Italian National Is Arrested in Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence said in a statement on Sept. 30 that it had arrested nine European nationals from Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, and other countries, for their alleged...
Life At the Italian Embassy in Tehran: Ambassador’s Daughter Writes Graphic Novel
By Ahmad Rafat
Chiara Mezzalama has a special relationship with Iran: She moved there two years after the 1979 Revolution when her father, Francesco Mezzalama, became the Italian ambassador to Tehran. They lived in the...
Banned Iranian Director Ali Ahmadzadeh Wins Top Award At Locarno Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Ali Ahmadzadeh — an Iranian filmmaker who was banned earlier this year from leaving his country — has won the top award at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland for his movie...
Prominent Israelis Urge Europe to Recognize Palestinian State
By Ahmad Rafat
The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has generated worldwide protests. On December 18, the U.N. Security Council voted 14-1 in favor of a...
INTERVIEW: Israeli-Iranian Singer Liraz Charhi to Debut Her Album “Zan” In London Concert
By Ahmad Rafat
Liraz Charhi, a 31-year-old Israeli Singer of Iranian descent, will debut her album Zan (“Woman”) at a concert on May 19 in London.
Born in Ramla, Israel, into a Persian Jewish family, she...
Iran at the Venice Biennale: A Visit to the Iranian Pavilion
By Ahmad Rafat
Iran is among the 85 countries taking part this year in the Venice Biennale, the world's largest and oldest art fair. The 57th Biennale opened on May 13 and runs through November...
ANALYSIS: How Hostage Taking Is An Integral Part of Iran’s Foreign Policy
By Ahmad Rafat
Holding foreign nationals and Iranians with dual citizenship hostage, and demanding money or a prisoner swap for their freedom, has been an integral part of the Islamic Republic’s transactional foreign policy since...
Reza Pahlavi Urges Iranians to Join Forces and Liberate Homeland
By Ahmad Rafat
Prince Reza Pahlavi presented his “new covenant” in a live broadcast. He said his speech was a “response to the innumerable messages of those of you who are rightly worried about Iran...
ANALYSIS: IRGC Is Main Obstacle in Talks to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal
By Ahmad Rafat
In the past few weeks, there have been intense discussions on whether the U.S. should remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) in the...
Iranian Protest Songs Are Galvanizing the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Revolution
By Ahmad Rafat
The Iranian authorities arrested singer, musician, and activist Mehdi Yarrahi on Aug. 28 on the orders of the Tehran prosecutor’s office. The Judiciary had launched an investigation of Mr. Yarrahi following the...
