- Among the executive orders signed by President Donald J. Trump this past Friday, there is the enhancing "national security and border control," that has led to massive demonstrations and much controversy. No patriotic American, native or naturalized, could argue against the meritorious notion of enhancing our national security, immigration and border control. However, while most Americans are committed to inclusivity and blind justice, Trump and his dwindling number of supporters want to block Muslims by using a religious litmus test for entry and immigration to the US. -David N. Rahni 02/1/17
- One Iranian family is just one of many whose plans have been severely disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order barring them from entering the United States for at least 90 days. Sara had been preparing herself for a joyous family occasion. The 35-year-old mother from northern Iran had recently gotten her U.S. visa and booked flights to Dallas, Texas, for herself, her 1-year-old son, and her mother, who was equally excited about seeing her grown son after five long years. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL 02/1/17
- Senior conservative cleric and head of Qom seminaries has initiated a fresh round of attacks against Iranian musicians by exploiting the Plasco disaster. Last week a fire in Tehran's Plasco building ended with the complete collapse of the building over the head of firefighters trying to put out the fire. Mohammad Yazdi, the director of the head of Qom seminaries, spoke out against the Fajr Music Festival being held in the capital saying it showed complete insensitivity to the victims of the Plasco disaster. 02/1/17
- The fate of a landmark deal for Boeing to sell 80 passenger aircraft to Iran has been thrown into doubt following President Donald Trump's executive order barring travel by Iranians to the US. Boeing announced a $16.6 billion agreement with the national carrier Iran Air in December, saying the orders were on course to support nearly 100,000 new jobs in the United States. 02/1/17
- The plight of Kurdish porters in the Western border regions of Iran has been highlighted once more by human rights activists with more avalanche fatalities. Red Crescent officials explain that the porters' only means of making a living is through carrying commercial goods on their backs through the border which is a rough terrain often hit by avalanches in the winter. 02/1/17
- Iran and France took another step to boost cooperation in different fields of economy by signing five agreements at the end of a business forum in Tehran on Tuesday. The agreements included cooperation on developing Mashhad International Airport, establishing a bioethanol plant, expanding fish farms, and holding pilot training courses in Iran. 02/1/17
- Iran has put on display its latest achievements in the area of space technology during a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials. The Exhibition of Space Achievements was held in Tehran on Wednesday to mark the ninth National Space Technology Day. 02/1/17
- Iran confirms it recently carried out a missile test within the framework of its defense program, saying the Islamic Republic does not allow any foreign intervention in affairs concerning its defensive prowess. 02/1/17
- Talented people in other countries don't disappear if we reject them. They'll shrug and move on to the burgeoning tech scenes of Europe and Asia, where they'll be greeted with easy funding, a low cost of living, fast Internet, vibrant communities, and exotic workspaces. Many American tech startups have even been flocking to these destinations of late. If we limit immigration, we'll be accelerating Europe and Asia's tech position while massively sabotaging our own. -Adam Ghahramani , Venture Beat 02/1/17
- Marzieh Moosavizadeh and her grandson follow a routine when she visits almost every year from Iran. The 75-year-old, who travels in a wheelchair and speaks little English, struggles to find direct flights to Phoenix, where he and his family live. So they meet in Los Angeles and he escorts her on the last leg of her trip. This time was different. -Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times 02/1/17
Build Bridges with Iran: 8 Surprises from the Iranian People - I am deeply saddened by President Trump's executive order banning many Muslims from entering the United States. I also am sad to see the Iranian response: Iran To Ban U.S. Visitors In Retaliation To Trump Order. The U.S. and Iran, along with other Muslim-majority countries, will be much safer in the long term by building bridges of goodwill with one another instead of building walls of fear and mistrust. -Philip M. Hellmich, Director of Peace, The Shift Network 02/1/17
Explainer: Who Is Affected By Trump's Entry Ban To U.S., And How? - U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order of January 27 bans refugees from all countries from entering the United States for 120 days and bans Syrian refugees from entering indefinitely. At the same time, the executive order temporarily bans entry into the United States for people from seven predominantly Muslim countries -- Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen -- until more stringent vetting of visas is introduced. 01/31/17
