(2020-03-31). Iran-Turkey gas pipeline stops functioning after 'terrorist' attack — gas company official (VIDEO). rt.com 
A senior official with Iran's state gas company has alleged that terrorists were behind an explosion and massive fire on the pipeline transporting natural gas from the Islamic Republic to Turkey. | "This morning, terrorists attacked a natural gas pipeline inside Turkey near Iran's Bazargan border with Turkey," National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Dispatching Director Mehdi Jamshidi Dana said on Tuesday, as cited by Reuters. | The official told IRNA that fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a guerilla group active in eastern Turkey, have attacked the pipeline in the past. NIGC spokesperson Mohammad…
(2020-03-31). France, Germany & Britain send medical goods to Iran, test new trade mechanism. rt.com 
Germany, France and Britain have exported medical goods to Iran in the first transaction conducted under a new trade mechanism, Instex, Berlin said on Tuesday. The mechanism was set up to facilitate trade in humanitarian goods and food after the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. | The German Foreign Ministry said the medical goods were now in Iran, adding that the trade mechanism and Tehran would now work on more transactions and on enhancing the system. | The three European states said earlier this month they had offered a $5.5 million package to Iran to help fight coronavirus there and are also sendi…
(2020-03-31). Trump's Chernobyl Moment: the US May Lose Its Status as World Superpower and Not Recover. counterpunch.org The US may be reaching its "Chernobyl moment" as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. As with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in 1986, a cataclysm is exposing systemic failings that have already weakened US hegemony in the world. Whatever the outcome of the pandemic, nobody is today looking to
(2020-03-31). #EndCOVIDSanctions Coalition Applauds Members of Congress for Call to Suspend Iran Sanctions. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-31). Iran to Restore Pipeline Gas Deliveries to Turkey in Coming Days – Company. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Pipeline gas deliveries from Iran to Turkey will be restored in the coming days after an explosion on the pipeline, National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said on Tuesday.
(2020-03-31). 'Pandemics Know No Borders': Democrats Call on Trump Admin to Suspend Sanctions on Iran During Coronavirus Outbreak. commondreams.org "We need to cancel all economic sanctions during this crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/iran_8.jpg …
(2020-03-31). World Suffering Less from Coronavirus Crisis & More from an America Crisis. iranian.com In his 1948 classic novel "The Plague," which tells the story of the fictional outbreak of a rat-borne plague in the Algerian port city of Oran under French colonialism, French writer and thinker Albert Camus explores the way the plague and ensuing crisis taps into the very best and worst of the human condition. The current …
(2020-03-31). Blast Halts Iran's Gas Exports to Turkey. iranian.com Iran's natural gas exports to Turkey have stopped following an explosion on a pipeline near their joint border, an official at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said on Tuesday. "The explosion occurred near the Iranian border, causing gas to be halted from 6: 50 (0320 GMT) this morning," Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana said, Press TV reported. The …
(2020-03-31). Official: Many EU states back Iran's $5b loan bid from IMF. iranian.com Iran's Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohammad Nahavandian said many EU states back Iran's $5b loan bid from the International Monetary Fund, adding that more serious efforts have been made for releasing country's foreign exchange reserves in other countries. Speaking in a live TV program, Nahavandian elaborated on the government's relief package to help the …
(2020-03-31). Germany confirms first INSTEX transaction. iranian.com The Federal Foreign Office of Germany in a tweet confirmed the first transaction with Iran through the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) on Tuesday. The Federal Foreign Office of Germany wrote in its Twitter page, "France, Germany and the United Kingdom confirm that INSTEX has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export …
(2020-03-30). Iran's Covid-19 death toll reaches 2,757 with almost 41,500 identified cases. rt.com 
There are 41,495 Covid-19 cases in Iran, the country's health officials reported in the latest update. The death toll from the pandemic has reached 2,757 in the Islamic Republic, a nation hit hard by the viral disease.
