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Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech after his swearing in ceremony at the Iranian parliament in Tehran, Iran, on Aug 5, 2017.

Irans Hassan Rouhani presented anall-male line-up of cabinet ministers to parliament, drawing criticism from female supporters and fueling speculation he backtracked on a campaign pledge to avoid irking conservatives at a critical juncture in his presidency.

Rouhani nominated men to fill 17 of 18 ministerial slots in his second-term government, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, with no one yet put forward for science minister. He did include three women among a dozen vice presidents appointed on Wednesday -- mirroring their representation in his first administration -- but that failed match the rhetoric of the buildup to Mays election, when Rouhani vowed to further address the extreme gender imbalance in politics.

Right now, many members are expressing their opposition,Tayyebeh Siavashi, a reformist lawmaker who was among the 17 women elected last year to represent pro-Rouhani factions, said by phone from inside parliament after the ministerial list was submitted. Its a big question for us: Why after all our efforts and hard work do we have no women at all?

Rouhani may have been attempting to avoid a backlash from hardliners who have opposed his goals of rebuilding the economy with investment from the West, as well as easing restrictions in a heavily regulated society. They have grown ever more vocal since President Donald Trump entered the White House, swinging behind Irans regional foes and signaling he was preparing to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted most sanctions.

Two of the three women Rouhani nominated to be his deputies -- Shahindokht Molaverdi and Masoumeh Ebtekar -- were also vice presidents in his earlier term. Ebtekar will take charge of womens and family affairs, while Molaverdi, who has led efforts to strengthen laws protecting women against violence and ease those restricting their ability to travel, will serve as a special adviser on citizenship rights to the president. Rouhanis vice president for legal affairs, Laya Joneydi,is a new face.

Read: Will the U.S. Blow Up the Iran Nuclear Deal?: QuickTake Q&A.

Under pressure from the clerical leadership to deliver real economic gains for ordinary Iranians, and facing growing U.S. threats to the landmark agreement, the overall makeup of Rouhanis team suggests he was probably unwilling to push the cultural and political limits of the nations Islamic system.

The only reasonable explanation for his choices is that he tried to be very uncontroversial to avoid increased tensions so his cabinet can do some work,saidAdnan Tabatabai, chief executive officer of the Center for Applied Research in Partnership With the Orient, a think-tank based in Bonn, Germany. He can live with pressure coming from female activists.

There is no real color in the composition of the cabinet, said Tabatabai. These people are not high profile, they are not figures that would embody a certain political current.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh were reappointed on Tuesday, as was Abbas Akhoundi, the minister for roads and urban development who oversaw multibillion dollar deals with Boeing Co. and Airbus SE following the sanctions-lifting nuclear deal. The proposed ministers need to be confirmed by lawmakers, with votes beginning next week.

Rouhani, a moderate cleric, was comfortably re-elected president in May after a campaign that often highlighted increased liberties for women and their improved participation in politics and business.

Up until the last moment, serious efforts were underway to make sure there would be names on there, said Amene Shirafkan, a journalist who campaigns on womens issues and stood as a candidate in Tehrans city council elections, referring to the list. Its a rather conservative cabinet, much like Rouhani himself.

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Women did make some advances during Rouhanis first term. The oil ministry appointed its first female deputy minister to lead the petrochemicals sector, and last month state-run Iran Air announced its first woman CEO. But the president has failed to build on the breakthrough achieved by his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who gave the Islamic Republic its first female minister --Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi, who ran the health ministry during his second term.

Nominating women would have been going into uncharted territories in ways that would have distinguished his cabinet, said Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations. Perhaps it was too much of a controversial step for him to put women in such key positions. Perhaps expectations were too high.

Siavashi, the lawmaker, said Rouhanis failure to live up to his campaign vows could ultimately damage confidence in the political process.

We had an expectation that he definitely would introduce women, she said. We really dont know the reason because it cant be about expertise, Siavashi said. If its a case of women just being needed for the ballot box, well thats really upsetting.

