Commentary / World Feb 15, 2021
Iran drops the fig leaf of its nuclear fatwa
by Bobby Ghosh
The decree was always more political than religious - designed to provide cover for whatever nuclear course was expedient for Tehran at any given time.
World / Politics | ANALYSIS Feb 17, 2020
Khamenei loyalists likely to tighten grip in Iran elections
by Parisa Hafezi
Hard-liners are set to tighten control of Iran this week in a parliamentary election stacked in their favor, as the leadership closes ranks in a deepening confrontation with Washington. Big gains by security hawks would confirm the political demise of the country's pragmatist politicians, weakened ...
World Jan 18, 2020
Iran's Khamenei stands by Guard after unrest over downed plane
Iran's supreme leader threw his support behind the elite Revolutionary Guard in a rare sermon on Friday after their belated admission that they had accidentally downed an airliner triggered days of street protests. In his first Friday sermon in eight years, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also ...
World Jan 15, 2020
Iran social media posts call for more protests after plane disaster
Iranian social media posts urged citizens to take to the streets for a fifth day on Wednesday, after public anger erupted following the belated admission by the authorities that they had shot down a passenger plane in error last week. Protesters, with students at the ...
World Dec 26, 2019
Iran curbs internet before possible new protests, reports say
Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests were expected to kick off following calls for demonstrations on social media. Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in ...
World Dec 26, 2019
Do whatever it takes: How Khamenei ordered crackdown on Iranian unrest
After days of protests across Iran last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared impatient. Gathering his top security and government officials together, he issued an order: Do whatever it takes to stop them. That order, confirmed by three sources close to the supreme leader's ...
World Nov 21, 2019
Iran's President Rouhani claims victory over unrest that Amnesty says left at least 106 dead
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared on Wednesday that street unrest had been put down in a victory over foreign enemies, after a wave of violent demonstrations swept the country following a hike in fuel prices last week. Amnesty International said it had documented at least ...
World / Politics Oct 14, 2019
Khamenei tells Iran's Revolutionary Guard to develop advanced, modern weapons
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday to develop more advanced and modern weapons, amid increasingly tense disputes with the United States and Gulf Arab states. Tensions in the Gulf have risen to new highs since May 2018, when the ...
World Sep 17, 2019
Iran rules out talks as Trump links Tehran to Saudi Arabia oil attack
Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out talks with Washington after President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for an attack on Saudi oil facilities that knocked out half the kingdom's output. Trump said on Monday that it looked like Iran was behind the weekend strike at ...
World / Politics Jun 25, 2019
Iran says U.S. sanctions on supreme leader close diplomatic path 'forever'
Iran said the path to a diplomatic solution with the U.S. had closed after the Trump administration imposed sanctions against its supreme leader and other top officials, ramping up tensions further in the Middle East. President Donald Trump on Monday slapped sanctions on Iranian Supreme ...
National / Politics | FOCUS Jun 14, 2019
After Tehran visit, hurdles remain high for Abe in bid to mediate between U.S. and Iran
by Noriyuki Suzuki
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has embarked on an ambitious endeavor to play the role of international mediator in the hope of charting a course for dialogue between Tehran and Washington. As the first Japanese prime minister to visit Iran since 1978, Abe received assurances from ...
National / Politics Jun 14, 2019
At Trump's request, Abe asked Iran to release American captives, source says
Japan’s first prime minister to visit Iran in 41 years tried to win the release of at least four Americans, including a sailor sentenced to a decade in prison.