Letter to congressional committee reportedly says cash will go to Taiwan and Lebanon instead; Democrat Chris Murphy calls for keeping back a further $235 million

Dual citizen Nahid Taghavi, 68, barely able to move, says activist Narges Mohammadi, who is incarcerated alongside her at Tehran's Evin prison

Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, 53, was convicted in 2015 of fraud, embezzlement and undermining national security, charges that he has previously denounced as 'politically motivated'

Olivier Vandecasteele, 41, has been detained in an Iranian prison for months and has been on a hunger strike; according to his family, he is suffering from serious health problems

Daughter of Nahid Taghavi says her mother didn't complete her treatment, but that she is returning to Evin Prison 'with her head held high'

After fleeing to safety in Israel, director Anna Shishova completes 'The New Greatness Case,' portraying Russian use of cyber-entrapment against youth calling for more freedom

More detainees expected to be released ahead of next week's holiday, but thousands more likely to remain locked up on charges like spreading 'false news'

A slew of recent allegations concerning high-profile detainees and claims disseminated on social media have amplified anxiety about treatment of prisoners in the Islamic Republic

Autocratic regimes still in power, cracking down on dissent in Egypt and Syria, where thousands have died in custody and more harbor scant hopes of freedom

FM Zarif says he hopes to hear 'good news' soon, as Tehran angles for deal with Washington despite recent tensions