By Edward Carney

On Wednesday, the United States continued the process of backing up its earlier conclusion regarding Iranian culpability for attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The attacks allegedly involved the detonation of limpet minds attached to the hulls of the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous last Thursday. This was the assessment of the US military even though at least one sailor on one of the affected ships reported seeing a flying object strike the hull before the crew fled from fires and the danger of further explosions.

By Edward Carney

On Friday, the Trump administration elaborated on its allegation that Iranian forces were behind the previous day’s attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, while Iran continued to deny responsibility. Meanwhile, various third-parties have expressed concern over the potential for this situation to spiral into more direct confrontation between the two countries. But the Trump administration has insisted that its recent military deployments in the region were intended only for deterrence, and the White House may strive to use the latest attacks as grounds for pursuing broader international support for further such actions, possibly including the shadowing of commercial vessels passing through the Persian Gulf.

By Edward Carney

On Tuesday, the US State Department released a statement responding to the Iranian government’s release of Nizar Zakka, one of several persons with US citizenship or close ties to the West who have been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms in recent years. The statement praised the decision but also included demands for similar action on the other detainees. The department expressed hope that Zakka’s release could be a sign of more general progress, although the veracity of that conclusion has yet to be determined.

By Mahmoud Hakamian

Tens of thousands of people in Western Iran, who were evacuated from their homes due to floods, are being forced to shelter in the open air, subjected to cold and wet weather, without food or warm clothes.

Hamidreza Kazemi, the member of the Iranian parliament, said that many people “have spent two nights in the open, having fled to the mountains and have nothing”. He also noted that 60 villages in Lorestan are under floodwater, alongside half of Pol-e-Dokhtar and Mamoolan.

By INU Staff

INU- It was reported on Thursday that Iranian authorities are supposedly planning the release of thousands of prisoners, as part of the ongoing commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s founding. Although some reports indicate that the number may run as high as 50,000, Iranian state media has been vague about the extent of the clemency gesture. Even less clear is the nature of the offenses for which sentences will be vacated or commuted. But statements from relevant officials suggest that the judiciary’s move will not be focused on political prisoners and that even if such persons are among those released, the regime will not acknowledge the political nature of their arrests.

The people of Iran have spent 12 months protesting and holding anti-government demonstrations because of the regime’s corruption that is behind the deterioration of their lives, the country’s economy and the environmental issues the country is struggling with.