries like relaxing or watching soap operas. Television, says one, is for people who have nothing to do -- and finding such a woman anywhere here is impossible. -Saadat Akifgizi, RFE 8/30/10
Iran starts mass production of advanced artillery shells - Iran has inaugurated the production line for the country's longest-range artillery ammunition. During the inauguration ceremony on Sunday, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the advanced 130mm artillery shells with a range of 42 kilometers can be used to hit enemy targets in the distance. -MNA 8/30/10
Oh Lord: Why Iran's National Search Engine Will Likely Fail - If Iran goes ahead with the plan, it wouldn't be the first. China is making a foray into national search and there are reports that a working prototype of a Russian search engine could appear soon. -RFE 8/30/10
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Matic: Iran vs. US is not a political game - Iran basketball coach Veslin Matic said that the game against the U.S is not a political match. Iran will play the U.S. in Group B of the FIBA World Championship on Wednesday. -MNA 8/30/10
Photos: Quake Aftermath, Damghan Region, Northern Iran - PART II - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale struck northern Iran on Friday night, killing 3 people and injuring 40 others. According to officials, 15 villages with 2,500 residents in the province have been damaged. 8/29/10
Photos: Quake Aftermath, Damghan Region, Northern Iran - PART I - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale struck northern Iran on Friday night, killing 3 people and injuring 40 others. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Damghan, Semnan province, in Dasht-e-Kavir region about 285 kilometers (175 miles) east of Tehran. 8/29/10
Call for Dialogue: Iranian students abroad to hold conference in Berlin - Europe-based Persian student activists are coming together for a conference in Germany in October of 2010. The three-day "Call for Dialogue" will be held at Berlin Free University on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of October 2010. 8/29/10
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Ahmadinejad: I Revealed the Names of Corrupt Politicians in the Debates - In his speech yesterday, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad implicitly referred to Hashemi Rafsanjani and Nategh-Nouri as "corrupt" politicians and announced that "overthrowers have not been punished yet." Overthrowers is the term he uses for the leaders of the reform movement in Iran. -Nazanin Kamdar, Rooz 8/29/10
Brazil defeats Iran in FIBA World Championship - Brazil beat Iran in the opener of the 2010 FIBA World Championship on Saturday night. The two-time world champion defeated Iran 81- 65 at the Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. -MNA 8/29/10
Iran arrests hunters in cheetah habitat - A crackdown has been launched on illegal hunters who hunt the endangered species of Asiatic Cheetah in central Iran amid rising concerns over the species' extinction. 8/29/10
Swedish-Iranian Employee Of Oriflame Charged In Iran - Sweden's Foreign Ministry has said that a Swedish-Iranian employee of Swedish cosmetics firm Oriflame has been charged in Iran for establishing a pyramid scheme and deriving illegal earnings from it. -RFE 8/29/10
Paris-based painter Iran Darrudi to establish museum in Tehran - Iranian surrealist painter Iran Darrudi, who lives in Paris, recently transferred all her works to Iran to establish a museum in her homeland. She also plans to set up a foundation to pursue her works in Iran, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Sunday. 8/29/10
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Economist decreases forecast on Iran's GDP growth - Economist slashed down its previous forecast and predicted that Iran Gross Domestic Production will increase over $54 billion in the current year. ISNA news agency cited Economist's August report stating that GDP rose from $361.2 billion last year to $415.5 billion this year. Next year this figure will rise to $488 billion the report stated. 8/29/10
Larijani: Iran never ruled out talks with P5+1, Vienna Group - Concerning the US officials' remarks that Iran is ready for talks with P5+1 and Vienna Group (the US, Russia, France and the UN nuclear watchdog), Larijani said, "we have never ruled out talks, but sometime they left table of talks and showed misconduct." -ISNA 8/29/10
Iran to boost production at joint oilfields in Persian Gulf - Iran plans to pump more crude from three oilfields shared with Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, the managing director of Iran's Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) said in Tehran on Sunday. -MNA 8/29/10
Strong Quake Jolts Northern Iran Near Damghan, 3 killed - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale struck northern Iran on Friday night, killing 3 people and injuring 40 others. The quake happened at 11:53 p.m. local time, Iran's Seismological Center said. 8/28/10
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'Torturer Of Tehran' Loses His Untouchable Status - With a frightening reputation and friends in high places, Said Mortazavi for years appeared to have the untouchable status that bred impunity and led his enemies to label him the "torturer of Tehran." -Robert Tait, RFE 8/28/10
Iran: Pressure Groups Target Ayatollah Dastgheyb After His Remarks About Supreme Leader - On Friday August 27, after the Friday prayer, a small group of plain clothes thugs, most of them in their 20's, gathered in front of the Ayatollah Dastgheyb's mosque and showed disrespect toward this Green movement supporting Marja and member of the Assembly of Experts,and chanted slogans such as "Death to the American mullah" 8/28/10