France in strong show of support for Iran ties and nuclear agreement - France is using a visit to Tehran by its Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to show its support for the expansion of economic relations with Iran in the face of growing tensions resulting from what many see as the unfolding anti-Iran approach by US President Donald Trump. 01/31/17
UN Security Council to Meet on Iran Missile Test - The United Nations Security Council is to hold urgent talks Tuesday in response to a ballistic missile test carried out by Iran. The United States requested the meeting following Sunday's test launch of a medium-range missile. The exact type of missile and its capabilities were not clear. 01/31/17
TAKE ACTION: Stop Trump's Immigration Ban - We are organizing two important actions for the next two days. TODAY we need to encourage Congress to undo the ban. House lawmakers have introduced legislation, the Statue Of Liberty Values (SOLVe) Act, to reverse and defund Trump's Executive Order. We need you to email your House lawmakers today to call on them to cosponsor and pass this legislation. -NIAC Action 01/31/17
The U.S. wrestlers planning to travel to Iran despite travel ban - USA Wrestling said that the U.S. still plans to compete next month in Iran, one of seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens were temporarily banned from the U.S. by an executive order from President Donald Trump. 01/31/17
Apple starts removing Iranian apps from online store: Report - Apple has started removing apps originating in Iran from the App Store, pulling down the app of the biggest Iranian e-commerce service a few days ago, reports say. In September 2016, Apple started opening up its non-official App Store to Iranians but it has removed Digikala without providing any explanation. 01/31/17
Trump's Travel Ban Grants Iran's Government Veto Power Over US-Bound Nationals - The executive order signed by President Donald Trump banning entry into the United States from nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, subjects all Iranians to collective punishment while doing nothing to enhance the security of the US homeland. 01/31/17
Iranians in U.S. "Can Never Feel Safe Anymore" After Muslim Ban - Iranian nationals in the United States -- due to their precarious political situation and large diaspora -- are among the groups most impacted by these new measures. The Iranian diaspora in the United States numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many of whom arrived after the 1979 revolution in that country. -The Intercept 01/31/17
Iran Retaliates With Entry Ban on US Citizens as Controversy Swirls - Iran says it will ban all U.S. citizens from entering the Islamic republic, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order limiting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. -In a statement Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry directly linked its ban to Trump's order, which Tehran called "an obvious insult to the Islamic world." The statement predicted that Trump's order "will be recorded in history as a big gift to extremists and their supporters." 01/30/17
Renowned Iranian Filmmaker To Skip Oscar Awards After U.S. Immigration Order - A renowned Iran filmmaker whose latest movie is up for an Academy Award announced he would boycott next month's Hollywood ceremony in protest of the new U.S. immigration restrictions. Asghar Farhadi, whose film The Salesman has been nominated for best foreign movie, made the announcement in a statement distributed to U.S. and Iranian media on January 29. 01/30/17
Internal memo: Expedia's CEO, a former Iranian refugee, slams Trump's 'reactionary' visa crackdown - "I believe that with this Executive Order, our President has reverted to the short game," Dara Khosrowshahi told Expedia employees in the message. "The U.S. may be an ever so slightly less dangerous as a place to live, but it will certainly be seen as a smaller nation, one that is inward-looking versus forward thinking, reactionary versus visionary." 01/30/17
Metro Vancouver Persian community reacts to new Trump travel ban - Iranian-Canadians from Metro Vancouver's large Persian community reacted with dismay to an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump Friday. There are 36,950 Iranians living in Canada who do not have Canadian citizenship, according to 2011 numbers from Statistics Canada.-CBC, Canada 01/30/17
Crystal Lake doctor with American, Iranian citizenship held for questioning at O'Hare - Even if Dr. Amir Heydari had been held longer at O'Hare International Airport on his way home to Crystal Lake from Iran on Sunday, he knew he'd be OK. He's a bariatric surgeon with a large network of colleagues, patients and friends; he's married to an American woman and together they're the parents of three American-born children; and above all, he himself has dual citizenship in Iran and the United States and he has lived in the Chicago area for nearly four decades. -Chicago Tribune 01/30/17
