Published by the National If you hear of Iranian police forcibly bringing an end to a hijab-related rally in front of the parliament, you might imagine this was a classic case of the Islamic Republic… Why did Iran crack down on a pro-hijab rally?
Published in Al Majalla Although Iran and the US are not directly talking to each other, indirect talks have been ongoing. Earlier this month, Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to the Iranian leadership. It was delivered… Iran’s coming concessions to Trump
Published in the National With a reputation for making dramatic pronouncements, Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation as Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs earlier this month – his second in seven months – didn’t raise many eyebrows. One… Iran’s reformists have a lot to feel despondent about
Published by the Atlantic For President Donald Trump, last month’s spat at the White House with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was “great television.” To the rest of us, it was a horrifying realization of our… A Battle for the Soul of the West
Published by the Atlantic Sadegh Zibakalam is in trouble again. The retired 76-year-old professor of political science was already serving an 18-month sentence for criticizing the Iranian regime. He came out on medical furlough—only for… The Iranian Dissident Asking Simple Questions
Published in the National Getting an Oscar nomination is quite rare for countries outside the US and Europe. So, it’s a testament to the power of Iranian cinema that this year two films from the… The Oscars give a window into the depth of Iranian cinema
Published in the Atlantic The Iranian regime spent decades building the Axis of Resistance, a coalition of anti-Western militias that extended Tehran’s influence deep into the Arab world. But what takes years to build can… The Axis of Resistance Keeps Getting Smaller
Published in the National The list of grievances Iranians hold against their security forces is so long that it’s hard to predict which ones could lead to protests at any given moment. A recent impetus… A student’s murder in Tehran should remind Iran’s leaders they have enough trouble at home
Published in Majalla US President Donald Trump has long had a consistent position on Iran: He doesn’t want to change the country’s rulers, but he does want to change their behaviour, chiefly to stop them from getting… Trump’s game of hardball with Iran
Published by the National The acronym FATF probably doesn’t mean much to most people around the world. It refers to the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based intergovernmental organisation seeking to tackle money-laundering and financing of… For Trump, the debate in Iran around tackling financial crimes presents an opening