Latest news with #Kurdish-Iranian
Shafaq News
13-08-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq-Iran memorandum: Tighten border control and address opposition groups
Shafaq News – Baghdad A senior Iraqi security source revealed on Wednesday details of a newly signed security memorandum between Iraq and Iran, which evolved from a previous security record into a formal memorandum of understanding. The source told Shafaq News that the memorandum addresses the presence of Iranian opposition groups in northern Iraq. These groups, mainly Kurdish-Iranian factions such as the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) and Komala, have operated for decades from bases in the Kurdistan Region near the Iranian border. Tehran regards them as armed insurgents, while they describe themselves as political movements opposing Iran's government. The agreement, according to the source, also seeks to prevent the emergence of armed formations similar to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant group active along Iraq's northern borders with Turkiye. It further outlines mechanisms for intelligence sharing, coordinated patrols, and increased joint monitoring in designated border sectors. These measures aim to curb armed activities that could threaten security and stability, particularly in remote highland areas where Iraqi, Iranian, and Kurdish territories converge. On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani oversaw the signing of the memorandum with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, during his visit to Baghdad. The US Department of State voiced opposition to the memorandum, saying Washington rejects any arrangement that runs counter to its objectives or undermines efforts to strengthen Iraq's existing security institutions. Baghdad denounced the US stance, stressing that it is not subordinate to the policies of any other state and that its decisions are guided solely by its 'independent national will.'
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Business Standard
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Iran's grieving mothers' ties have been a political force to reckon with
An interesting aspect of the rebellion in Iran is the power of mourning mothers. Since the 1980s, kinship among grieving mothers has been a driver of political engagement Listen to This Article In September 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian tourist in Tehran, Jîna Mahsa Amini, was arrested by the morality police for wearing her veil loosely. She died in a hospital a few days later from a brain haemorrhage. The killing of Jina Amini led to an uprising that reverberated with the words 'Woman, life, freedom'— a slogan of the revolutionary women from the marginalised lands of Kurdistan — across Iran as women took to the streets to burn their veils in protest against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In Woman! Life! Freedom! Echoes of A Revolutionary Uprising in Iran, translated from the
The Wire
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Israel Strikes Iran Again: UN Nuclear Body Says Two Centrifuge Production Facilities Hit
Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025. Photo: AP/PTI Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute Now Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday (June 18) refused to heed US President Donald Trump's call for an unconditional surrender. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public remarks since Friday in a statement that was read live on Iranian TV by a presenter. 'Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,' the statement on Wednesday said. 'The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,' it added. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists (HRA) said that Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded another 1,326 since hostilities escalated last week. The human rights group said it identified 239 of those killed as civilians and 126 as security personnel. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls from the conflict. The most recent number cited by a Health Ministry spokesperson was 224 deaths, announced early on Monday. HRA cited nongovernmental sources in its report. The organization previously compiled detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was arrested by Iran's 'morality police' in September of that year. Her death in custody sparked months of anti-government protests across Iran. Two centrifuge production facilities struck in Iran: IAEA The UN's nuclear watchdog said it had information that two facilities in Iran that made centrifuge parts have been hit. The International Atomic Energy Agency said: 'The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, were hit.' The agency added that both sites had previously been under IAEA monitoring. 'At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured,' the IAEA wrote on X. Centrifuges are machines used in enriching uranium, a process necessary for nuclear power and also nuclear weapons development. Iran's UN ambassador warns of response 'without restraint' to Israeli strikes Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, said the country would 'respond strongly' to Israel's 'aggression' as well as to the United States, should it join the hostilities. 'We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land,' he told reporters in Geneva. 'We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint.' Bahreini accused the United States of being 'complicit in what Israel is doing.' 'We have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States,' he said Bahreini also said Israeli strikes on nuclear sites were an act of 'war against humanity.' 'The deliberate targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities not only constitutes a grave violation of international law and UN Charter but also risks exposition of all people in our neighbourhood to possible hazardous leak,' he said. 'This is not an act of war against our country,' he said. 'It is war against humanity.' Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Israel and the United States accuse Iran of working toward a nuclear weapon. The comments come as thousands flee Tehran and other major cities as Israel and Iran continuing launching strikes on one another. US President Donald Trump has called for Tehran's unconditional surrender. These updates first appeared on DW. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Who is Iranian rapper Tataloo, a former President Ebrahim Raisi endorser who now faces death sentence