An Order That Will Increase Terrorism - Donald Trump's efforts, during his first week in office, to give substance to his campaign rhetoric have involved executive orders that have generated reactions ranging from bemusement over their vagueness to worried waiting for other shoes to drop. But the previous orders do not do as much quick damage, both to individual U.S. persons and their families and to broader U.S. foreign relations and national security, as the grossly mistitled order, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States". -Paul R. Pillar, LobeLog 01/30/17
Trump's Executive Order is a Travesty - National Iranian American Council issued the following statement following Donald Trump's signing of an Executive Order to ban nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States: "It has been two hours since Donald Trump signed what may be one of the most consequential assaults on American values and security and yet they have still not released this document to the American people. His order will affect tens of thousands of lives and yet none of us have even seen the final version. Sadly this lack of transparency is becoming the norm under Trump's administration. 01/28/17
Trump Issues Sweeping Anti-Immigration Orders Barring Syrians, Muslims - U.S. President Donald Trump has issued orders indefinitely barring Syrian refugees from the United States and temporarily suspending visits from a wide swathe of other Muslim countries. The White House said the countries targeted were Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. 01/28/17
PAAIA Rejects President Trump's Immigration Ban on Iranian Nationals - Today, President Trump enacted an executive order temporarily banning nationals from several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, from entering the United States. The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is deeply concerned about this executive order. While PAAIA and the Iranian American community commend efforts that would enhance our national security, we believe measures based solely on national origin are ineffective national security tools and anti-American. 01/28/17
Iran's Intelligence Ministry Arrests Mother of Green Movement Gunshot Victim - Shahnaz Akmali, the mother of a well-known victim of the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown on the Green Movement, which grew out of the widespread protests against the results of Iran's 2009 presidential election, was arrested by the Intelligence Ministry on January 25, 2017. 01/28/17
US Lawmakers Promise Iranian Opposition Group Tougher Action Against Iran - WASHINGTON - A bi-partisan group of U.S. lawmakers has told an Iranian opposition group that it will press for tougher U.S. action against Iran's Islamist rulers, as Tehran awaits word on whether President Donald Trump will follow through on campaign pledges to take a similarly tough stance. 01/28/17
Iran's President Rouhani: Today, No Time of Building Walls Between Nations - President Hassan Rouhani of Iran says today is not the age of building walls between countries. "Today is not the time of wall-raising between nations. Have they forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed years ago?" President Rouhani said in an apparent reference to US government officials, who have been planning to build a wall on the Mexican border. "[Even] if there is a wall between nations, it has to be removed," the Iranian chief executive said. 01/28/17
Trump and Ahmadinejad: The Delusional Duo - It was almost a year ago that Shervin Malekzadeh published a brief but incisive essay-which we republished immediately after the November 8 election-on the striking parallels between then-candidate Donald Trump and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Among other similarities, he noted... -Jim Lobe, LobeLog 01/28/17
Trump's Executive Order Is Already Hurting Refugees, Muslims And Families - President Donald Trump's executive order targeting Muslims and refugees led to chaos in the hours after he signed it, as refugees and immigrants arrived at U.S. airports only to be detained or told they couldn't enter the country and businesses had to scramble to adjust to the new policy. -Elise Foley, Huffington Post 01/28/17
Iranians Raise Cry As They Brace For U.S. Immigration Ban - Anticipating an executive order from the White House to temporarily shut off Iranians' access to U.S. visas and other avenues to immigration, Iranians have voiced frustration with being targeted for exclusion alongside citizens from a handful of predominantly Muslim countries where conflicts are raging. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL 01/27/17
PHOTOS: Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts at Tehran Museum - The 9th edition of the Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts opened at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday. The ceremony started with honoring those active in promoting the festival through the past year including news agencies, publications, and cultural offices. 01/27/17
Iranian Actress Taraneh Alidoosti To Protest Trump Policies By Boycotting Oscar Awards - Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the Oscar-nominated film The Salesman, says she will protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies by refusing to attend the Academy Awards ceremonies next month. Alidoosti said on Twitter on January 26 that Trump's reported plans for a temporary visa ban against Iranians was "racist." 01/27/17
Europe Will Fight to Safeguard the Iran Deal - There is growing uncertainty around the fate of the nuclear deal with Iran and, more broadly, intentions of the Trump administration regarding that country. Meanwhile, the world, including the American supporters of the agreement-also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- increasingly looks to Europe to safeguard it. The stakes could not be higher. Not only is the JCPOA a singular achievement of multilateral diplomacy and non-proliferation, but it also opens the way to re-engage with a key country at the intersection of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, a huge region beset by radicalism, sectarianism, and terrorism. -Eldar Mamedov 01/27/17
Iran starts sending own oil tankers to Europe - Reports say Iran has sent at least two supertankers to Europe in what appears to be the country's first direct shipment of crude oil to EU clients after the removal of sanctions last year. A report by the Financial Times said two giant vessels called 'Snow' and 'Huge' were already on their way towards the storage and trading port of Rotterdam. 01/27/17
Iranian Hegemony is a Figment of America's Imagination - In the post-Obama era, leading American politicians are again playing up the threat emanating from Iran. During James Mattis's confirmation hearing for secretary of defense, Sen. John McCain warned that Iran continues to "remake the region in its image from Syria, to Iraq, to Yemen." Mattis, who supports the Iran nuclear deal, has described Iran as "a revolutionary cause devoted to mayhem" and "the single-most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East." -Trita Parsi and Adam Weinstein, NIAC 01/27/17
The Girl on a Motorcycle - in Iran - Encouraged to visit Iran by a mysterious stranger, Lois Pryce journeyed through the Persian desert on her motorbike and was surprised by her welcome -inews, UK 01/27/17
Trump's Muslim Ban is Real and Even Worse Than Imagined - "Trump's Muslim ban is real and even more draconian than many anticipated. Visa holders, dual nationals, and even green card holders from Muslim-majority countries may be barred indefinitely from the United States. Based on our analysis of the Executive Order language that is circulating, nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who are outside of the U.S. with a valid U.S. visa will not be able to enter the United States. The order is written in such a broad manner that it may also prohibit dual nationals of those countries who are citizens of non-targeted countries from entering the U.S. on a visa. Perhaps most alarmingly, it can be interpreted to bar even U.S. permanent residents who are outside of the United States from re-entering." -NIAC Action 01/26/17
Poll: Iranian Public Rejects Renegotiating Nuclear Deal - Any plans that new U.S. President Donald Trump may have to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) will find little support among the Iranian people, according to a poll conducted last month and released today by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM). -Derek Davison 01/26/17
Iran's President Rouhani Must Act Against Imprisonment of Dual Nationals - The Iranian Judiciary's recent upholding of the indefensible five-year prison sentence against Iranian-British citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, issued at a secret trial by a Revolutionary Court, reaffirms the collusion between the Judiciary and the country's security and intelligence agencies that is undermining justice in Iran. 01/26/17
Sweatshop Workers in Collapsed Building in Tehran Left Without Jobs - The 17-story building that collapsed on 19 Jan in Tehran, Iran, was home to 560 small business units, many of them repairing workshops and sweatshops. The workers who worked in the building are now left unemployed without benefits. 01/26/17
Kuwaiti FM in Tehran as Persian Gulf Arabs seek to mend Iran ties - Persian Gulf Arab states are apparently testing the waters for a political rapprochement with Iran as the Kuwaiti foreign minister arrives in the Iranian capital with a message from his country's emir to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 01/26/17
Who Will Rule Trump Foreign Policy? - The most frightening commentary I've read in the run-up to the inauguration-and there have been many-appeared in a column identifying the four people whose foreign policy ideas were likely to be most influential with the then-president-elect. It was written by The Washington Post's Josh Rogin and entitled "Inside Trump's Shadow National Security Council." -Jim Lobe, LobeLog 01/26/17
Death toll from Tehran's high-rise collapse rises as more bodies of firefighters recovered - Death toll from last week's collapse of a high-rise in the Iranian capital Tehran rises as rescue teams recover more bodies. On Wednesday, rescue teams pulled out eight more bodies buried under rubble as they reached the ground stories of Plasco Building that collapsed in downtown Tehran on January 19. 01/25/17
Ailing British-Iranian Grandpa Serving 7-Year Prison Sentence Denied Medical Leave - Kamal Foroughi, a 77-year-old ailing British-Iranian dual citizen and former civil engineer incarcerated at Evin Prison in Tehran since May 2011, has been denied previously promised and urgently required extended medical leave, his son, Kamran Foroughi, told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. 01/25/17
Political and military alliance of Iranian government and Russians - Following the disclosure of Russian military presence in the form of Russian jets using the Iranian bases, and also firing of Russian cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea and over the airspace of Iran towards certain targets in Syria, some of the advisers to the Islamic Republic in Iran have announced that these are taking place in line with the new Iranian policy of "looking to the East" and a new approach in the foreign policy of the Iranian government. -Bahman Aghai Diba 01/25/17
Siemens gets major compressor order from Iran - Iran's Hampa Engineering Corporation says it has put a major order with Siemens for 12 compressor trains for two onshore natural gas processing plants. The order volume is in the "high double-digit million euro range," with commercial operation expected by the end of 2018, the Iranian company said. 01/25/17
Donald Trump against the World - Donald Trump is a worldly fellow. He travels the globe on his private jet. He's married to a Slovene and divorced from a Czech. He doesn't speak any other languages, but hey, he's an American, so monolingualism is his birthright. His fortune depends in large part on the global economy. He has business interests in nearly two-dozen countries on four continents... - John Feffer, LobeLog 01/25/17
The Far Right's Obsession with Iran - In his inauguration speech, President Donald Trump vowed to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism" from the "face of earth." His top lieutenants have identified the targets of this effort. Rex Tillerson, in his confirmation testimony for secretary of state, lumped together the so-called Islamic State (ISIS or IS), al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), and "some elements within Iran"-even though Shia Iran is bitterly opposed to the ultra-Salafist IS and al-Qaeda and, to a lesser degree, the Sunni fundamentalist MB. -Eldar Mamedov 01/24/17
Campaign aims to create jobs for vulnerable Iranian women - A public campaign has been launched aimed at creating jobs for socially vulnerable women nearly two months before the new Iranian year starts on March 20. The campaign with the motto of "Presenting a job, as the new year's gift" is arranged by the Society of Awareness, Knowledge and Growth (Bavar NGO) to create job opportunities for the women who are the breadwinners of their families 01/24/17
Could A Hard-Line Woman Challenge Rohani In Iran's Presidential Vote? - Four months ahead of Iran's presidential election, the absence of a clear challenger to face incumbent Hassan Rohani has led to talk that the gray-bearded clerics who dominate Iran's opaque system might bet on a woman. The political and religious leadership that emerged from the 1979 revolution has so far excluded women from the running for a handful of the most senior posts, including the presidency. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL 01/24/17
Iran, Russia, Turkey agree on mechanism to ensure Syria truce - Syrian peace talks have wrapped up in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana, with Iran, Russia and Turkey agreeing on the establishment of a trilateral mechanism to support the ceasefire in the country and monitor possible violations. 01/24/17
Prominent Iranian Poet Charged With Spreading 'Propaganda' After Posting Photo of Beaten Colleague - Well-known Iranian poet and filmmaker Baktash Abtin has been charged with "propaganda against the state" following his arrest on December 2, 2016 at a memorial event in Tehran marking the 18th anniversary of the "chain murders" of dissidents, including writers, in the 1990s by agents of the Islamic Republic. 01/24/17
Rumi Poetry Club is celebrating its 10th Anniversary - Mowlana Jalaluddin Balkhi Rumi (1207-1273) is one of the top five Persian poets of all time and also arguably the greatest Persian Sufi poet in history. His two masterpieces, the Divan-e Shams and the Masnavi-e Ma'anavi, are rich reservoirs of perennial wisdom and love poetry in world literature. 01/24/17
Iran to unveil herbal medicine "Melitropic" for treating Alzheimer's - The researchers at the Iranian Institute of Medicinal Plants used ancient and indigenous knowledge of the Iranian land in treatment of brain problems and conducted extensive research on the latest studies in the world on this subject to produce, for the very first time, a valuable herbal medicine that helps with treatment of Alzheimer's disease. 01/23/17
CONCERT: A Celebration of Music from Iran at Stanford University - Iranian Studies at Stanford is proud to co-sponsor two concerts on Iranian music with the Center for East Asian Studies as part of the Pan-Asian Music Festival. The concert will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University. 01/23/17
Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani notified of his death sentence - Oil billionaire Babak Zanjani has been notified of his death sentence, a court rule confirmed by Supreme Court of Iran on Dec 4, Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said. Mohseni Ejei made the remarks at a news conference on Sunday. 01/23/17
Smoke Is Still Rising From Tehran's Plasco Building Where Bodies Are Trapped - Just three days after the collapse of one of the most iconic buildings in Tehran, Plasco, smoke is still rising from the building and filling the air in the downtown area of the city. Police forces have blocked off the area so that emergency crew carry on their job of removing the rubble and searching for people, mostly firemen who are trapped under the debris. 01/22/17
Netanyahu Plans To Discuss 'Cruel' Iran With Trump 'Soon' - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to meet with newly installed U.S. President Donald Trump soon to discuss what he sees as the dangers from Iran and its "cruel" government. Netanyahu regularly criticized the policies of former U.S. President Barrack Obama. A day after the United States abstained from a UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli prime minister called the move a "shameful anti-Israel ambush." 01/22/17
UK woman imprisoned in Iran has conviction upheld in appeals court - A British-Iranian woman sentenced to five years in jail in Iran on unspecific charges relating to national security has had her conviction upheld in the appeals court, according to judiciary officials. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the news agency's charitable arm, appealed against her sentence earlier this month in what was her last legal opportunity to challenge it. -Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Guardian 01/22/17
Four Looming Flashpoints Facing Trump - Looking at the world today, four areas appear to pose an especially high risk of sudden crisis and conflict: North Korea, the South China Sea, the Baltic Sea region, and the Middle East. Each of them has been the past site of recurring clashes, and all are primed to explode early in the Trump presidency. -Michael T. Klare, LobeLog 01/22/17
President Rouhani visits site of collapsed high-rise in downtown Tehran - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has visited the site of the collapsed Plasco high-rise in downtown Tehran to inspect the ongoing search and rescue operation there. Speaking to reporters on Saturday morning, Rouhani stressed that the search and rescue operation should continue until all those trapped under the rubble are saved. 01/21/17
Poll: Iranians Dissatisfied With Rouhani on High Priority Issues of Democracy and Civil Rights - A survey of public opinion in Iran conducted in the last quarter of 2016 shows that even though a large majority of Iranians (75%) rated advancing democracy and protecting personal and civil rights among their highest priorities in 2015, 70% of Iranians said they were "dissatisfied" with their government's handling of these issues in 2016. 01/21/17
32 Telegram Users Arrested In Iran On Charges Of Publishing Profanity - Head of Hormozgan Province Department of Justice announced that 32 managers and users of the instant messaging service, Telegram in the province have been arrested on charges of publishing profanity. Telegram is one of the only social media services that is not blocked by the Iranian government; however, conservative factions have repeatedly called for tightening of state control over its usage by the public. 01/20/17
PHOTOS: 30 Firefighters Die, Over 100 People Missing As Tehran High-Rise Collapses After Fire - A massive fire erupted on Thursday in a mega mall in downtown Tehran, the city's most populous area, bringing the whole the 17-story building down. Thirty firefighters have lost their lives, according to IRIB. Death toll is expected to rise. More than 100 people are estimated to have been trapped under rubble. 01/19/17
Why Coercion Is a Recipe for Failure with Iran - OpponeIran has put on display its latest achievements in the area of space technology during a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials. The Exhibition of Space Achievements was held in Tehran on Wednesday to mark the ninth National Space Technology Day.nts of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord have criticized the deal because it did not end uranium enrichment or limit missile development by Iran. With the Trump administration, some see an opportunity to undermine the agreement by imposing more non-nuclear sanctions on Iran. The assumption is that this could provoke Tehran to withdraw from the deal, snapping back the 'crippling' sanctions, which-according to common wisdom-brought the country to the negotiating table in 2013. -Tytti Erasto 01/18/17
