Articles

By: Ariane Tabatabai & Minsu Crowder-Han 19 February 2016

When Iranians get ahead of themselves, they remind each other that it’s not over “until the donkey has crossed the bridge.” Since the United States lifted sanctions on Iran in January, part of its commitment under the historic nuclear agreement concluded last year, there has been great temptation to believe that the donkey has made it to the other side. Some 80 million Iranians have high hopes that economic relief is nigh. In fact, though, the lifting of sanctions only marked the beginning of the crossing. Read More »

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSFEB. 19, 2016,

BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it is halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces in retaliation for the tiny country’s siding with Iran amid the Sunni kingdom’s spat with the Shiite power. Read More »

the guardian-

Rules impeding the progress of female politicians in the Islamic republic remain firmly in place and the battle to change them advances slowly

By: Farnoosh Amirshahi

Traditionalist clerics often invoke a masculine term to discourage women from running for political office in Iran. While the question of gender isn’t addressed in Iran’s electoral laws, candidates wishing to participate in the Iranian political scene must be considered “Rajol-e-siasi,” or statesmen. If the political arena is legally defined as the purview of statesmen, women have no business entering it, conservatives argue. Read More »

Iran has eagerly opened its doors to foreign investment now that a nuclear deal has cleared the way. So why is Iran still holding prisoner an Iranian-American businessman? Read More »

THE GUARDIAN-

By: Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Conservatives face concerted effort by moderates to deny them places in the parliament and Assembly of Experts as election campaigns begin this week

The struggle to shake up a decade of conservative dominance over Iran’s two major political institutions is set to kick off in earnest on Thursday, when candidates are officially allowed to begin their week-long campaigns before two important elections. Read More »

THE NEW YORK TIMES-

By DAVID E. SANGER and MARK MAZZETTI

BERLIN — In the early years of the Obama administration, the United States developed an elaborate plan for a cyberattack on Iran in case the diplomatic effort to limit its nuclear program failed and led to a military conflict, according to a coming documentary film and interviews with military and intelligence officials involved in the effort. Read More »

AL-MONITOR

By: Ali Rizk

A frequently asked question in Lebanon has been how the Iranian nuclear agreement might affect Iran’s ties with Hezbollah. But party officials and independent Lebanese observers paint a picture of an unbreakable bond between the two. They believe the geopolitical dynamics taking shape in the region and beyond, now that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is being implemented, further strengthen Hezbollah. Read More »

AL-MONITOR

By: Jean Aziz

KASHAN, Iran — Some 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Tehran lies the city of Kashan. There, a group of Iranian university lecturers who are also pro-reform activists gather around a dinner table in a traditional cafe near the old bazaar, which is famous for its carpets. Al-Monitor asked them, How do you see the developments of the Arab Spring and its repercussions for you and your country? Read More »

AL-MANITOR

By: Reza Yeganehshakib

After Iran and the six world powers signed the nuclear deal last summer, the Iranian Cabinet on Sept. 30 approved the general terms for new upstream oil and gas contracts, known as the Iran Petroleum Contract. The aim? Facilitating the inflow of foreign investment. The Oil Ministry presented the Iran Petroleum Contract to more than 300 major international energy investors at the Nov. 28-29 Tehran Summit. However, it seems that parliament is not yet in full agreement with the general terms of the new oil contract. Read More »

NPR-

Just ahead of Valentine’s Day, we visited the tomb of a poet who wrote often of love.

The 14th century Persian poet Hafez is buried in Shiraz, the city where he lived almost 700 years ago. He remains venerated in Iran, even though he wrote of romance and other topics that are not obviously embraced in the modern-day Islamic Republic.
One of his lines: “Oh Cup-bearer, set my glass afire with the light of wine!” Read More »