Radio Farda – Two Iranian border guards and a Pakistani paramilitary officer have been reported killed in a shooting incident. Iranian media quoted Revolutionary Guards Corps Brigadier General Roham-Bakhsh Habibi as saying that “a number of the bandits” were killed in the fighting in the restive province of Sistan-Baluchistan late on October 16. He added that a vehicle and “a noticeable ... Read More »
Politics
What? an ISIS gift shop in Istanbul!
ISIS appears to be stepping up its campaign to attract an international support base after clothing and memorabilia promoting the group appeared online. The sale of Western clothing – including T-shirts, hoodies and baseball caps – bearing the Islamist group’s name and slogans is a worrying development in ISIS’ growth as a global ‘terror brand’. [Read More] Read More »
Generation gap leading cause of runaway girls
Many turn to “roospigari” as a means to financial independence and liberation from strict societal norms. Most girls active in this trade in Tehran are high-school age. The Guradian newspaper in an article referrers to a girl named Mona as a reference, she says her first client was a young man named Hamid. They went on a date for two ... Read More »
Supreme Leader’s health and questions about his successor
Images of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appearing frail and in bed have raised questions about the seriousness of his condition, and who might eventually succeed him. Reuters reports that rumors about Khamenei have circulated for years. But there has never been such a media blitz on the health of the Supreme Leader, who holds substantial influence or constitutional ... Read More »
How Iran Scammed America Out of a Nuclear Deal
You have to salute the rulers of Iran. They stand on the verge of scoring a stunning diplomatic triumph over the United States. Even more impressive: They did it all on bluff. Their adversaries possessed material advantages in terms of money, technology, military power, and more. But Iran’s rulers had clarity of purpose and the will to win. Without these ... Read More »
Argentina president: US plotting to oust or assassinate her
Argentinian opposition politicians have accused the country’s president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, of being “completely out of touch with reality” after she gave a rambling televised address in which she claimed the US may be behind a plot to overthrow her government and possibly even assassinate her. “If something should happen to me, don’t look to the Middle East, look ... Read More »
Is this Iranian the most powerful man in Iraq
Gabriel Gatehouse reports for BBC Newsnight on IRGC-QF Commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, “described as the most powerful man in Iraq”. A top Iranian general and 70 of his forces were on the ground in Iraq this summer, helping Kurdish fighters defend the regional capital Irbil against Islamic State militants. Read More »
Iran Unveils New Military Hardware in Parade
Tasnim – The Iranian Armed Forces on Monday displayed a broad range of advanced defensive equipment in a military parade in Tehran. The massive parade, held to mark the Sacred Defense Week, saw various units of the Iranian Army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Basij (volunteer) forces and the Islamic Republic of Iran Police showcasing their abilities. The homegrown ... Read More »
Cameron to meet Rouhani over ISIS
UK Guardian reports that David Cameron is to hold the first bilateral talks between a British prime minister and an Iranian president since the 1979 revolution when he has a face to face meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in the next two days in New York. The meeting, a significant thaw in diplomatic relations between the countries, is designed to ... Read More »
Horrifying Cow Abuse Is Caught On Tape
The New Mexico Livestock Board has launched an investigation into a southern New Mexico dairy after an activist working with an animal welfare group recorded secret video showing workers whipping cows with chains and wire cables. The dairy has since fired all employees and referred the offenders in the video to law enforcement, according the the Associated Press. They have ... Read More »