Iranian Official Stands Trial In a Court in Sweden
By Ahmad Rafat (in Stockholm)
May 4 marked a remarkable day in the Iranian nation’s historic quest for justice when a court in Stockholm concluded trial proceedings for an Iranian national, Hamid Nouri, accused of...
Remembering Iranian Novelist Parviz Ghazi Saeed, Creator of “Detective Lawson”
By Ahmad Rafat
Parviz Ghazi Saeed, a celebrated pre-Revolution fiction writer, died on April 21 in San Jose, California, aged 83. His family said Mr. Saeed, who was a political commentator for Persian-language media in...
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...
ANALYSIS: Russia Is Mastermind of Rocket Attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan
By Ahmad Rafat
The Islamic Republic’s regional adventurism and meddling in Iraqi affairs continue.
On March 13, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) reportedly launched multiple Fateh-10 ballistic missiles from Iran’s northwestern province of East Azerbaijan...
ANALYSIS: Iran Starts the New Year With Women’s Protests
By Ahmad Rafat
The Iranian New Year, 1401, started on March 21 with nationwide protests by women. Iranian women, who have been victims of systematic and legally sanctioned discrimination under the Islamic Republic for the...
ANALYSIS: Iran Nuclear Talks Are Deadlocked Again
By Ahmad Rafat
Negotiations in Vienna to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal, have reached an impasse once again. Despite the optimism expressed by several parties involved in...
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...
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...
ANALYSIS: How Is Invasion of Ukraine Impacting Iran Nuclear Deal?
By Ahmad Rafat
In comments reported by domestic and international news organizations, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said that 98 percent of issues had been resolved during the recent round of talks in Vienna...
Helping Victims of Self-Immolation in the Mideast: Kayhan Life Meets Co-Founder of Roulah
By Ahmad Rafat
Roulah is a U.S.-registered non-profit organization dedicated to helping Middle Eastern women.
Established in July 2021 by co-founders Sheema Kalbasi and Shaghayegh Moradinnejad, it aims to help victims of self-immolation, domestic abuse, underage...
