Iranian Oil Workers Go On Strike In a Major Challenge to Rouhani’s Government
By Ahmad Rafat
Workers at 15 oil, gas, and petrochemical projects and four power plants in nine Iranian provinces are on strike since Aug. 1, in the first large-scale industrial action by workers in Iran’s...
Natanz Explosion: A Game Changer?
By Ahmad Rafat
Ellie Cohanim was the U.S. deputy special envoy to monitor and combat anti-semitism at the U.S. State Department during the Trump administration, and the Department’s first Iranian-born Jewish representative.
While working for the...
Persepolis’s Lions and Bulls Star in an Exhibition in Northern Italy
By Ahmad Rafat
For the first time ever, archaeological treasures from the Museum of Persepolis and the National Museum of Iran travelled abroad earlier this year for an exhibition titled “Lions and Bulls from Ancient...
Actress Mary Apick Discusses Her Animation Film On Iran’s Underage Street Peddlers
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian-American stage and television actress Mary Apick has produced a 13-minute animation film titled “The Cat” drawing attention to the plight of Iran’s child peddlers. The focus of the story: a flower...
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...
Iranian Filmmakers, Actresses Defy Regime In Aftermath of Protests
By Ahmad Rafat and Firouzeh Nordstrom
Since the start of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in 2022, Iranian cinema has entered a new phase unparalleled in the past four and a half decades. Independent filmmakers...
ANALYSIS: Is the Islamic Republic On the Verge of Military Conflict and War?
By Ahmad Rafat
A letter from U.S. President Donald Trump was delivered to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei -- finally.
Contrary to expectations, it was not sent via Arab countries with friendly ties to the Islamic...
Iraqi Kurdistan Worried About Iran’s Role As It Prepares for Referendum
By Ahmad Rafat
The Islamic Republic of Iran appears to consider Iraq and the Kurdish region as its own backyard. It seems to believe that it has the right to interfere in the Kurdistan Regional...
INTERVIEW: Hunger-Striking Iranian Rights Activist Vahid Beheshti Urges UK Action
By Ahmad Rafat
Vahid Beheshti, a journalist and human rights activist, has been on a hunger strike outside the British Foreign Office in London since Feb. 23 in an effort to urge the British government...
Spain Turns Down Iran’s Request for Extradition of Ex-Diplomat’s Son
By Ahmad Rafat
A court in Madrid has ordered the immediate release of Mohammad (Sasha) Sobhani, the son of a former Iranian diplomat and a social media celebrity who was detained by Spanish police at...
