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Iran-US Prisoner Swap: World Reaction

The following are reactions from Qatar, Oman and Switzerland – the three countries that mediated between Iran and the United States.     Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani  Sept. 19, 2023 interview with CNN: “We were so proud to see that Qatar helped in bringing…

News Digest: Week of September 18

Updated: September 24, 2023
September 18 Diplomacy: Iran released five Americans as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The four men and one woman had been imprisoned on unproven charges of espionage. One had been held since 2015. In return, the Biden administration released five Iranian men imprisoned in the…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: Hostage History

Iran’s practice of imprisoning foreign nationals, including Americans, has been a recurrent flashpoint since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy and 66 hostages after the 1979 revolution. Between 1979 and 2023, Iran detained nearly 100 Americans, including several U.S.-Iranian nationals. The Americans…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: Iran Statements

On Sept. 18, 2023, President Ebrahim Raisi welcomed the prisoner swap with the United States as a “confidence builder” that could lead to future “humanitarian actions.” But he also criticized Washington. The swap “could have been accomplished much sooner had it not been for the wrong calculus of…

U.S. Sanctions Network Behind Iran’s Drone Program

On September 19, the United States sanctioned seven people and four companies based in Iran, China, Russia, and Turkey for supporting Iran’s military aircraft industry, including its drone program. The network facilitated shipments of parts and facilitated financial transactions for Iran Aircraft…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: New US Sanctions

On Sept. 18, 2023, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was the president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, for supporting the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). For decades, MOIS has detained foreigners on spurious charges. “Today’s action targets Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: Congressional Reaction

The following are reactions from both Republicans and Democrats.    Republicans House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) Sept. 18, 2023 statement: "I am immensely relieved that the five Americans held hostage by Iran are finally reunited with their families and on their way…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: US Statements

On Sept. 18, 2023, U.S. officials welcomed Iran’s release of five imprisoned Americans as part of a prisoner swap. “Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, Emad Sharghi, and two citizens who wish to remain private will soon be reunited with their loved ones—after enduring years of agony, uncertainty, and…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: Hostages Speak

Updated: September 19, 2023
The following are statements by the Americans held hostage in Iran after their release on Sept. 18, 2023.     Siamak Namazi I would not be free today, if it wasn’t for all of you who didn’t allow the world to forget me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for being my voice when I…

Iran-US Prisoner Swap: Profiles

On September 18, Iran released five Americans as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The four men and one woman had been imprisoned on unproven charges of espionage. One had been held since 2015. In return, the Biden administration released five Iranian men imprisoned in the United…

Human Rights Groups on Protest Anniversary

In the runup to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in detention and subsequent protests, prominent human rights groups condemned Iran’s crackdown on protesters and repressive policies. “The international community must pursue pathways for justice at the international level to address systemic…

U.S. on Protest Anniversary

On September 15, President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged support to Iranians defending human rights on the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police detention for alleged “improper” hijab. The following are statements by Biden and Blinken.  …

U.S. Sanctions on Anniversary of Amini Protests

On September 15, the United States sanctioned 29 security officials, government contractors, media executives, and news organizations for Iran’s crackdown on protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini’s death in detention in September 2022. The designations, which marked the one-year anniversary of…

Experts on State of Iran’s Protests

On September 12, four experts assessed the impact of the protest movement in Iran one year later. They also explored the state of Iranian politics, including the simmering internal flashpoints as well as the government’s response. The experts also analyzed Iran’s problems with the outside world,…

News Digest: Week of September 11

Updated: September 15, 2023
September 11 International: Israel “would have to act” if Iran enriched uranium above 60 percent, just below the weapons-grade level of 90 percent, Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi vowed. “There would not be any choice,” he added, as such an escalation would indicate that “we have…

PHOTO GALLERY: The Hijab Protests

Women across Iran challenged the government by refusing to wear the mandatory headscarf during the year after nationwide protests erupted in September 2022. For months, women and girls removed and burned their headscarves in outrage over Mahsa Amini’s death in detention for “improper hijab.” The…

