Weekly Roundup from Kayhan Life: March 13th – March 20th

Nowruz 2585, Iran Looks Beyond the Islamic Republic

Cartoon By Behnam Mohammadi

On March 20, Iranians celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year.  It arrives with the spring equinox and has roots in ancient traditions of renewal that predate Islam. For many, it is a season of rebirth and dignity, a time to heal divisions, reconnect with others, and greet spring with hope.

This heritage has become even more meaningful forty-seven years after the 1979 Revolution, amid lasting traditions and the hope for national renewal.

Nowruz 2585 carries added force for many Iranians. The year 2585 is counted from the time of Cyrus the Great and ancient Iran, rather than from the Hijra, which marks the start of the Islamic calendar. This is not simply a different way to mark the year; it declares that Iranian identity goes back further and is richer than the ideology of the Islamic Republic.

This deeper sense of identity is evident in the return of the Lion and Sun symbol, which now stands for national pride, dignity, courage, and resistance to religious rule. In recent months, both protesters and people in the diaspora have embraced this symbol so strongly that some now call their movement the “Sun and Lion Revolution” of 2026.

As Iranians celebrate Nowruz 2585, they are asserting that Iran’s future will not be decided just by violence, military actions, or changes in religious leadership. Instead, it will be formed by the people themselves, by their ability to turn loss into courage, tradition into a push for democracy, and resistance into a united future.

“Happy New Year 2585” is more than a greeting.  It is a declaration that Iran is alive, belongs to its people rather than an ideology, and hopes to find peace within itself and with the world.

Welcome to the Kayhan Life Week in Review

As the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic expanded, Iranians remained hopeful that the war would lead to the downfall of the regime, heralding fundamental political change. Inside the country, the state tightened repression. Yet voices in Iran and across the diaspora increasingly focused on what might come after the theocratic state. The dominant story was not only escalation but also the growing sense that this conflict could reshape the future of both Iran and the wider region.

►As the conflict intensified, Iranian society and the opposition were already looking ahead.

Reza Pahlavi, Shirin Ebadi Plan Transitional Justice System for Iran

British-Iranians Urge U.K. to Toughen Stance on Tehran, Support Pahlavi 

EXCLUSIVE: Tehran Residents Hope for Regime Change in Run-Up to Nowruz

►The regime responded with intimidation, collective punishment, and sweeping arrests.

Iran Arrests Dozens of People Accused of Being Informants for Israel

Iran Detains Dozens, Warns of Risk from ‘Enemy’ During Festival

►Israel’s drone campaign increasingly struck at the Islamic Republic’s domestic command and control system to weaken the machinery through which the theocratic state controls the streets.

Israel Targets Iranian Security, Police Checkpoints With Drone Attacks

During ‘Qods Day’ in March, Israeli Drones Target Tehran Checkpoints, Police Stations

►Beyond Iran’s borders, diplomacy steadily gave way to pressure,  spilling into a broader regional security crisis.

EXCLUSIVE – Trump Rejects Ceasefire Push as Iran War Drifts Further From Diplomacy

US Offers Reward for Information on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Senior Officials

Trump Says US Will Hit Iran ‘Very Hard’ After Easing Sanctions on Russian Oil

Iran Threatens to Retaliate Against the Region for the US Kharg Island Attack

Turkey Says NATO Defences Intercepted Third Missile from Iran, Asks Tehran to Clarify

►By March 16, Israel said it had plans for at least three more weeks of war, even as Washington signaled it was prepared to let some ships continue through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel Says It Has Plans for at Least Three Weeks of War as Airstrikes Pound Iran

US ‘Fine’ With Some Ships Getting Through Strait of Hormuz, Bessent Says

►The war entered a more dangerous energy phase when South Pars, Iran’s huge gas field, was struck, prompting threats from the Islamic Republic against Persian Gulf energy infrastructure. Trump later said Israel had carried out the strike without U.S. or Qatari involvement.  According to the Wall Street Journal and Axios, Trump knew of Israel’s plan to attack.

Iran’s Huge Gas Field Is Struck in a Major Escalation

Trump Says Israel Attacked Iran Gas Field Without US and Qatari Involvement, Warns Against Attacks on Qatar

►Regional governments responded by moving from alarm to contingency planning and preparing for what might come next.

UAE Could Join Any US-Led Effort to Secure Strait of Hormuz, Says Senior Official

Saudi Arabia Has the Right to Take Military Action Against Iran, Foreign Minister Says

Israel’s Katz Says Iran’s Security Chief Killed, Tehran Strikes Persian Gulf, Neighbours

►Even under fire, attention was already turning to the postwar map. 

Iranian Cluster Missiles Pose Extra Challenge for Israel’s Air Defences

Netanyahu Wants Oil, Gas to Flow Through Israel Post-Iran War

►That rethink extended well beyond the Middle East.  While investors appeared to be betting that the oil and inflation shock would be temporary rather than catastrophic, for global markets and U.S. allies alike, the central question was no longer whether the war mattered, but how long its effects would last.

Trump Calls for Japan, NATO to ‘Step Up’ on Iran as Oil Prices Bite

Don’t Panic, Don’t Capitulate: Investors Try to See Beyond Iran War