Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Netanyahu’s speech before a half full of the House of Representatives was a disgrace. It was not just a disgrace because he spewed his lies but because, in the middle of a genocide, those representatives of the American people rose and jubilantly accepted his lies. Before America […]
Can Iran’s New Reformist President Deliver?
Newark, Delaware (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Elections in Iran have predictable outcomes. The men picked by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, engage in a quasi-debate on TV, but usually the hand-picked guy is bound to win. This year saw a minor upset. The 2024 presidential election took place after the former President and […]
Men in Power: Iran’s Raisi and the Death of a Enabler
Newark, Delaware (Special to Informed Comment) – In the words of the great poet Hafez, “Be happy that the tyrant did not make his way home” While all eyes were on Gaza and the genocide taking place, an event in the mountains of Iranian Azerbaijan changed the news. The death of President Ebrahim Raisi and […]
Israel and Iran: Itching for War, Playing with Fire
Newark, Delaware (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long wanted war with Iran and has all along been trying to get the U.S. involved, under different U.S. administrations. On Friday morning, Israel launched missile strikes on military bases near the Iranian city of Isfahan. A desperate Netanyahu, seeing Western […]
The Music of the late Iranian Singer Faramarz Aslani, Forced into Exile by a Puritan Revolution
Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment) – Amidst war and genocide in Ukraine and in Gaza, a new spring came along. For millions of Persian-speaking people, March 19 marked the beginning of Nowruz or new day this year. A holiday with Zoroastrian roots, Nowruz is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of India and […]
Iran and America: They weren’t Always Enemies
Review of Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, Heroes to Hostages America and Iran, 1800–1988 (Cambridge U.P., 2023) When the subject of Iran and America comes to mind, two eventful episodes are often invoked by Iranians and Americans. The first is the CIA-led coup d’état of 1953, which toppled Mohammad Mossadegh’s democratically elected government; and the second is the […]
Is Iran satisfied with the Derailing of the Abraham Accords by the Gaza Conflict or does it Want More?
“For the last few months Jerusalem has become the center of nationality struggles. Until then we were living peacefully. The Orientals were grateful to their European coreligionists for the help they brought to their moral and material misery. Zionism was created supposedly to bring about closer relations within Judaism; all it has succeeded in doing […]
Iran’s Denials and Delusions at the United Nations
Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Frankly, it was hard to watch last weekend’s interview of Farid Zakaria of CNN with Iran’s current president, Raisi. It was embarrassing. As usual it was all denial and delusion on the part of the highest official of the Islamic Republic. When Raisi’s men showed up at […]
The Legacy of Mahsa, a Year later: It Is Only the Beginning for Iranian Women
Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Imagine, you come from your small town to visit the capital. You have a whole plan to visit places, parks, and monuments. You want to have a good time with your friends and relatives. The night before you are together with your friends and family. You laugh, […]