Writings

Published by IranWire British diplomat Simon Shercliff was appointed as ambassador to Iran earlier this month. He  seemed to be off to a great start: he had already spent three years in Iran, from 2000 to 2003, all the time when reformist President Mohammad Khatami was in power. Things seemed more hopeful for the country in general,…

انتشار در ایران‌وایر «آرین شریفی»، جوان ۳۰ ساله ایرانی که حدود شش سال است در تفلیس زندگی می‌کند؛ هرگز زمانی که برای اولین بار نام «پوریا نایبی» را شنید، فراموش نمی‌کند. تابستان سال ۲۰۱۵ بود و او تازه چند ماه بود که مثل خیلی ایرانی‌های دیگر به امید زندگی بهتر و فعالیت اقتصادی به جمهوری…

Published by Newlines Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, is used to giving interviews. In his almost eight years in the job, he’s spoken to hundreds of journalists from around the world, putting forward Tehran’s case, quite often in fluent English. But on Feb. 24, he sat down with the Iranian economist Saeed Leylaz for a… Zarif’s…

Published by IranWire Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif has lot on his plate these days: A deal just inked with China, scrambles for possible talks with the new administration in the United States, which could revive his signature legacy (the 2015 nuclear deal), and calls for him to run in the presidential elections in June.…

Published by IranWire The outcome of any American election has obvious consequences for many people all over the world. Few are affected more than Iranians since US presidents have often had sharply divergent policies on Iran, perhaps no shift has been more dramatic than the one that occurred last month when Joe Biden succeeded Donald…

انتشار در ایران‌وایر تغییر رئیس‌جمهور در آمریکا در چهل سال گذشته معمولا یک پیامد برای ایران داشته است:‌ تغییر رویکرد نسبت به ایران. حالا که «جو بایدن» دموکرات جای «دونالد ترامپ» جمهو‌ری‌خواه را گرفته، انتظار می‌رود، این تغییر بیش از معمول هم باشد؛ اما این تغییر را در پرتو نگاهی تاریخی چطور می‌توان دید؟ در…

Published by IranWire It began as a rumor but has now been confirmed: according to Iran’s own official media, Emad Edward Sharqi, vice-president of the holdings company and noted tech investor Sarava, was arrested while attempting to leave the country. The reports didn’t say when the arrest took place. But the rumors about it had…

Published by IranWire Growing up in the Israeli port city of Haifa, Mikhal Dekel was often asked about her parents’ background, as many Israelis are. When they asked her if her father was a Holocaust survivor, she’d say, “No, he was not. He was a Tehran Child.” For generations of Israelis, the term “Tehran Children”… Tehran…

Published by New York Times He has been dead for a month. On Dec. 12 Iranians woke up to bleak news: Their government had executed Ruhollah Zam, a 42-year-old journalist. The sentencing judge described Mr. Zam as a spy, as someone who incited violence and had “sown corruption on earth,” a vague charge which is often used… Why…

Published by Atlantic Council “Goodbye, my son; a son who was a father, a husband, a brother and a comrade; a comrade to the very end,” wrote prominent reformist cleric Mohammad Ali Zam in an Instagram post. He was the father of dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was brutally executed on December 12. In 2019, Ruhollah… Zam:…

Published by IranWire In the hands of repressive and authoritarian regimes from Hitler’s Germany to the modern-day Islamic Republic of Iran, propaganda is a powerful tool to shape the views of the populace and achieve the goals of the state. As part of The Sardari Project, Iran’s ongoing collaboration with the United States Holocaust Memorial… Four…

Published by Open Canada   Canada is home to a large and engaged Iranian diaspora. It is divided and heartbroken but can still help Ottawa chart a path forward with Tehran. A short drive north of Toronto, just above the Oak Ridges Moraine, lies the quiet and leafy suburban town of Aurora. Like most residential… Quest…

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… Fakhrizadeh’s…

Published by IranWire In 2018, Israel’s prime minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, revealed that his country’s forces had seized Iran’s nuclear archives. In an elaborate presentation, Netanyahu revealed a number of details on the military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program. He spoke of one man in particular: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. “Remember this name: Fakhrizadeh,” Netanyahu said.

Published by IranWire If anyone doubted that Holocaust denial was a central policy of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has put those doubts to rest. Take his response to the crisis that erupted in France following the October 16 beheading of Samuel Paty, a middle-school teacher who had shown his students cartoons depicting the… Khamenei’s…

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… Gal…

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… 1953…

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… Iranian…