Two Iranian political prisoners exiled - Hamed Rouhinejad and Ahmad Karimi, two Iranian political prisoners were taken to Zanjan and Gonbad Qaboos prisons to serve out their prison terms in exile, Herana reports. 8/28/10
Iran prevents annual ceremony for executed political prisoners - Islamic Republic security forces prevented families of political prisoners from observing the 22nd anniversary of the mass execution of political prisoners in Iranian prisons. -Zamaneh 8/28/10
Mousavi says security can be achieved through honoring people's will - Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in a meeting with a group of veterans of Iran-Iraq called today's situation of the society "unsafe" and stressed that the only way to return safety and security to the society is through honoring people's will and their movement. 8/28/10
Photos: Shiraz's Historical Atiq Mosque On The Verge Of Destruction - The historical Atiq mosque, which is the oldest mosque of Shiraz, is on the verge of destruction. Unless the cultural authorities act soon and implement the badly needed repairs, there will be a grim future in store for this icon. -Mohammad Hadi Khosravi 8/27/10
Iran Launches New Crackdown On Universities - The Iranian government says it will restrict the number of students admitted to humanities programs at universities, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. The announcement was made on August 25 by Abolfazl Hassani, the director of the government's Office of Development of Higher Education. 8/27/10
Tina Pak: From Tehran to Camp Ayandeh - Camp Ayandeh 2010 was unique in that 15-year-old first time camper Tina Pak had moved from Iran to the U.S. just three days before arriving at Notre Dame de Namur University for the first day of camp. 8/27/10
High Price of Flouting Iran's Marriage Rules - In spite of legal obstacles, divorce rates are on the rise in the sophisticated metropolitan areas. This includes divorces reached by consensus, which accounted for about a third of the 125,000 legal separations in Iran last year, according to data from welfare centres. -Rasa Sowlat, Mianeh 8/27/10
Wives of seven Iranian reformists pursue complaint against IRGC - In a letter to Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, Iran's head of the judiciary, wives of the seven Iranian reformist leaders announced that they will pursue their husbands' complaint regarding the "illegal interference" of the Revolutionary Guards in the elections. 8/26/10
Iran Says It Test-Fired New Missile - Iran says it has test-fired a new solid-fuel, surface-to-surface missile. It is the second time this week Iran has announced a new rocket. 8/26/10
Iran Continues to Load Fuel into Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant - Russian and Iranian engineers are loading uranium fuel into Iran's nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Bushehr is Iran's first nuclear power plant and is located in the southwest part of the country. -VOA 8/26/10
Hejab at the Seaside in Iran - The shores of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran is the land of my childhood, on which I still look back with nostalgia. These pictures, taken nearly 30 years after my own seaside memories, show how much things have changed, especially for women who now come to the beach in full hejab or Islamic dress where they would once have worn swimming costumes or bikinis. -Javad Montazeri 8/24/10
Wonders of Iran: Vank Cathedral - In 1604, when Shah Abbas I realized that the lands of Nakhchivan and its surrounding areas might fall into Ottoman hands, he decided to force the entire Muslim, Jewish and Armenian population of the city to leave their homes and move to Iran. -Tamara Ebrahimpour 8/23/10
Photos: Teaching working children -- Growing flowers in salty land - Naser-Khosrow Children's House, located in downtown Tehran, is sponsored by the Association for Children's Rights to provide comprehensive education to working children. -Raouf Mohseni, MNA 8/16/10
Tehran: It Is Yours Take It - Calling All Artists - We gather all the art work, sort it in groups or one group. Then we Hang them on public walls, invite people to take them home if they like them. So it is more than affordable. For us this idea is perfect. People who don't have lots of money can obtain an original new art piece for their home. 8/12/10
Persian Carpet of Peace and Friendship wraps up in Tabriz - The Persian Carpet of World Peace and Friendship was unveiled Wednesday during a ceremony in the presence of several Iranian, foreign and UNESCO officials in Tabriz. The project began at Tehran's Sadabad Historical Complex in 2008 and took two years to accomplish during which representatives of over 100 countries visited and symbolically tied a knot on the carpet. 8/5/10
Long Live Equality - It is very encouraging and promising to hear how the bravery of Iranian women is now widely appreciated abroad. At least there are still things to be proud of for being Iranian, in addition to our long past role in human civilization. 8/4/10
Iran: The Old Cradle of Civilization - Once again they've put those papers in front of me. Once again I should confess what I did and did not do! Once again I should say: Yes, I sinned. Please, have mercy on me and forgive my youthful follies, while deep down I am furiously screaming: I have done nothing wrong. -Khorshid 7/29/10
