Iran
Iran’s Troll Army
Financing troll armies, pseudo-intellectuals, pundits and commentators whose day jobs boil down to waging wars on X is now the forte of a government that has officially banned the site.
The Costs of Iran's Hijab War
When it comes to the compulsory hijab, there is also a political element at play: The Iranian government perceives the hijab battlefield as a catalyst of its dominance over the restive masses, a propeller of its perpetuity and a red line it doesn’t wish to see crossed so that it’s not required to make new concessions on civil liberties.
Javad Zarif’s Checkered Legacy
Iran’s U.S.-educated former top diplomat has claimed that Donald Trump was eyeing a fresh agreement with Iran after walking away from the original nuclear deal and offered to meet Zarif at least twice, but Zarif was not allowed to.
A Shadowy Paramilitary Group Leads the Bloody Crackdown on Iran’s College Campuses
The bloody crackdowns at universities across Iran are not being led by the usual suspects — the police, the IRGC or its Basij militia. Rather, the brutal repression is being driven by a shadowy paramilitary group almost unknown beyond Iran’s borders.
‘Holy Spider’ Spins a Web of Iran’s Contradictions
The film's ending reveals its primary theme: that reality is structured by a fiction, which is the condition of the possibility for misogyny to exist. The underlying structure of the society being depicted is one of absurdity, allowing contradictions to abound.
Saudi Arabia and Iran Poised to Share the Region’s Spoils – On China’s Terms
Nobody is under the illusion that the hatred and rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh will meaningfully abate, though it might result in some relief for the long-suffering populations living in their proxy battlefields. But whatever peace has been brokered had nothing to do with America and its waned regional influence. The Saudis and the Iranians are poised uncomfortably to share the Middle East again, but on China’s terms.
How Two Months at an Iranian Seminary Changed My Life
I was in this isolated and authoritarian institution because I had been invited by the Iranian government as part of a delegation of Latin American religious students. I’ve written this under a pseudonym as I’m still wary, even scared, of the possible repercussions. The experience shook me to my core, reshaping not only my fundamental political values but also my spiritual beliefs.