Islamic Republic Faces Challenges As It Prepares Response to Haniyeh Killing
By Ahmad Rafat
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political office, was killed in Tehran on July 31. In response, the Islamic Republic quickly announced its plan to take retaliatory action against Israel, even though...
Iranian Journalists Urge Their Association to Change Discriminatory Membership Rules
By Ahmad Rafat
In 1997, the Association of Iranian Journalists began its activities as the Iranian branch of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Two months after the 2009 presidential elections, the association was shut...
Jailed Iranian Filmmaker Panahi Wins Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears” (Khers Nist) won the Special Jury Prize last weekend at the Venice Film Festival, in a demonstration of solidarity with detained Iranian filmmakers such as himself.
In the festival’s...
ANALYSIS: Is the U.S. Resuming Nuclear Talks With Iran?
By Ahmad Rafat
There is no shortage of speculation around a new Iran nuclear deal.
There are ongoing talks between the Islamic Republic and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, which officials of both governments insist are...
Iran Is Alarmed by Mutiny In Russia Led by Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin
By Ahmad Rafat
The mercenary Wagner group’s occupation of the port city of Rostov-on-Don in Russia, on June 23 lasted just one day: Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin halted its march on Moscow after a deal...
ANALYSIS: Assad’s Downfall and the Crisis in the Islamic Republic
By Ahmad Rafat
The Islamic Republic is currently facing a serious crisis following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The proxy groups aligned with the Islamic Republic, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad in...
An Open Letter by Iranian Dissidents to President-Elect Donald Trump
December 24, 2016
The Honorable Donald Trump
President-Elect of the United States of America
Dear Mr. President-Elect,
We would like to congratulate you on your victory in the Presidential election of the United States of America.
During the...
Iran to Go Ahead With Religious Ceremonies Despite Rising COVID-19 Deaths
By Ahmad Rafat
One person is dying from COVID-19 every seven minutes in Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) TV said on Aug. 3. The number of people dying of the coronavirus every...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Khamenei Holds Key to Talks With U.S.
By Ahmad Rafat
Joe Biden is the sixth U.S. president to have had to deal with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the past 31 years. Contrary to popular belief, and despite Mr. Biden’s...
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...
