Opposition is continuing unabated against Esfandiyar Rahim Mashaei for his controversial remarks about Islamic and Iranian ideology. On Wednesday, President Ahmadinejad threw his weight behind Rahim Mashaei despite a widespread backlash from principalists. -MNA
The Iranian deputy housing minister stated that five foreign companies have concluded contracts to build 40,000 houses in Iran. Jamshid Noorsalehi told said that the project is part of the Mehr national housing plan. -MNA
NYC is going through a miserable summer. Really just too hot to go anywhere. But I had to visit relatives in Jackson Heights and my car overheated and died. I called Lee Myles in Flushing for a full auto care service. They towed my car and replaced the radiator in a day. I highly recommend them.
Iranian Americans Alexis Latifi and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) have been profiled in The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful People 2010. Every year, The Hill, a local media outlet specializing in news from inside the Beltway, chooses 50 individuals who work on Capitol Hill – be they Senators, Representatives or staffers – deemed good looking. -NIAC
Exams that are required for students to study abroad have been reinstated in Iran after being disrupted temporarily by US and UN sanctions. The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) welcomes this news, but is concerned that this is just one example of how broad new sanctions will invariably punish innocent Iranians.
Iran finished in third place at the International Paralympic Council (IPC) World Powerlifting Championships on Friday. Egypt won the championship with 72 points, China became runner-up scoring 66 points, and Iran was third with 64 points. -MNA
Iranian opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi lashed out against accusations from hardliner, Ahmad Jannati for saying that Iranian opposition leaders were in receipt of financial support from the US.
How could a country with 10 percent of the world’s known oil reserves (No. 3 after Saudi Arabia and Canada) and 15 percent of natural-gas reserves (No. 2 after Russia) rank 101st in terms of foreign direct investment? -Reza Taghizadeh, RFE
On July 31, 2009, three Americans were arrested by Iranian forces after they purportedly strayed across the Iranian border while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan. Shane Bauer, 27; Sarah Shourd, 31; and Josh Fattal, 27, have been held in Iran ever since, without charges, and are currently in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. -RFE
More than 90 journalists have written an open letter to Tehran’s chief prosecutor expressing concern over the imprisonment of their colleague Abdolreza Tajik and demanding his release, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports.