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...
ANALYSIS: The Hostage Trade Is Central to Iran’s Foreign Policy
By Ahmad Rafat
Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian official, was convicted of war crimes and murder in May 2022 by a Swedish court. The court held 93 hearings before delivering the verdict. Nouri was sentenced...
How Syria Is Trying To Free Itself From The Grip Of Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
Syria, long considered a friend and ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has begun to distance itself from Tehran and move closer to the Arab world that shunned it for a...
ANALYSIS: Who Is Khamenei’s Choice for President?
By Ahmad Rafat
Iran is to hold a presidential election on June 28 to find a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The incident also claimed the lives...
ANALYSIS: Was the Death of Raisi An Accident or An Act of Sabotage?
By Ahmad Rafat
The helicopter crash that on May 19 claimed the life of Ebrahim Raisi, the eighth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran has sparked intense speculation regarding the true nature of the...
ANALYSIS: Europe Alarmed By Iran’s Nuclear Program; U.S. Holding Back
By Ahmad Rafat
European countries are increasingly worried about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s advancing nuclear program and a potential alteration of its nuclear doctrine. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has further complicated the situation...
Iranian Director Rasoulof Likely To Attend His Cannes Festival Premiere
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian Director Mohammad Rasoulof, who has left Iran secretly, will reportedly be on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of his latest film, “The Seed of The...
ANALYSIS: Who Could Be the Successor to Ali Khamenei?
By Ahmad Rafat
Elections (or, more accurately, appointments) of 290 seats in the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) and 88 seats in the sixth Assembly of Experts (which has the power to appoint Iran’s Supreme Leader) were held on...
Iran’s Clerics Will Be ‘Finished’ After Khamenei, Says Author Arash Azizi
By Ahmad Rafat
"What Iranians Want" – by the Iranian-born author and academic Arash Azizi -- is one of the first books to be published on the protest movement sparked by the September 2022 killing...