News Digest: Week of September 4

Updated: September 11, 2023
September 4 Nuclear: Iran slowed uranium enrichment to 60 percent, according to the IAEA. It enriched 7.5 kilograms (16.5 pounds) of uranium to 60 percent between June and August 2023. In the first half of 2023, Tehran enriched more than 50 kilograms of uranium to near weapons-grade. The IAEA…

News Digest: Week of August 28

Updated: September 5, 2023
August 28 Domestic: Pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi was detained by police for criticizing the mandatory hijab ban in his song “Roosarito”, Farsi for “Your Headscarf.” The song encouraged women to remove their headscarves and featured the slogan “Woman, life, freedom,” often chanted by protesters. “Don’t…

Female Protests in Iran: One Year Later

What is the status of the protest movement as Iran nears Sept. 16, 2023, the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody?  Street protests largely subsided by early 2023. As people returned to their everyday lives, a degree of surface normalcy was restored. But as the…

Female Protests in Iran: Tools of Resistance

Many Iranian women have opposed the Islamic dress code since it was made mandatory in 1981. Why did the issue reach an inflection point in 2022?   The killing of Mahsa Jina Amini while in state custody in September 2022 reverberated throughout Iran. At age 22, the young woman embodied the nation's…

News Digest: Week of August 21

August 21  International: The U.S. Defense Department rejected Tehran’s claim that the Iranian Navy had intercepted U.S. Navy vessels, based on edited footage. “That report is not true,” said Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh. “So I don’t know where that’s coming from, but we’ve seen…

Iran to Join the BRICS Alliance

On August 24, Iran and five other countries – Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – were invited to join the BRICS bloc of emerging economies. The announcement was a diplomatic win for Iran, which has been isolated for its crackdown on protesters, nuclear advances…

News Digest: Week of August 14

Updated: August 21, 2023
August 14 Diplomatic: Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will visit Saudi Arabia “in the near future,” the foreign ministry announced. Spokesman Nasser Kanani did not provide a specific date but said that “the relations between the two countries are progressing step by step” since they…

Shooting at Shiraz Shrine

On Aug. 13, 2023, a gunman killed one person and injured eight others at the Shahcheragh shrine in Shiraz, Fars province. Security forces and shrine workers reportedly detained the assailant, Tajik national Rahmatollah Nowruzof. An injured member of the security forces died at the hospital two days…

News Digest: Week of August 7

August 7 Domestic: Iran opened candidate registration for the March 2024 parliamentary elections. They were the first national elections since protests rocked the country in 2022. Candidates for the 290-seat parliament could register online.   Military: More than 3,000 American military personnel…

U.S. and Iran Reach Agreement on Prisoners

Updated: September 12, 2023
On Aug. 10, 2023, Iran released four Americans to house arrest as part of a reported prisoner deal with the United States. The terms involved Iran's release of five Americans. In return, the United States reportedly agreed to unfreeze some $6 billion of Iranian assets held in South Korean banks and…

U.S. Deploys Marines & Warships to Deter Iran

On July 20, 2023, the United States announced the deployment of some 3,000 sailors and Marines with three naval ships to the Middle East in response to Iranian threats to international commercial shipping. The announcement followed the deployment of a guided-missile destroyer, as well as F-35 and F…

News Digest: Week of July 31

Updated: August 7, 2023
July 31 International: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that Iran would “never hold talks with the U.S. on the basis of trust” and would only enter negotiations “to fulfill the country’s national interests.” At a press conference, Kanaani added, “we are making efforts to have the…

News Digest: Week of July 24

Updated: July 31, 2023
July 24  Domestic: Authorities closed a Tehran office of Digikala, Iran’s largest e-commerce site, after the company published pictures of female employees without hijab at a company gathering. Iran’s judiciary announced that legal proceeds would begin soon.  Security: Iran’s Intelligence…

Amnesty International: Iran’s Hijab Enforcement

Iran has doubled down on hijab enforcement and policing women since protests erupted in fall 2022, Amnesty International reported on July 26, 2023. Demonstrations had lulled by early 2023. But between April and July, “authorities…waged an intensified nationwide crackdown on women and girls who…