In Iran, It’s Fun To Be A Rebel
If one asks the majority of Iranian youths why they want democracy, their immediate answers are surprisingly not freedom of speech, free elections or even a better economy. “Fun” is what most of them desire the most. Having fun without being told their behavior is un-Islamic or an attempt to topple the regime. Since the […]
Are Iran hawks pushing Tehran’s narrative?
Reading Seymour Hersh’s latest piece in the New Yorker, I can’t help but get déjà vu. Hersh reports that the recent (classified) 2011 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear weapons program reaches the same conclusion as the 2007 NIE that Iran had a nuclear weapons program but halted it in 2003. Despite the two conclusions, […]
A Majlis of the IRGC, by the IRGC, and for the IRGC
The recent battle over Azad University and its assets is not only a sign of a growing division in Iran’s hardliners. If one looks more closely, the growing importance of the IRGC in Iranian politics is also becoming clearer. Originally created by Ayatollah Khomeini to be the Supreme Leader’s personal militia, the IRGC acts […]
And Yet Another Great Satan
Having made some important concessions on the proposed nuclear fuel swap with Brazil and Turkey, Iran now seems to have compensated by taking a harder line at home ahead of the June 12 anniversary of last year’s election. Iran signed onto the Brazilian-Turkish deal, marking a significant concession from Iran’s previous position which had demanded […]
Peace in our time!
The era of threat and force is over! At least according to President Ahmadinejad. During a meeting last Thursday in Tehran with Kuwaiti Speaker Jassim Mohammad al-Kharafi, Ahmadinejad stated: Those, thinking that they can be influential through threat and force, should know that the era of such behaviors is gone. The thought of Ahmadinejad claiming […]
Hikers and Mothers in Emotional Reunion
[vodpod id=Video.3663241&w=425&h=350&fv=embedReferer%3D%26amp%3BembedPageUrl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fmiddle_east%2F10129546.stm%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_language%3Ddefault%26amp%3BcompanionSize%3D300x60%26amp%3BcompanionType%3Dadi%26amp%3Bpreroll%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fpfadx%2Fbbccom.live.site.news%2Fnews_middleeast_content%3Bsectn%3Dnews%3Bctype%3Dcontent%3Bnews%3Dmiddleeast%3Badsense_middle%3Dadsense_middle%3Badsense_mpu%3Dadsense_mpu%3Breferrer%3Dnonbbc%3Breferrer_domain%3D%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10126%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10128%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10139%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10153%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10170%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10172%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10173%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10180%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10189%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10191%3Bheadline%3Dmothersmeetushikersintehran%3Bslot%3Dcompanion%3Bsz%3D512x288%3Btile%3D6%26amp%3Bconfig%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fplayer%2Femp%2Fconfig%2Fdefault.xml%3F2.18.13034_14207_20100317162935%26amp%3BdomId%3Demp-8694174%26amp%3Bplaylist%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8690000%2F8694100%2F8694174.xml%26amp%3Bholding%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbcimg.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F47884000%2Fjpg%2F_47884119_jex_698791_de27-1.jpg%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_autoPlay%3Dfalse%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showPopoutButton%3Dfalse%26amp%3Bconfig_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType%3Deav2%26amp%3Bconfig_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition%3DInternational%26amp%3BfmtjDocURI%3D%2F2%2Fhi%2Fmiddle_east%2F10129546.stm%26amp%3BcompanionId%3Dbbccom_companion_8694174%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showShareButton%3Dtrue%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showUpdatedInFooter%3Dtrue] The three American hikers who were detained by Iranian officials back in July were finally reunited with their mothers in Iran today. Relatives of the hikers, Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal, say that the trio were hiking along northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region and accidently crossed the border into Iran. A simple […]
The Iranian African Connection
Since Iran has a difficult time in making friends with the West, it has been keeping its eye on Africa for partnerships over the past decade. Why reach out to Africa? According to an Iranian MP, “Iran looks at these countries through a humanitarian view based on prominent Islamic values”. Like Iran, governments such as […]
Rafsanjani: National Healer?
As one of the main pillars of power in the Islamic establishment, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani played a significant role in what became the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. Depending on one’s political affiliation, Rafsanjani to this day is still either highly respected or highly feared in the internal political circles of Iran. Rafsanjani 75, a […]
“Revolution is not Completed; Dictatorship Still Exists”
The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, February 11, is commemorated in Iran as a day to recognize the Iranian people’s stand against all forms of dictatorship. That day 31 years ago was one of the bloodiest of the Iranian uprising that toppled the Pahlavi dynasty and its dictatorial regime. This year, the government expects massive […]
Violence Spills into Day 2
Payvand via Radio Zamaneh is reporting that members of the Basij and Revolutionary Guard (Sepah; IRGC; Pasdaran) have stormed Tehran University and Shahid Beheshti University. According to Amir Kabir Newsletter, Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces have entered the campuses… and engaged in beating the students with the assistance of university security. Amir Kabir reports that […]
IRGC Given Expanded Naval Command
The Agence France Presse reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been given command over “naval operations” in Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. A study conducted by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence concluded that, the military reorganization launched in 2007 transfers responsibility for the Gulf from the regular navy to the elite […]
What Could Come after the Last Supreme Leader?
A recent article published on the Newsweek website discusses the widespread discontent amongst Iran’s religious scholars with the position of Supreme Leader, and suggests that the position itself is in danger of being abolished after Ayatollah Khamenei’s death. According to the author, the religious establishment—including those who helped create the system—plainly sees the institution [Supreme […]