Read more from the original source:
All-Male Iran Minister List Draws Ire After Rouhani Gender Vow - Bloomberg

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will travel to Vienna later this month to discuss Iran's nuclear activities with U.N. atomic watchdog officials, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, as part of Washington's review of Tehran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal

The official told Reuters that Haley, a member of President Donald Trump's cabinet, would meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials and the U.S. delegation in Vienna to further explore the extent of Iran's nuclear activities.

In April, Trump ordered a review of whether a suspension of sanctions on Iran related to the nuclear deal was in the U.S. national security interest. He has dubbed it "the worst deal ever negotiated."

Most U.N. and western sanctions were lifted 18 months ago under a deal Iran made with world powers to curb its nuclear program. It is still subject to a U.N. arms embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the deal.

The IAEA polices restrictions the deal placed on Iran's nuclear activities.

Under U.S. law, the State Department must notify Congress every 90 days of Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal. The next deadline is October and Trump has said he thinks by then the United States will declare Iran to be noncompliant.

The U.S. review of its policy toward Iran is also looking at Tehran's behavior in the Middle East, which Washington has said undermines U.S. interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

"Ambassador Haley has consistently voiced her and the administration's concerns about Iran's illegal missile testing and other harmful actions," said the U.S. official, who requested anonymity.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany have complained several times to the United Nations, most recently last week, about Iran's ballistic missile launches, which they contend are "in defiance" of a 2015 U.N. resolution enshrining the nuclear agreement.

Under the U.N. resolution, Iran is "called upon" to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. Critics of the deal have said the language does not make it obligatory.

The United States imposed sanctions on six subsidiaries of a company key to Iran's ballistic missile program, a day after Iran's July 27 launch of a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit.

At the time, Haley said, "The issue with Iran always comes back to mistrust. Iran's widespread support for terrorists tells us we can't trust them. Iran's breaking its obligation on missile testing tells us we can't trust them."

Last week, Trump signed into law additional sanctions on Iran, which Tehran said violate the terms of the nuclear agreement.

Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Toni Reinhold

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Exclusive: US envoy to UN will go to Vienna to review Iran nuclear activities - US official - Reuters

BBC News

Iran arrests six for Zumba dancing BBC News Iranian officials have arrested six people accused of teaching Zumba dancing and trying to "change lifestyles", media reports say. The group of four men and two women were charged over their dancing and not adhering to the hijab dress code. Instructors ... Iranian children arrested for teaching Zumba and 'western' danceThe Guardian all 2 news articles »

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Iran arrests six for Zumba dancing - BBC News

Enough is enough. For decades the world has been dealing with a hostile Iranian regime committed to radical Islam, waging war against the West and sowing the seeds of destruction through sponsorship of terrorism. It is long overdue for that behavior to stop. The unelected mullahs in Tehran need to understand that Iran cannot continue to do as it pleases without any consequences. That important message was sent in recent weeks by the U.S. military, Congress and President Trump.

Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf came close to sparking military confrontation that would have pitted the U.S. Navy against the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. An Iranian ship steered menacingly close to a U.S. vessel, ignoring radio warnings to change course. In the end, the American ship was forced to fire warning shots, ultimately defusing the situation.

This was actually the latest in a series of escalations at sea by Iran. In a stunning display of arrogance and antipathy toward the United States, Iran violated international law in 2016 by taking American soldiers captive and then airing video of the detained soldiers as propaganda.

These were positive steps that demonstrate President Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill understand the threat Iran poses to the United States and the rest of the world. Sanctioning Iran and putting Tehran on notice helps avoid an open confrontation. America does presently not seek or need a military clash with Iran.

In the meantime, Iran has found itself on the front pages of newspapers across the world for the wrong reasons and we should not let down our guard. The American public needs to be aware of what has been happening in the Middle East because of Iran and its bankrolling of terrorism and fomenting of hostilities. Keeping Iran in the spotlight is ultimately likely to prove essential for creating and maintaining stability in the Middle East and around the world.

A lot has happened worldwide since the United States agreed to the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the disastrous nuclear deal that has allowed Iran to keep its illicit atomic infrastructure and continue developing its nuclear program without adequate supervision by inspectors.