(2020-03-30). 'New way of life' in Iran likely to be prolonged — President Rouhani. rt.com 
The Iranian president has warned that "the new way of life" in Iran was likely to be prolonged. The Islamic republic is one of the countries worst-hit by the virus. "We must prepare to live with this virus until a treatment or vaccine is discovered, which has not yet happened to date," Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "The new way of life we have adopted" is to everyone's benefit, he said, adding that "these changes will likely have to stay in place for some time." | After weeks of refraining from imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran decided on Wednesday to ban all intercity trav…
(2020-03-30). Pompeo behind corona? Iran's foreign ministry employs PHOTOSHOP to take a not-so-subtle jab at US sanctions (PHOTO). rt.com 
Iranian diplomats have yet again taken aim at ongoing US sanctions which are hampering the country's efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak, this time showing off decent photo-editing skills. | The image, The picture features "sanction" written in large right in the center, its letter "O" stylized as coronavirus with a tran…
(2020-03-30). Mehring Yayƒ±ncƒ±lƒ±k publishes Turkish-language edition of The struggle against imperialism and for workers' power in Iran. wsws.org First published by the WSWS in February 2018, The Struggle against Imperialism and for Workers' Power in Iran—A Reply to a Proponent of "Iranian Islamic Socialism" advances a socialist strategy for the working class in a country that has been the target of US imperialist aggression for decades.
(2020-03-30). Origins of COVID-19: Russia quizzes US on coronavirus' parentage. iranian.com All through the recent weeks since US President Donald Trump coined the epithet "China virus" to rename Coronavirus, Moscow kept a deafening silence. Finally, on Sunday, March 29, Moscow broke that silence. That the first Russian statement came at the level of the Russian foreign ministry makes this particularly significant. In an exclusive remark, a …
(2020-03-30). 'Need Our Help?' Iran's IRGC Mocks US For Now Leading World In COVID-19 Cases. iranian.com On the same day the United States leveled yet more sanctions against the Islamic Republic, blacklisting 20 Iran- and Iraq-based companies, officials and individuals for supporting terrorism, leaders in Tehran took to publicly mocking the US for now being the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday evening numbers of US confirmed cases …
(2020-03-30). In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Iranian Detainee Across the Country Nine Times. iranian.com Less than two weeks ago, the Trump administration urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Major airlines slashed their routes. All the while, Sirous Asgari took nine different flights around the country. None of them was by choice. Asgari bounced around on chartered jets from Louisiana to Texas to …
(2020-03-30). Photos: Tehran In Silence As It Fights COVID-19. iranian.com The Iranian authorities announced the launch of a one-week social distancing plan amid the coronavirus epidemic across the country. Tehran residents respect the social distancing rules due to the serious outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
(2020-03-30). Iran Develops Thermal Camera to Help Identify Corona Cases. iranian.com The CEO of an Iranian knowledge-based company announced the manufacturing of a thermo-imaging machine, emphasizing that major parts of the machine are produced domestically. "We can produce the machine as much as there is need in the country", Mohsen Karegar said, adding, "We have succeeded in making the thermo-imaging machine with a group of 5 …
(2020-03-29). US forces pack up and leave Kirkuk airbase… but pulling out of Iraq still off the table. rt.com 
US and coalition troops have left an airbase in Kirkuk, Iraq, and given a million dollars-worth of equipment to Iraqi security forces. However, the full-scale withdrawal demanded by the Iraqi government has still some way to go. | With the Covid-19 pandemic grabbing headlines at home, US forces in Iraq have been engaged in a quiet retreat abroad. Despite President Donald Trump's insistence on leaving troops in Iraq following a series of clashes with Iranian-backed militias, coalition forces have withdrawn from three bases in the country this month. | The third withdrawal, from the K1 Airbase near the northern…
(2020-03-29). Cuba Reports 139 Cases of Coronavirus and 3 Deaths. telesurenglish.net Dr. José àÅngel Portal Miranda, Minister of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba, reported that on Saturday, 20 new positive cases of Covid-19 (coronavirus) were confirmed, after more than 200 diagnostic tests were performed during the day. | RELATED: | The country's situation to date is as followed: 139 cases of coronavirus, 1.34 per 100,000 inhabitants. Three deaths have been registered, leading to a…
(2020-03-29). Tehran's Milad Tower Goes Green to Honour Medical Staff Amid COVID-19 Pandemic — Video. iranian.com Most nations, even developed ones, are currently suffering from a shortage of medicines and medical supplies, with medical staff putting in long hours of overtime. Milad Tower in the Iranian capital of Tehran turns green to express gratitude, commemorate and support medical personnel and services amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though medical staff are now …
(2020-03-29). Zarif warns US to stop aiding war crimes. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message referred to the US' background of sabotage and assassinations and warned Americans to stop aiding war crimes. twitter.com/JZarif/status/1244229089772224512 "The US has gone from sabotage & assassinations to waging an economic war & #EconomicTerrorism on Iranians—to #MedicalTerror amidst #covid19iran," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday, adding: …
(2020-03-28). [Editorial] COVID-19: learning from experience. thelancet.com Over the past 2 weeks, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has marched relentlessly westward. On March 13, WHO said that Europe was now the centre of the pandemic. A few days later, deaths in Italy surpassed those in China. Iran and Spain had also reported over 1000 deaths as of March 23, and many other European countries and the USA reported increasing numbers of cases, heralding an imminent wave of fatalities. Following the sweep of COVID-19 is a series of dramatic containment measures that reflect the scale of the threat posed by the pandemic.