Interview with Loris Tjeknavorian: A Country That's Got It All Is Still Poor without Art - Loris Tjeknavorian is one of the most prominent composers and conductors, one of the most celebrated cultural figures in Iran and Armenia. Born on 13 October, 1937 in Borujerd, Loris Tjeknovarian is also one of the leading conductors of his generation. He has led international orchestras throughout the world: in Austria, UK, US, Canada, Hungary, Copenhagen, Iran, Finland, Russia, Armenia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Africa and Denmark. 01/18/17
PROFILES: Iranian woman motorcycle racer Baran Hadizadeh - Up at the crack of dawn Baran Hadizadeh starts her day of motocross practice, a routine she goes for three times a week. Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. Taking her heavyweight motorbike in tow, she drives to the racing track in Hashtgerd, outskirt of Tehran, to live her dream, one day at a time. -Marjan Golpira 01/16/17
Iranian President Scrambles To Sell Nuclear Deal As A Win For Tehran - Iranian President Hassan Rohani was riding a wave of optimism one year ago. The long-negotiated nuclear deal with world powers he had sold to Iranians as an end to their economic woes was finally being implemented. But as the first anniversary of implementation day approaches on January 16, Rohani has been saddled by the high expectations he set, as Iran's economy continues to struggle and the great boost in foreign investment and other benefits he envisioned has so far failed to materialize. -Frud Bezhan 01/16/17
IMVBox: A whole new world of Iranian movies at your fingertips - IMVBox.com is the world's leading online distributor of high-quality Iranian cinema. Its Video On Demand service houses the largest legally-assembled library of Iranian feature films, documentaries, TV shows and short films. Thousands of hours of content all easily accessible across multiple devices, all offering a high-quality playback experience. The platform uses a subscription-based model that requires members to pay either a monthly or annual fee. One month of premimum subscription free of charge for payvand.com visitors! 01/13/17
DEEP OATH: Painting exhibition by Narenj Kazemi - If it is bread that you seek, you will have bread \ If it is the soul you seek, you will find the soul \ If you understand this secret, \ you know you are that which you seek 01/9/17
PHOTOS: Iranian-Armenian Contemporary Art Exhibition "Solidarity" opens in Tehran - An Exhibition of Armenian Pioneer artists titled Meeting (Didar) opened on January 6, 2017 at Maryam Art Gallery in Tehran. The exhibition, held with the cooperation of Ardak Manoukian Museum, is to honor the influence of Armenian artists on Iranian contemporary art. 01/7/17
Meet An Entrepreneur Iranian Woman: Carpet Weaving Expert Nahid Hosseini - Nahid Hosseini, 49, is a carpet weaving instructor who exports hand-woven carpets made by her trainees to European countries. Hosseini learned carpet weaving in her childhood from her father, Seifoddin Hosseini, who himself was an exemplary carpet producer and a top carpet weaving instructor. -Mojtaba Heidari 01/4/17
37 Top U.S. Scientists Urge Trump To Preserve Iran Nuclear Deal - Dozens of top U.S. scientists have called on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to uphold the nuclear deal reached with Iran, calling it "a strong bulwark against an Iranian nuclear-weapons program." The letter was organized by physicist Richard L. Garwin, known for helping design the world's first hydrogen bomb. The 37 signatories of the letter include a Nobel laureate, former White House science advisers, and prominent academics. 01/3/17
Photos: Sculptor Qodratollah Aqeli's new exhibit criticizes social behavior - "The Peculiarity of Creatures", an exhibition of sculptures by Qodratollah Aqeli, has criticized the daily social behavior of people. The exhibit, which opened in Tehran's Sareban Gallery on Friday, showcases a collection of about twenty busts and sculptures. 01/2/17
PHOTOS: Mehrastan Castle in Sistan and Baluchistan, Iran - Mehrastan Historic Castle located in Sistan and Baluchistan province dates back to more than 400 years ago. The castle is on the verge of destruction and needs special attention of officials to allocate budget for repair. 01/1/17
PHOTOS: Foreign Tourists Visiting Historical Houses In Kashan, Iran - Since the signing of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers in July 2015, there has been a big jump in travel by foreign tourists to Iran. One of the favorite destinations for the tourists is Kashan in central Iran where they can visit numerous historical houses from the 18th and 19th centuries that illustrate the finest examples of architecture from the Qajar era. 12/26/16
PHOTOS: Shahzadeh Garden, A Jewel In The Desert - The historical Shazdeh (Prince) Garden is located in the Kerman desert near Mahan. The Garden is a fine example of Persian gardens that take advantage of suitable natural climate. This magnificent garden known as "a corner in heaven" has been registered on UNESCO's World Heritage List as one of the masterpieces of traditional gardens. 12/13/16
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