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Four Decades of Propaganda in the Islamic Republic of Iran
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…
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Quest for justice
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…
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Fakhrizadeh’s assassination throws Biden’s Iran policy into the spotlight
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…
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Who Was the Assassinated Iranian Nuclear Scientist?
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.
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Khamenei’s Loyal Penman Links Quran to Holocaust Denial
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…
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Gal Gadot as Cleopatra in new movie about Egyptian queen is causing misplaced outrage
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…
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Mohammad Reza Shajarian: The Passing of the Maestro
Published by IranWire In the concert hall of Tehran’s National University, a sold-out audience waited for the musicians to take their place on the stage. Not only was every seat occupied, but there were throngs of young people around, lending the whole event the air of a rock concert. An outside observer might have been… Mohammad…
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1953 Coup Film Withdrawn Amid Controversy Over False Claim
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…
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Iranian Luminaries Join Forces to Say No to China Deal
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…
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Parviz Fattah: The new Ahmadinejad that may be running for president
Published by IranSource of the Atlantic Council No one was prepared for the avalanche of information Parviz Fattah unleashed during a live interview with Iran’s national broadcaster on August 8. The 59-year-old former energy minister named several top political personalities and organizations, including military bodies, who were using Mostazafan Foundation properties, an organization Fattah now heads, without… Parviz…
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Outrage After Iran Erases Girls from a Math Textbook Cover
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… Outrage…
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Iran’s #MeToo Moment: First Steps of a “Long March”
Published by IranWire It all started with a cringe-worthy tweet. “Kiss her lips on the first date and if she didn’t protest that means she’ll let you fuck her,” an Iranian man tweeted in Persian on August 6. “If she did protest, tell her ‘I was lost in your beauty and didn’t know what I was doing.’… Iran’s…
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Barred from Iran, Baha’i scientist takes a quantum leap with Google
Published by IranWire Pedram Roshan has not lived in Iran for about 20 years. Memories of his country of birth are “fading,” every day, he says. But he vividly remembers the best definition of physics he ever heard in his life. It came not from a top Ivy League professor in the US but from… Barred…
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Remembering the PS752 Victims
Commissioned by IranWire, I had the honor to translate the tributes written to the victims of PS752, a passenger airliner shot down by Iran in January, 2020. Here are links to these tributes: Reera Esmaeilion
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Iranian State Media Decries Biblical Animated Film as “Zionist Infiltration”
Published by IranWire There is no shortage of front page-worthy news in Iran these days. The country is in the midst of the worst economic crisis in its history, it is battling a horrendous pandemic, it has weathered a series of mysterious explosions and continues to hang political prisoners, leading to protest and dissent. But… Iranian…
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More than Four Million Twitter Users Say: Don’t Execute These Three Iranian Protesters!
Published by IranWire Twitter is well-known for acrimonious debate and Iranians on Twitter exemplify just how contentious the platform can get. Issues great and small often deeply divide Iranians, with the blue bird logo coming to be a symbol of these harsh divisions. Rarely does a political issue unite large swathes of Iranian public opinion.… More…
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Iran’s Sorely-Missed Top Pop Singer Loses Beard for Charity
Published by IranWire All the catastrophic consequences of the coronavirus lockdown aside, it has led to some amusing moments. Millions of people having to avoid hair salons for months resulted in our timelines being filled up with signature quarantine beards or amateur spouse-inflicted haircuts. With the gradual easing of restrictions, barbershops were Destination No 1… Iran’s…
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What Happened to Us?
Published by Tel Aviv Review of Books The story of the modern Middle East seen through the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. n the fall of 2017, I moved to the United States to start a PhD in History and Middle Eastern studies. I loved my department and had many friends, but my closest… What…
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Hezbollah Teaches Antisemitism to Early Teens, Report Reveals
Pusblished by IranWire What do you remember from sixth grade? A funny drawing in a chemistry textbook or a math problem no one could solve? If you went to a primary school run by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, chances are one thing would stick out: the hatred of Jews.