Iran has also continued apace with threatening missile tests, which are particularly alarming. The development of Irans missile program has produced an arsenal with ever-expanding abilities to strike far beyond the Middle East alone. Iran already possesses the ability to launch missiles that can hit anywhere inside Israel. In 2015, Iran unveiled a new long-range missile that has the capability to detonate across large swaths of Europe.

Given Irans history of deception, there is a very real fear that Iran could violate the JCPOA or ultimately decide to abandon it altogether, moving full throttle to make the final last leap to nuclear capability. The bellicose rhetoric that is continuously broadcast by Iran demonstrates clearly its desire for confrontation with the United States and its allies.

America in recent days has sent a clear and united message to Iran, reasserting that its destructive actions will not be tolerated. The new law targets those people working to advance Irans missiles and weapons program, and it makes it more difficult for the regime to destabilize the region.

U.S. Ambassador to the United NationsNikki HaleyNimrata (Nikki) HaleyHaley praises UN for passing North Korea sanctions Haley: I am done discussing North Korea Haley: Ivanka sees herself as part of a public servant family MORE has correctly and sharply criticized the U.N. Security Council for the disproportionate amount of negative focus on Israel while ignoring the threat of Irans Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. Haley recently reminded the U.N. Security Council that Hezbollah is the real threat to peace and security in the Middle East, not Israel, which seeks peace with its neighbors.

When it comes to Iran, America must continue to distrust and verify. The world needs to keep a close eye on Irans nuclear plants and also its hostile actions in the military arena. Congress and President Trump have shown they understand the very real threat Iran poses and must continue to be vigilant to protect the American people from enemies in Tehran who wish us harm.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide)served as an adviser and spokesman for Dr. Ben CarsonBenjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonCarson: 'I'm glad that Trump is drawing all the fire' away from me Ben Carson: Give Mueller a chance on Russia probe Carson calls poverty a state of mind MORE's 2016 presidential campaign. He is manager and sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. He's on Sirius XM126 Urban View nightly from 6:00-8:00pm EST.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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Trump and Congress must hold the radical mullahs of Iran accountable - The Hill (blog)

Tajikistan on August 8 accused Iran of backing high-profile killings in the wake of the Central Asian country's 1990s civil war, including the assassination of former parliament chairman Safarali Kenjaev in 1999.

In a 45-minute documentary broadcast on Tajik state television, the Interior Ministry claimed that Tehran was interested in fomenting civil war in Tajikistan and provided financial assistance to the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and trained militants linked to the party on Iranian soil.

According to the ministry, Iranian financial support and instructions to carry out assassinations were conveyed to IRPT militants through Khoji Halim Nazarzoda, a former deputy defense minister who was one of the Islamic opposition party's commanders in the 1990s. Nazarzoda was killed in September 2015 during an anti-coup operation near the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

A number of Tajik public figures -- Mohammad Aseemi, a professor; Yusuf Isaki, a doctor; novelist Saif Afardi; presidential political adviser Karim Yuldashev; and a former grand mufti of Tajikistan -- were killed between 1997 and 2004, as were 20 Russian officers.

In the documentary, a man who identified himself as a former Islamic opposition fighter said that he traveled to Iran in 1995 and received sabotage training along with 200 compatriots in the city of Qom. He said he returned to Tajikistan in 1997 with clear instructions to kill political and public figures.

There was no way to immediately verify the man's identity or the authenticity of his statement.

Documentaries on state TV are sometimes used in former Soviet republics to make accusations against government critics or opponents.

Iran and Russia acted as mediators in the negotiation process that ended the five-year civil war in 1997.

The documentary aired amid tensions between Tajikistan and Iran over Iranian support for the IRPT, which was represented in the Tajik parliament for 15 years after the war but was outlawed and branded a terrorist organization by the Tajik Supreme Court of in 2015.

Several IRPT leaders have been convicted and sentenced to long prison terms on charges they say are politically motivated, prompting criticism from the UN and human rights groups.

Tensions have flared between Tajikistan and Iran in the past, with Dushanbe accusing Tehran's diplomats of carrying out excessive activities in the country.

But the documentary represents the first time Dushanbe has openly accused Iran of financing and directing political killings following the civil war.

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Tajikistan Accuses Iran Of Involvement In Killings - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty