Iran

Three lonely souls in Tehran search for love in this interesting, downbeat comedy drama from writer-director Ali Jabernansari. Part portrait of alienation in Iran, part examination of modern dating, its characters suffer as much from their own human frailties as they do from the oppressive politics of Iran’s theocratic regime. There are echoes here of Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi, and something, too, of the bittersweet air of an American indie pic hangs over it. Forough Ghajabagli injects genuine sympathy into the sad-sacky role of Mina, a receptionist at a beauty clinic, unhappy with her weight and smouldering with bitterness. In her spare time, Mina anonymously stalks hot guys who come to the clinic (for laser hair removal mostly), messaging them with fake photos, pretending to be a model-beautiful woman called Sara. In a second, interwoven strand, Amir Hessam Bakhtiari plays an untalkative ex-bodybuilding champion called Hessam, a man with legs the size of a mature oak … [Read more...] about Tehran: City of Love review – the rocky road to romance in Iran

Defeating ISIS was one of Donald Trump’s main campaign pledges during the 2016 election race. At the time, the terror group was America’s public enemy No1 - marauding around the Middle East with apparent impunity, killing US forces and committing despicable atrocities like burning pilots alive in cages and throwing gay people off roofs. Candidate Trump repeatedly vowed to ‘bomb the hell’ out of ISIS and beat them into submission. His words resonated powerfully around the world, especially in countries like Britain and France where ISIS were carrying out appalling acts of violence on civilians. And to a large extent, President Trump kept his word. Candidate Trump repeatedly vowed to ‘bomb the hell’ out of ISIS and beat them into submission. To a large extent, President Trump kept his word. Trump is pictured October 12 in Washington DC Three days after Trump had announced the US would be pulling its small number of troops from northeast Syria, … [Read more...] about PIERS MORGAN: Congratulations, Mr President – the real winners from your dumb and dangerous betrayal of the heroic Kurds are Iran, Russia and ISIS!

A major Turkish bank has been criminally charged with taking part in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran. The charges against Halkbank, whose majority shareholder is the government of Turkey, were announced on Tuesday by federal authorities in New York.   The indictment against the bank comes after one of its former executives, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, was found guilty and sentenced to prison after a trial in Manhattan federal court last year. Halkbank is accused of fraud, money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. Prosecutors say senior bank officials designed and carried out the scheme to move billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenue illegally.  The charges against Halkbank, whose majority shareholder is the government of Turkey, were announced on Tuesday by federal authorities in New York The alleged scheme, which ran between 2012 and 2016, allowed Iran to spend proceeds from sales of its oil and gas on … [Read more...] about Turkish bank Halkbank is charged with taking part in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in September, officials have claimed.  The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran's ability to spread 'propaganda.' One insider said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide any further details. Both Washington and Riyadh believe Tehran was to blame for the drone attacks on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais on September 14. Workers are seen at the damaged site of Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq in September The cyber operation highlights how Donald Trump's administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiraling into a broader conflict. The strike appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran's … [Read more...] about U.S. carried out secret cyber strike on Iran in wake of Saudi oil attack to crack down on Tehran’s ‘propaganda’

Middle East 14 October 2019 Share this with Facebook Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with WhatsApp Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter Share Share this with These are external links and will open in a new window Email Share this with Email Facebook Share this with Facebook Messenger Share this with Messenger Messenger Share this with Messenger Twitter Share this with Twitter Pinterest Share this with Pinterest WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp LinkedIn Share this with LinkedIn Copy this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-50045089 Read more about sharing. These are external links and will open in a new window Close share panel Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has arrested an exiled journalist for allegedly using a messaging app to … [Read more...] about Ruhollah Zam: Iran ‘arrests exiled journalist’ for fanning unrest