(2020-03-28). [Correspondence] COVID-19 cacophony: is there any orchestra conductor? thelancet.com The first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently invading the world, and several countries are now struggling to fight it or trying to delay its start to help smooth its peak size for the purpose of lowering morbidity and mortality, and thereby reduce the overall tension on their health-care system. China's first major outbreaks of COVID-19 happened in January, 2020. Then South Korea, Iran, and Italy entered into this Ravel's Bolero-like epidemic in late February and early March, 2020, and many other countries are preparing to play the same rhythmic pattern in the coming days and weeks.
(2020-03-28). [Editorial] Learning the lessons of Chernobyl: time is running out. thelancet.com Unit number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, causing radiation injuries to hundreds of people within a couple of weeks. High levels of radiation affected clean-up workers (liquidators) involved in the emergency response, more than 500‚Äà000 liquidators involved in later decontamination and containment, and the general population in the surrounding Soviet states. 116‚Äà000 people were evacuated, 220‚Äà000 were permanently relocated, and a 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the plant.
(2020-03-28). How Many Nedas? Iran Sanctions Are Biological Warfare Against Civilians. commondreams.org General view of a hospital where health officers, wearing masks and special protective suits, take care of a patient infected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a hospital in Tehran, Iran on March 02, 2020. (Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1204807196_1_0.jpg …
(2020-03-28). Trump intensifies murderous Iran sanctions during COVID-19 crisis. iranian.com As Iran struggles to contain COVID-19, the US has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health system.
(2020-03-28). Coronavirus hastens an Arab rapprochement. iranian.com The phone call by the UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday signifies in many ways a major development in regional politics. The official UAE news agency WAM modestly placed the UAE initiative "within the framework of Sheikh Mohamed's contacts to follow up the humanitarian conditions in sisterly …
(2020-03-27). Foreign Policy: Can This Pandemic Usher In A New Era? iranian.com To fight the coronavirus at home, France is removing all military forces from Iraq. When NATO scaled back its war games in Europe because of the pandemic, Russia reciprocated. Moscow announced it would cancel its war games along NATO's border. Nations seem to be recognizing and responding to the grim new geostrategic reality of March …
(2020-03-26). US Forces Return Qayyara Air Base to Iraqi Control, Withdraw From Mosul Area. iranian.com US forces in Iraq began their withdrawal from a key northern airfield on Thursday, returning Qayyara Air Base to Iraqi control. With its two 11,000-foot runways capable of handling the largest American bombers and transports, Qayyara West Airfield, about 37 miles south of Mosul, played a key role in the fight against Daesh once it …
(2020-03-26). US Propaganda: Iran Rounding Up Whistleblowers Trying To Expose Real COVID-19 Death Toll. iranian.com The State Department now seems to be leveling new accusations against Iran and China on a near-daily basis related to their role in facilitating the spread of the deadly coronavirus. On Monday Mike Pompeo issued '5 facts' detailing Iran's recklessness regarding the virus, including the charge Tehran spread it "to at least five countries," and on Wednesday …
(2020-03-26). Now Is the Time to Cancel Sanctions on Iran. iranian.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has often declared that he considers himself to be a devout evangelical Christian, and in November 2019 told the New York Times Magazine that the Bible "informs everything I do." Given that his religious convictions are based on the Bible, he is doubtless familiar with the command from Philippians 2: 4 that everyone should "look not …
(2020-03-26). Iraq: France withdraws forces in anti-ISIS coalition. iranian.com France has withdrawn its troops from Iraq, deployed as part of a U.S.-led coalition against the Daesh/ISIS terror group, according to local Iraqi media. The French forces' departure came after agreements with Baghdad, Iraq's official news agency INA quoted Abdel-Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, as saying. Khalaf did not …
(2020-03-25). Deflection: Pompeo Issues '5 Facts' Claiming Iran Exported COVID-19 To "At Least 5 Countries" iranian.com As even Britain is urging its close US ally to moderate its stance on Iran sanctions as the Mideast country's death toll surges from the coronavirus pandemic, the Washington-Tehran tit-for-tat exchanges and blame game over Covid-19 continues unabated. Yesterday Pompeo issued a new list of five allegations of how Iran's leaders have handled the outbreak. Notably, this featured the …
