News in Brief
Iran slams Germany’s meddling
IRNA – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Thursday urged Germany to stop “encouraging terrorists” and “spreading terrorism” after the European country reacted to a death sentence against Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German national who led the U.S.-based Tondar terrorist group that was responsible for major deadly attacks in Iran over the past years.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called the Iranian Supreme Court’s verdict “completely unacceptable” and demanded that Iran reverse the ruling.
U.S. sanctions Iran’s IRGC, Russia’s FSB
AFP – The United States added new sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Russia’s FSB intelligence agency Thursday for allegedly taking “hostage” Americans like the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrested in Russia last month.
At least three U.S. citizens are being held in Iranian prisons including businessman Siamak Namazi, held in Tehran’s Evin prison since 2015 on spying charges.
The U.S. Treasury also placed sanctions on four top officials of the IRGC intelligence body.
Jewish outlet convicted over anti-Iran claim
IRNA – The UK-based pro-Israel weekly newspaper Jewish Chronicle has been convicted by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) of spreading anti-Iran falsehoods.
IPSO judged the Jewish Chronicle’s November 2022 offending claim that Iran “has repeatedly vowed to wipe … Jews off the face of the Earth” as unsupported by the information, ordering the outlet to publish a full correction in both print and online.