Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians were voting for a new parliament Friday, with turnout seen as a key measure of support for Iran’s leadership as sanctions weigh on the economy and isolate the country diplomatically.

The disqualification of some 9,000 potential candidates, most of them reformists and moderates, raised the possibility of lower-than-usual turnout.

20 February 2020; AFP: Anti-headscarf campaigner Shaparak Shajarizadeh once believed in the potential for change in Iran but is now so despondent she is calling for a boycott of Friday's parliamentary elections in the Islamic Republic.

Shajarizadeh became a dissident in 2018 when she was arrested for repeatedly removing her headscarf in public and waving it on the end of a stick, as part of a women's rights protest that caused a social media storm.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 58 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections scheduled for Friday, the head of the election headquarters said Wednesday.

"A total of 57,918,000 Iranians are eligible to vote in the upcoming election, of whom 28.8 million are women," Jamal Orf said at a press conference.

And 2.9 million are potential first-time voters, he added.

Only those aged 18 and over are eligible to vote in Iran since January 2007.

TEHRAN, Feb 19 (NNN-IRNA) – An Iranian official, said that, Iran may enact punitive measures against Samsung, after the company decided to impose restrictions on Iranian users, Press TV reported.

Iran could refuse the entry of Samsung executives and staff and even impose a partial ban on the registry of Samsung mobile phones on the Iranian mobile phone network, said Mohammad Jafar Na’nakar, who heads the legal department at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for a high turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections to disappoint the United States.

"Elections neutralize many of the evil intentions that the Americans and the Zionists (Israelis) have in mind against Iran," Khamenei said.

"These elections are the response to the chicanery and deception of Iran's enemies," he said, according to Press TV.

Iranian people will go to the ballot boxes on Friday to vote for lawmakers for the 290-seat parliament.

BEIRUT, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) – Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, said Monday that, his country is ready to help Lebanon in all fields, amid an absence of support by the international community, local Al Manar TV channel reported.

“We discussed today (yesterday), with Lebanese officials, the potential of offering support to Lebanon’s industry, economy and agriculture,” Larijani said, during a press conference held at the Iranian embassy in Lebanon.

Larijani added that, Lebanon can benefit from Iran’s expertise in the power, medical and educational sectors.

17 Feb 2020; MEMO: Senior officials in Iran and Iraq have decided to establish a joint committee to prosecute the US officials involved in the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iranian IRNA Agency reported.

IRNA revealed that the decision came during a meeting held on Sunday between the Iranian deputy justice minister for human rights and international affairs, Mahmoud Abbasi, with the Iraqi deputy prosecutor, Dhari Jaber Farhood and director of human rights and international cooperation of the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, Kamel Amin Hashim.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that he doesn’t believe the U.S. will pursue war with his country, because it will harm President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.

Rouhani said that Trump knows that war with Iran will “ruin” his chances of winning the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The Iranian leader added that war would be harmful to U.S. interests and those of its regional allies, as well as Iran.

“I think the Americans aren’t after war since they know what harm it could do them,” said Rouhani in a news conference.

TEHERAN, February 16. /TASS/: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on Turkey to abide by the agreements reached during talks with the Russian side in Sochi.

"The Sochi process has a huge significance. It should not be abandoned," he said on Sunday. "I hope we will be able to continue work with Turkey within the Astana process."

DUBAI, Feb 16 (NNN-STATE TV) – Iran’s week-long parliamentary election campaign started on Thursday, a vote seen as a popularity test for the clerical establishment, at a time when relations with Washington are at their worst, since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The Guardian Council, which must approve candidates, rejected around 6,850 moderate or conservative hopefuls, in favour of hardliners from among the 14,000 applicants seeking to contest the Feb 21 vote.

The 7,150 candidates who are running for parliamentary elections have started campaigning on Thursday.