Published by New Arab

Fifty days.

That’s what’s left of Donald Trump’s term as president of the United States. The “lame duck” period can make for political drama as leaders attempt to put the final marks on their legacy. Most attempt to achieve something positive.

In 2001, Bill Clinton tried in vain to fast-track a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians in the last days of his presidency. But Trump being who he is, most of us are worried about the disasters he may cause. Chief among these is confrontation with Iran.

Fakhrizadeh’s assassination throws Biden’s Iran policy into the spotlight

Published by IranWire

Published by IranWire

Published by NBC News

I was happy for two reasons when I heard earlier this week that Israeli actress Gal Gadot had been tapped to play Cleopatra in her latest Hollywood incarnation. First, she’s a star who could help popularize the legendary queen in a rare female-directed blockbuster. Second, like myself and Cleopatra, she’s from the Middle East. I celebrated this fact with my partner, a fellow Middle Easterner from Lebanon and Turkey, who was excited in the same spirit of regional solidarity.

But we knew controversy was soon to follow given the demands of the current social climate that roles only be played by a person of the same ethnicity as the character. In this case, though, claims that the casting was another example of “whitewashing” had an amusing side to them, since no one seemed to agree on what exactly the acceptable ethnic origin for the actress playing Cleopatra is: North African, African, Arab and Egyptian were suggested. In other words, anybody from the region except Jewish Israelis. Gal Gadot as Cleopatra in new movie about Egyptian queen is causing misplaced outrage

Published by IranWire

Few events in modern Iranian history are as well-known as the 1953 coup d’état in which Britain and the United States helped bring down the nationalist government of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran.

Most historians have by now reached a consensus over the basic facts of the coup. It was planned by the American and British intelligence agencies and was carried out by an alliance of Iranian military commanders and clerics. But almost 70 years later, new details continue to surface. Just three years ago, for instance, the US finally declassified decades-old material shedding light on Britain’s pivotal role in propelling and planning the operation.

1953 Coup Film Withdrawn Amid Controversy Over False Claim

Published by IranWire

More than 100 Iranians from around the world have penned a letter to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, expressing concern about an upcoming deal between Iran and China which they say will erode Iranian sovereignty. The co-signatories are a remarkable group of luminaries from all walks of life: artists, former cabinet ministers, scholars and journalists.

Among them are scholars such as philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo, political scientist Mehrzad Boroujerdi and historians Touraj Atabaki, Mohamad Tavakolli-Targhi and Camron Amin, the president of the Association of Iranian Studies. There are Ebi and Dariush, easily the two best-known contemporary Iranian pop singers, joined by comedian Maz Jobrani and Oscar-nominated actor Shohreh Aghdashloo. There are several former cabinet ministers in their ranks, including the veteran women’s rights activist Mahnaz Afkhami, who served as a minister without portfolio in charge of women’s affairs from 1975 to 1978, alongside feminist campaigners of more recent years such as Mehrangiz Kar. Politicians of Iranian origin in other countries have also signed, most prominently Ali Ehsassi, a sitting Canadian MP.

Iranian Luminaries Join Forces to Say No to China Deal

Published by IranWire

When Mohammad Taha Zanjani, a third-grade student in Iran, came home and showed his father the textbooks for his new school year, his father soon became livid. A quick check confirmed the rumors that had been swirling online. There was a major change in the design of a third-grade math textbook: all the depictions of girls had been removed from the cover. Previously, the cover to the textbook had shown five kids playing under a tree, including two girls, donning the Islamic veil and playing separately from the boys. In the new edition, the girls had simply been taken out. Now there were only three boys.

Mohammad’s father, Mohsen Bayat Zanjani, is the son of Ayatollah Zanjani, an influential cleric in the holy city of Qom and a former deputy speaker of the parliament. His response shows that the zealotry displayed by Iran’s Islamic Republic now enrages not only the secular-leaning sections of the population, but many of the devout. The livid father took to Twitter to complain.

Outrage After Iran Erases Girls from a Math Textbook Cover