Iranian Directors Including Rasoulof In the Spotlight at Toronto Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian filmmaker who secretly escaped Iran earlier this year, is back in the spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which...
Venice Film Festival To Feature Iranian Directors Including Nader Saeivar
By Ahmad Rafat
The 81st Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival, will open on Aug. 28 on Lido Island. This year’s event will showcase 188 films -- including feature-length and short formats, fiction,...
Pezeshkian’s Cabinet Choices Show No Change In Islamic Republic’s Policies
By Ahmad Rafat
Massoud Pezeshkian, who officially assumed the presidency of Iran on July 30, presented his cabinet nominees to the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) for approval on August 11. Pezeshkian said that he developed the...
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 Women Athletes Win Medals For Taekwondo In Paris 2024 Olympics
By Ahmad Rafat
Mobina Nematzadeh, an Iranian taekwondo competitor, won a bronze medal in the 49-kilogram category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming the second Iranian woman to secure an Olympic medal.
Another notable performance...
Meet the 14 Iranian Athletes Competing in the Paris Olympics Refugee Team
By Ahmad Rafat
Fourteen Iranian athletes are competing in the Paris Olympic Games as refugees. They are part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team (ROT), which has a total of 36 athletes from 11 countries competing...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Foreign Policy Under Pezeshkian Is More of the Same
By Ahmad Rafat
Weeks after the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as the new Iranian President, the Islamic Republic is facing significant challenges on the global stage.
One critical factor that could push Iran into further international...
Islamic Republic Is Allegedly Hiring Crime Gangs to Kill Opponents in Europe
By Ahmad Rafat
The arrest of two individuals in the Netherlands has exposed a strong link between the security agencies of the Islamic Republic and the infamous “Mocro-Maffia” drug gang operating in the Netherlands and...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s New President Masoud Pezeshkian Is No Moderate
By Ahmad Rafat
Western governments have eagerly been awaiting the election of a new Iranian president – one who could be perceived as a reformist and moderate figure, and allow them to justify restarting nuclear...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Elections Are Setback for Khamenei
By Ahmad Rafat
On June 28, Iran held an election to choose a successor for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19 while returning from a visit...
