Iran

By John Feffer | Foreign Policy in Focus | – – Behind all of Trump’s boneheaded policies in the Middle East is an unmistakable urge for confrontation with Iran. The Saudi war in Yemen is really directed at…Iran. Donald Trump’s first overseas visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel was specifically targeted at…Iran. The Saudi-led isolation […]

Iran

Iranian Women push back against Cleric who likened Loosely Veiled Women To Prostitutes

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari. | ( RFE/RL) | – – Judging women by the degree to which they respect the compulsory hijab is nothing new in Iran. In the past, hard-liners have accused so-called “badly veiled women” of being responsible for everything from social ills to natural disasters. But recent comments by the Friday Prayer leader […]

Iran

Could ISIL attacks in Tehran plunge the Middle East into greater turmoil?

contributors

By Mohammadbagher Forough | (The Conversation) | – – Iran experienced its first major ISIL attack on June 7, as armed men and suicide bombers targeted two symbols of the Islamic Republic in Tehran: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum and the Iranian parliament. At least 12 people are reported to have been killed and 42 wounded. […]

Entertainment

Is breathtaking Iran your next Tourist Destination?

contributors

By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/RL) | – – Stunning landscapes, famous hospitality, and numerous World Heritage sites. Iran’s potential as a holiday destination is vast, but foreign tourists have largely avoided the country ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The reasons are numerous. The visa process can be lengthy and complex. Some female […]

art and photography

Painting of the Day: Girl w/ Wine Cup, Isfahan, Iran, 1650

contributors

British Museum | Persian Watercolor in style of Muhammad Qasim | – – “Girl with a wine cup Style of Muhammad Qasim Safavid Iran, Isfahan, 1640-50 Ink and opaque watercolour on paper By 1650 drawings of young men or women holding wine cups in the countryside had become standard rather than hackneyed fare in Persian […]

Iran

The Mystery of Washington’s Iran Derangement Syndrome

contributors

By Danny Sjursen | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – “Everywhere you look, if there is trouble in the region,” Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters on a mid-April visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, “you find Iran.” I must admit that when I stumbled across that quote it brought up uncomfortable personal memories. East Baghdad, […]

Democracy

Is Rouhani’s Reelection a step toward Democracy for Iran?

contributors

Ebrahim Deen | (Informed Comment) | – – Hassan Rouhani’s victory in Last Friday’s Iranian presidential election, by a large majority, portents a continuation of the country’s path toward global reengagement, both on a more popular level and in terms of economic and political cooperation. The intensified nature of this electoral campaign does however point […]

Human Rights

Iran: Does the Rouhani Win Matter for Human Rights?

contributors

By Tara Sepehri Far. | ( Human Rights Watch ) | – – In Second Term, Should Move on Rights Reforms When the 2017 election season kicked off April 21, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani did not go into the race possessing an enviable track record of defending human rights. While he achieved his 2013 election […]

Iran

What Iranian women want: rights, jobs and a seat at the table

contributors

By Azadeh Davachi | (The Conversation) | – – Issues affecting women were conspicuously absent from Iran’s 2017 presidential election. That’s unless one finds useful the leading conservative candidate Hojjat al-Islam Ebrahim Raisi’s comment that his government would enhance women’s dignity within the family, because women should be “good mothers and wives”. The absence was […]