Iran Overhauls Educational System, Purges Academia in ‘Cultural Revolution’
By Roshanak Astaraki
As part of its broader efforts to tighten control over the Iranian public, the Islamic Republic has recently announced an overhaul of the educational system, which includes a wholesale purge of academia,...
EXCLUSIVE: Interview With HIV Sufferer In AIDS-Afflicted Southwestern Iranian Village
By Roshanak Astaraki
Residents of Chenare Mahmudi village, in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, have accused a health care worker at the local medical center of infecting hundreds of people with HIV by...
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani to Leave Public Life, Teach at University
By Roshanak Astaraki
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani has said that he plans to leave public life and accept a job as a university professor after stepping down in the coming days.
Mr....
Iranian Banks Facing Severe Cash Shortage, Expert Says
By Roshanak Astaraki
Under international trade laws, most if not all Iranian banks should have filed for bankruptcy by now, given that they lack the minimum cash reserves required to meet international banking requirements, Ahmad Hatami-Yazd, the former manager...
ANALYSIS: Iranian Students Mark Anniversary of 1999 University Protests
By Roshanak Astaraki
July 9 marked the 23rd anniversary of the Iranian university student protests, known as the “18th of Tir” (July 9) and the “Kuye Daneshgah Disaster.”
Following a peaceful demonstration on July 8, 1999,...
Iranian Government Responsible for Missed Trade Opportunities in Iraq, Merchant Says
By Roshanak Astaraki
Many people believed that Iran would play a significant role in rebuilding Iraq after the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS), also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh,...
“Isfahan’s Bloody Friday”: Iran Cracks Down On Protests Over Water Shortage
By Roshanak Astaraki
On Nov. 29, Iranian security forces, anti riot units, plainclothes police, and the Basij (volunteer militia) crushed a massive protest by farmers and people from all walks of life in Isfahan, injuring...
Kayhan Life Exclusive: Interviews With Iran’s Striking Oil Workers
By Roshanak Astaraki
For the first time in four decades, workers in the Iranian oil industry are staging nationwide strikes. The strikes started at 19 oil refineries, petrochemical factories, and power plants on Aug. 1....
Coronavirus Could Infect Up To 40 Percent of Tehran’s Population, Health Expert Says
By Roshanak Astaraki
A large segment of the population of the Iranian capital, Tehran, might become infected with coronavirus by Nowruz (the Iranian New Year on Marchch 20), according to Dr. Massoud Marchdani, a member...
ANALYSIS: Trade Unions Pose Major Challenge to the Islamic Republic
By Roshanak Astaraki
Nationwide protests by trade unions and striking oil workers on fixed-term contracts have significantly grown since they started a few months ago. They have now spread to all segments of Iranian society.
The...
