Banned Iranian Directors Are In Competition For Top Berlin Film Festival Prize
By Ahmad Rafat
A movie by two Iranian directors currently facing a travel ban is in competition for the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, or Berlinale, which is due to be held from Feb....
ANALYSIS: Iran Will Play No Role in Syria’s Future
By Ahmad Rafat
When Syrian people poured into the streets on March 15, 2011, demanding sweeping political reforms, they did not expect their anti-government protests to spark a devastating civil war that still rages today.
The...
ANALYSIS: Efforts to Reboot Iran Nuclear Deal Are Faltering
By Ahmad Rafat
For the past few months, European and American officials have warned that the “window of opportunity” for reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran is “closing fast.”
Speaking to French lawmakers on July...
ANALYSIS: Moscow Has A Role in Future Iran-U.S. Negotiations
By Ahmad Rafat
On March 5, Reuters reported that Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, confirmed that Iran was a topic of discussion during a Feb. 18 meeting in Riyadh between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov...
Whirling Dervishes: An Interview with Painter Irandoust Moghadam
By Ahmad Rafat
The Iranian artist Hossein Irandoust Moghadam was born in 1978 in Iran to an Iranian mother and a Chinese-Iranian father. He was recently in London for an exhibition at London's Gallery 8,...
IRGC and the Opium Trade
April 12, 2017
By Ahmad Rafat
Italian authorities have arrested ten individuals in recent days suspected of smuggling opium out of Iran. The group’s leader is a 39 year old Iranian man who had been operating...
Iranian Films Win Awards At Venice Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian filmmakers and actors won three awards in the Horizons (Orizzonti) section of the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. The section runs parallel to the main festival competition.
Dominique Welinski and René...
ANALYSIS: Europe Distances Itself from Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
Germany, Britain, and France have warned that they will withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, if Tehran were to continue to...
After Meeting Pompeo, Iranian Activist Masih Alinejad Speaks to Kayhan Life
By Ahmad Rafat
The Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad had a half-hour meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this month. Alinejad’s visit to the State Department reportedly took place...
ANALYSIS: Pezeshkian’s Trips to New York, Baghdad Fall Flat
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian did not change international views of his government’s foreign policy during his discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. While he aimed...
