July 18, 2017

Iran's judiciary arrests Rouhani's brother on anniversary of nuclear deal

On Sunday, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje, Iran's judiciary spokesman, said in a news briefing that Hassan Rouhani's younger brother, Hossein Fereydoun, has been arrested.  He has been charged with getting zero-interest loans ...

July 11, 2017

About France's much hyped Total-Iran deal: Buyer beware

It was an adventurous, long, and arduous journey for Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné and Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh to sign an agreement Monday on energy production of great importance to both sides.  For Iranian...

June 16, 2017

Iranian officials: Western states responsible for terrorist attacks in London

On Sunday, June 4, after vicious attacks by Islamic extremists in London, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei blamed Western countries for the attacks. "Today, ISIS is driven from its birthplace in Iraq and Syria into other countries, going t...

June 1, 2017

The Dispute over Vote-Rigging in Iran's Election

Two weeks after Iran’s presidential election, the two main factions of this theocracy rivaling in these polls have escalated their cross allegations of vote-rigging. On Saturday, a senior mullah by the name of Movahedi Kermani, the leader of...

May 19, 2017

Iran elections: Rouhani declares, 'I will kiss the supreme leader's hand a dozen times'

On Monday, May 15, the Iranian elections scene witnessed two important events: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran (and a controversial candidate), left the elections for the benefit of a top contender, Ebrahim Raisi (the 1988 massacre judg...

May 10, 2017

Iran, fearing uprisings, holds presidential debate

The second televised presidential debate in Iran by the six candidates received a warning before it began. "The debates should be on presidential issue[.] ... But we must avoid acts that rattle society," said Movahedi Kermani, ...

May 6, 2017

An assassination in Istanbul and an election in Iran

Is the assassination of an Iranian television director on April 29 in Istanbul related to the Iranian election? Yes, it is possible. In this case, whom did the assassination plotters intend to send their message to? To Basij militia ...

April 30, 2017

Iran’s election, and forbidden enthusiasm toward the West

With 24 remaining before Iran's presidential elections, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei prohibited Iran's six presidential candidates from looking outside Iran's borders for economic development, in a public speech on April 25, 20...

April 24, 2017

Iran’s presidential election – Ahmadinejad’s disqualification boosts or hurts Rouhani?

The Guardian Council, a very powerful and influential body in Iran’s theocracy, voted on Thursday to disqualify Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the regime’s president from 2005 to 2013, announcing he lacks the necessary standards to take part as a c...

April 22, 2017

Ahmadinejad: Iran’s Gorbachev

Comparing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former firebrand president, to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, may appear strange at first. However, these are the exact remarks made recently by Mohammad Mohajeri, an individual long involved in...