Singer Mehdi Yarrahi has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison and 74 lashes for a song he released critical of Iran's law requiring women to cover their heads.
Since Kurdish-Iranian woman Roya Heshmati was lashed 74 times for an alleged hijab violation, her case has led to widespread condemnation in Iran and abroad and left her defending herself against attempts to smear her name.
An Iranian-German citizen imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin prison has been released on a furlough, though she has to wear an electronic ankle bracelet that her daughter said makes the situation more like house arrest.
Iran keeps its struggling economy afloat with the help of a "dark fleet" that ferries illegal oil shipments to China. But the clandestine trade comes with huge risks, leaving Tehran vulnerable to wildly fluctuating oil prices, Chinese demand, and ongoing international sanctions.
A bombing attack in Iran claimed by the Islamic State extremist group has killed 91 people, state media said on January 6, raising an earlier toll after two victims died of their wounds.