Sunday, July 5, 2026
Hossein Salami, IRGC commander

OPINION: What Are IRGC’s Plans for Iran?

By Majid Mohammadi If the Islamic Republic’s domestic and foreign policies remain unchanged, we will witness three developments in Iran in the coming year: The Majlis (Iranian Parliament), which is now controlled by Islamist hardliners,...

OPINION: Director Babak Payami Remembers His Own Tehran Arrest

By Babak Payami Almost 19 years ago last month, I was arrested on the streets of Tehran by the notorious plain-clothed agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran security forces. Jafar Panahi and I...

OPINION: A Response to Brian Hook 

By Mehrdad Khonsari Brian Hook, the U.S.’s Special Representative for Iran recently released a video message for the Iranian people filmed outside what used to be the Iranian Embassy in Washington. For me, the video...

OPINION: How Temporary Marriage, or Sigheh, is Spreading in Iran

By Shokouh Mirzadegi There have been news reports about the mushrooming of “chastity houses,” particularly in holy cities, and their increasing popularity with male foreign tourists visiting Iran. Though they are yet to become legal,...

OPINION: Iranian State May Have Masterminded Deadly Attack on Shiraz Mosque

By Potkin Azarmehr A false flag operation is defined as an act committed with the intent of disguising the real source of responsibility and blaming it on another party to justify further action. The Islamic...

OPINION: The Fate of Iranian Military Bases in Syria

  By Fayaz Sara, Asharq Al-Awsat (Arabic-language daily based in London) The presence of Iranian military bases in Syria is a matter of concern to Syrian opposition groups, Russia, Turkey, Israel, regional Arab countries, the U.S.,...

COMMENTARY: Women in the Islamic Republic Are Second-Class Citizens

By Azadeh Karimi and Elahe Boghrat The Iranian media have reported on the suspicious death of Zahra Navidpour, a 28-year-old woman whose body was discovered on January 6 at her mother’s home in the northwestern...

OPINION: Discussions About A New Iran Must Include Ethnic Minorities

By Monireh Shirani My name is Monireh Shirani. I am a human rights activist who has, for decades, worked on the issues of Balochistan . We have tried to fill the information gap. We have...

OPINION: Iranian Regime’s Inability to Deliver Economic Well-Being

July 23, 2018 Iranians hoped that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would ease sanctions, reboot the economy and improve their lives. Yet instead of investing in the country and its people, the...

OPINION – Iran: A Future Beyond Trump and Khamenei

By Mehrdad Khonsari The introduction of the latest round of U.S. sanctions against Iran has for the time being played into the hands of the Iranian Supreme Leader and his followers who see the protection...