Iranian singer-cum-rapper Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, popularly known as Tataloo, is facing death sentence after being convicted on charges of blasphemy and 'insulting Islamic sanctities'. Tataloo, who once supported a hard-line Iranian presidential candidate, now stands out against the gray prison uniform. The court sentenced him to the death penalty in May after he was found guilty of blasphemy in January this year. The 37-year-old rapper's songs reverberated with the Islamic Republic's youth at a time when the opposition to the country's government was splintered and largely remained leaderless. His music became popular as it challenged Iran's theocracy and the hierarchy of the system. In a major turn of events in 2022, the Iranian rapper's lyrics became more political after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini and the subsequent wave of nationwide protests. Amini was detained and died in state custody of Iran in relation to state-imposed religious dress in September 2022. Tataloo also appeared in videos that criticised the government. Tataloo started his music career in 2003. He is known for combining rap, pop, rhythm-and-blues and rock with Farsi lyrics. He comes from the underground genre and released his first album in 2011 which reportedly polarized the audiences. However, Tataloo never played publicly in Iran, where all the concerts are controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Tataloo appeared in a 2015 music video which supported Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic, which has concerned the West for years that it could lead to Iran developing atom bombs. In the video for 'Energy Hasteei,' or 'Nuclear Energy,' Tataloo sang 'This is our absolute right: To have an armed Persian Gulf.' He endorsed hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi in 2017 and sat with him for a television appearance as part of Raisi's failed presidential campaign against Hassan Rouhani. Raisi later became the president in 2021 but was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024. Tataloo faced legal issues in Iran in 2018 and was allowed to leave the country for Turkey, where many Persian singers and artists performed lucrative stage concerts. T he singer started hosting several live video sessions on social media and became an instant rage among the youth, along with his tattoos covering his face and body. Among the tattoos he boasted, one was an Iranian flag and another image of his mother next to a key and heart. In 2020, Instagram deactivated his account after he called for underage girls to join his 'team' for sex. The Iranian singer even acknowledged taking drugs. Tataloo's long run in music came to a halt in late 2023 when his passport expired and he was deported from Turkey. Upon his arrival in Iran, the singer was immediately taken into custody. The Iranian Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in May this year.
The Courier
20-05-2025
- The Courier
Shopkeeper sexually assaulted schoolgirl, 13, who tried to buy vape in Montrose
A shopkeeper who sexually assaulted a schoolgirl when she tried to buy a vape from him in Montrose has been placed on the sex offenders register. Salman Hssainni denied sexually assaulting and communicating indecently with the 13-year-old when she tried to buy the e-cigarette. Hssainni was working alone at the Dobry Eastern European store on Montrose's High Street on July 20 last year when the girl entered. He asked to kiss her then unzipped her top. At an earlier hearing, Forfar Sheriff Court heard Hssainni was a Kurdish-Iranian asylum seeker who lived in Angus at the time and is now residing in Glasgow. The 29-year-old stood trial, aided in the dock by an interpreter, was found guilty and placed on the sex offenders register. Hssaini's victim cannot be identified for legal reasons. She told the trial she had been with friends but went into the shop alone to purchase a vape for one of the group. 'I saw just the one male behind the counter, just sat there on their phone. 'I asked for the vape. He responded, asking to kiss me. I said: 'no, I've got a boyfriend'. 'He was like: 'Aw, your boyfriend won't find out'. 'I asked for the vape again. He started grabbing my face. 'He tried to unzip my cardi. I had nothing underneath but a bra. 'He was pointing to… my chest, my neck, just everywhere on my body, asking if he could kiss me there. 'He just kept on asking. I told him I had to get a train home. The girl continued: 'He put the vape on the counter. He was like: 'Please can I kiss you?' 'He was teasing me with my change, he was putting it in my hand and taking it out my hand. 'When he was asking to kiss me, he was pulling me forward. 'He was holding my cardi and pulling me. He was also holding my chin and pulling me closer. 'I was pulling away, leaning backwards. 'I sprinted out. I wanted to get away from the shop. I regretted going in. 'I didn't know what was going to happen to me.' The girl phoned her father and friends later entered the shop to challenge Hssainni. When police attended the next day, they were advised the CCTV cameras were 'preventative measures' rather than recording kit. The court also heard from two of the girl's friends. Hssainni, who is not the owner of the shop, denied the incident had taken place and claimed he simply refused to sell the vape to her. He told the court the girl was 'arguing and pleading' for the e-cigarette. The girl's cardigan was examined by police but no DNA was recovered from it. Sheriff Mark Thorley convicted Hssainni of two charges. He found, for sexual gratification or humiliating, distressing or alarming the 13-year-old, Hssainni directed sexual verbal communications at her and repeatedly uttered sexual remarks to her. The sheriff also found Hssainni guilty of sexually assaulting the teen and seizing her on the head, attempting to pull her towards him and repeatedly attempting to remove her upper clothing. He told Hssainni: 'I found the evidence of the young women here compelling and I accept their evidence as being both credible and reliable.' Sentencing was deferred until June 26 for the court to obtain background reports.
