By Jubin Katiraie

A 2,000 strong Basij group has been launched in the northern Iranian province of Gilan to counter what Iran calls “improper hijab”, according to an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander.

Mohammad Abdollahpour, the commander of the Gilan Quds Force, said on June 4 that this marked a new “chapter of promoting virtue and prohibiting vice” in the province. He continued to say that the Basij would give verbal notices and take action against “improper” actions but failed to elaborate on what these were.

By Pooya Stone

While Iran has slowed down its threats towards the US in order to "recalculate", the danger is far from over, according to the top commander of American forces in the Mideast on Thursday.

Gen. Frank McKenzie said that he is still concerned by Iran and would not rule out requesting additional US forces to defend against Iranian missiles or other weapons.

Iran Focus

London, 08 June - For a second day running, Donald Trump has called for talks between the US and Iran but has stressed that under no circumstances will Iran be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

After a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Caen, France, on Thursday, Trump said: "I understand [Iran] wants to talk, and we want to talk. That's fine. We'll talk. But the one thing that [Iran] can't have is … nuclear weapons. And I think the president of France would agree with that very strongly."

By Jubin Katiraie

The National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI) representative office in Oslo has issued a statement regarding the Iran’s latest activities. It has stated that the Iranian government is becoming more and more hostile towards the opposition in terms of its misinformation campaign against the NCRI and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK).

By Jubin Katiraie

The World Bank is now predicting that Iran will experience a worse recession in 2019 than was previously thought, as US sanctions tighten around the oil exports that are the main revenue source for the Middle Eastern country.

In the Washington-based institution’s latest Global Economic Prospects report, published on Wednesday, it revealed that it expects Iran’s Gross Domestic Product to fall by 4.5% this year, compared with its previous estimate of a minus 3.6% GDP growth.

By Pooya Stone

Several US officials have said that military tensions between Iran and the US have been easing, just a month after that US sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East because they feared that Iran as preparing to attack US troops in the region.

One defence official with direct knowledge of the situation said: "It seems tensions have dropped some, but we are still watching very closely, we haven't relaxed, we remain vigilant."

By Jubin Katiraie

US President Trump is waging financial warfare against Iran and its terrorist network. Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon, is getting the worst of it, as the Trump administration works to pry it away from Iran.

It receives 70 percent of its annual revenue from Iran — totaling around $700 million in annual funding. Hezbollah is running out of funds. It needs Iranian cash to survive.

By Pooya Stone

Evidence of Iran’s involvement in the sabotage of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month, is set to be revealed in the coming days by the United States and will include intelligence that Washington has received from Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Iran Focus

London, 05 June - Iran is continuing to violate the 2015 nuclear accord by increasing its contested nuclear work, but Republicans in Congress are preparing to impose biting sanctions that the Donald Trump administration has so far neglected to impose, according to officials familiar with the effort.

By Pooya Stone

Iran’s state TV channels are airing a music video that glorifies an anti-American Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group in an attempt to sway public opinion in Iran in favour of the mullahs’ involvement in Middle East conflicts.

The video, which is entitled “The Noble Ones" and praises Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US in March, has been shown several times already.

By Jubin Katiraie

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will hold a major ceremony in Tehran from June 13th through June 15th to commemorate the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. At the Khomeini mausoleum in southern Tehran people will be allowed to pay tribute to the Islamic republic's first supreme leader, who died 30 years ago, on June 3rd, 1989. Current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, will address the crowd.

By Pooya Stone

Intelligence experts from two different regions in Germany have carried out an investigation into Iran’s activity regarding weapons of mass destruction. The intelligence service of Bavaria, and that of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – two separate states – have both indicated that Iran is indeed actively seeking to be armed with weapons of mass destruction.

By Jubin Katiraie

The repressed population of Iran has found a platform — social media — where their outrage has a voice and they can push back against their tyrannical Mullahs.

The Iranian diaspora has been rallying forces on Twitter and Facebook. A series of demonstrations in Europe and the United States and the upcoming “Free Iran” rally is being organized by the Iranian Opposition.

By Jubin Katiraie

In a controversial move, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed General Hossein Salami as the new commander of the Revolutionary Guards. Just a few weeks previously, he appointed Ebrahim Raeesi, who stands accused of being involved in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, as chief justice.

Iran Focus

London, 02 June - Recent developments in relations between U.S. and Iran in the Middle East are indicatives of a turning point in the outlook of the whole region, as pressure mounts on Iran the question is will the Mullahs ruling Iran change their behavior? Iraqi writer Al-Sarraf believes there are six reasons it will not happen:

“Nothing can change. It is in the nature of the mullahs’ regime, if it stays untouched, to wreak havoc in the region.””

Iran Focus

London, 01 June - In line with tightening the grip of suppression over the people to cope with the widespread discontent in the country against the religious fascism ruling Iran an ultra-conservative mullah in Iran has suggested that the state broadcaster should replace female presenters with male anchormen.

Ahmad Alamolhoda, who is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, is the most vocal ultra-conservative senior religious figure in Iran, who has banned concerts and theater in the province.