(2020-03-25). Nowruz: A season of renewal, and the time to get counted. iranian.com Every spring, Iranians around the globe join with family and friends to invite the coming of a New Year or Nowruz. Nowruz is the first day of spring, historically rooted in Zoroastrianism but celebrated by Iranians of all religious persuasions as well as Afghans, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, and many others. The celebrations on and …
(2020-03-25). Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty Toward Venezuela and Iran as Coronavirus Spreads. fair.org 
AP (New York Times, An Associated Press article (New York Times,
(2020-03-24). Defectors Tell of Torture and Forced Sterilization in Militant Iranian Cult. iranian.com Interviews with defectors, including several who held senior positions, offer the most detailed account to date of what life was like inside the MEK. Read the full story here.
(2020-03-20). Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal. thegrayzone.com Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
(2020-03-18). [Correspondence] COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran. thelancet.com Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. WHO declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.1 In Iran, the first official announcement of deaths from COVID-19 was made on Feb 19, 2020. As of March 16, 2020, 14‚Äà991 people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and 853 people have died from COVID-19. 4996 people have recovered.2…
(2020-03-18). [Correspondence] Future of Chernobyl research: the urgency for consolidated action. thelancet.com The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, continues to create fears and myths about its health consequences, as shown by the large response to a top-rated HBO miniseries devoted to the tragic event. Risk assessments range from recognising an increase in thyroid cancer incidence in exposed children and adolescents (becoming one of the single most established long-term health effects of the Chernobyl disaster on the general population), to claims of hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the accident.
(2020-03-13). Latest U.S. Military Strikes Are as Reckless as they are Cruel. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — March 12, 2020 — In response to reports that the U.S. has carried out five airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia sites in Iraq, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement: "At a time of one of the greatest global challenges of our lifetimes, it is shocking that the Trump …
(2020-03-11). Congress Sends Bipartisan Bill to Trump Rebuking Iran War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — March 11, 2020 — In response to the House passing the bipartisan bill — S.J.Res.68 — that would thwart President Trump from going to war with Iran and end any current hostilities, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: "Both chambers and …
(2020-02-13). Senate Reclaims War Powers to Thwart Iran War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — February 13, 2020 — In response to the Senate passing the bipartisan bill — S.J.Res.68 — that would thwart President Trump from going to war with Iran and end any current hostilities, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: "It's about time …
(2020-02-07). [Comment] Corticosteroids in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a step forward, but more evidence is needed. thelancet.com Debate continues about the potential role of corticosteroids as therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).1—3 In The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Jesús Villar and colleagues4 report the results from a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial investigating prolonged dexamethasone treatment in patients with established moderate-to-severe ARDS, which adds important new data to this debate. In this study, patients in the dexamethasone group had reduced duration of ventilation and mortality compared with those in the control group;4 the primary outcome, ventilator-free days at 28 days, w…
(2020-01-31). House Votes to Rein in Trump's Iran War Powers While Ending Endless Wars. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — January 30, 2020 — In response to two high-profile war powers votes on the House floor today, Peace Action released the following statement: "Our nation's endless wars are on autopilot, with Trump fitfully grabbing the steering wheel until his attention wanders somewhere else. Today's votes are a step toward Congress reclaiming its …