- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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, 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
Frank Gaffney Is Behind New Anti-Muslim Interfaith Group - The day before Donald Trump's inauguration, a new interfaith coalition of clergy announced their launch with a press conference urging the new president to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Such a designation might allow the government to expand its surveillance and targeting of American Muslims. -Eli Clifton, LobeLog 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
Take Action: :What does Trump's ban on Iranians and Muslims mean for you? - This morning we obtained a copy of what we expect is the Executive Order that Donald Trump will now reportedly sign tomorrow to ban Iranians and others from visiting the U.S. This is as dire and draconian as any of us could have anticipated. While this is not confirmed to be the final, official order, we have no reason to doubt its authenticity. Based on this document we offer the following initial analysis -NIAC 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
Trump Said Readying Temporary Bans On Refugees, Some Muslim Visitors - U.S. media are reporting that President Donald Trump, starting on January 25, will order sweeping anti-immigration measures, including a temporary ban on refugees and suspension of U.S. visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and other Muslim countries. 01/25/17
NIAC Condemns Trump Plan to Ban Visitors from Iran and Muslim-Majority Countries - The National Iranian American Council released the following statement regarding reports that President Trump plans to issue an Executive Order tomorrow banning refugees and visa holders from Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States: "Donald Trump is making good on the most shameful and discriminatory promises he made on the campaign trail. He called for a Muslim ban and is now taking the first steps to implement one. This will not stand. The American people are better than this.,,, 01/25/17
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
Iranian Oil Official Sees Potential For US Partnership Under Trump - A senior Iranian energy official sees "a great potential for engagement and partnership in Iran for American companies" under US President Donald Trump. Trump, a property magnate who took office on Friday, has called the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran "the worst deal ever negotiated" and threatened to annul or renegotiate it - a scenario which Tehran has squarely rejected. 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
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
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
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
Open Letter to President Trump: Serving American Interests by Engaging the Iranian People - Dear President Trump: On behalf of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), we write to wish you success in uniting our nation and bridging partisan divides after a divisive election. PAAIA works to advance the voice of Iranian Americans as it affects our interests in the U.S. as well as to offer our perspectives on U.S. policy toward Iran. The Iranian American community is dedicated to protecting America's national interests. They are patriots who contribute greatly to America through their accomplishments, diversity and support for peace and diplomacy. 01/24/17
Iran Says Too Early To Evaluate Trump - Iran says it is too early to assess U.S. President Donald Trump because his stance on many issues is not yet fully known. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on January 23 that "we cannot yet have an accurate evaluation of [Trump's] positions" because "unlike the previous presidents...[Trump] is not clear and certain on his views." 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
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
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
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
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
How Persian shadow theater is bringing an Iranian epic to life - One day last summer, Hamid Rahmanian was in his graphic design studio in New York, thinking about how to adapt a classic Persian story to the stage. Shahnameh, or "The Book of Kings," is one of the world's longest epic poems. Rahmanian, who grew up in the Iranian capital of Tehran, had already adapted it into an intricate illustrated book. Now he wanted audiences to see it live. -Daniel A. Gross, WUNC 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
4th Annual Farhang Connect celebration in Los Angeles - Join Farhang Foundation's Generations Council for the 4th Annual FARHANG CONNECT celebration on Saturday February 4, 2017 at Riviera 31 in Los Angeles. Featuring a Persian musical performance and demo by maestros Hamid Saeidi & Mehrdad Arabi, plus music by Dj Arin. 01/23/17
One year later, the Iran nuclear deal is a success by any measure - This past Monday, January 16, marked a full year since the oft-debated nuclear agreement between the United States, its negotiating partners, and Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was officially implemented. -John F. Tierney, The Hill 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
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
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
Iranian Civil Rights Activist Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison at 10-Minute Mass Trial Released - Civil rights advocate Aso Rostami-whose initial mass trial with three other activists lasted "barely 10 minutes"-was released from Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj on January 15, 2017 at the end of his two-year prison sentence for engaging in peaceful activism. He was initially sentenced to seven years, but the term was reduced upon appeal. 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
Fajr Music Festival ends in shock over Tehran building collapse - The 32nd Fajr International Music Festival came to end on Friday night with a big shock over the collapse of the Plasco Building in Tehran after a fierce fire in the 17-storey commercial center on Thursday. All the festival's closing performances were dedicated to the victims of the incident. 01/21/17
Hardliners Pressuring Rouhani to Ban Popular Telegram App, This Time for 2017 Election - The Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned that Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi has called on President Hassan Rouhani to block access to Telegram, Iran's most widely used messaging application, ahead of the upcoming presidential election scheduled for May 19, 2017. 01/21/17
Can Europe Save The Iran Deal? - It's no secret that many of President-elect Donald Trump's advisers favor killing the Iran nuclear deal. But to hear Europe tell it, they will not blindly follow suit. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini recently said Europe might line up with Russia against any efforts by the Trump administration to scuttle the deal -Reza Marashi, LobeLog 01/21/17
What US policymakers can learn about Iran from the life and death of Rafsanjani - On the eve of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's death, he was no longer a hardliner. But he wasn't a reformist either. Many Western newspapers described him as 'Iran's ex-president' in their elegies of him but his legacy dwarfs that characterisation. US policymakers should study both his life and the reaction to his death to understand the complexities of the Iranian nezam or system. -Adam Weinstein, London School of Economics 01/21/17
PHOTOS: Rescue operations underway after high-rise collapse in Iran - Iranian rescue workers are digging tunnels to reach the underground stories of the ageing high-rise that collapsed in downtown Tehran amid ongoing search operations to retrieve those trapped. Plasco Building caught fire in early Thursday and came down only hours later, blockading 25 to 30 people under the detritus. 01/20/17
30 Firefighters Dead in Tehran's Commercial Building Fire, Collapse - Iranian rescue teams and dozens of trucks worked through the night searching the ruins trying to reach trapped firefighters and other victims a day after a historic high-rise building in the heart of Tehran caught fire and later collapsed, killing at least 30 firefighters and injuring more than 80 people. -Michael Lipin, VOA 01/20/17
NIAC Concerned That U.S. Banks are Denying Financial Services to Iranians in the U.S. - Over the past few years, Iranian visa-holders resident in the United States have seen their bank accounts at U.S. financial institutions shuttered as a result of U.S. sanctions. The most recent case is that of Chase Bank, where NIAC has learned that Chase is closing the bank accounts of Iranian visa-holders. 01/20/17
Iran regards tourism a fountain of wealth - Iran regards tourism industry a source for generating wealth, and is seeking to make the best use of positive atmosphere created in the wake of the nuclear deal, known as JCPOA, signed in January 2016. 01/20/17
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
BOOK: Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Empire of Iran - The Pahlavi Era by O James Younessi - This book is an astonishing effort in categorization of the Pre-revolutionary Iranian awards. Museums, historians, auction houses, numismatists, collectors, and interest groups particularly in the hostile post-revolutionary milieu of the Islamic Republic were hampered by lack of solid information in this particular area of Iranian modern history... -Darius KADIVAR 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
PHOTOS: Iran's president test-drives electric car on National Clean Air Day - On the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani took a tour by some of his ministers to check the products of three knowledge-based companies manufacturing electric cars and motorcycles. The Iranian president was briefed on the capabilities and quality of the products, including the two-seat electric car Yooz, produced by the Islamic Azad University of Qazvin, as well as two electric motorcycles manufactured by two other research centers. 01/19/17
President Rouhani: JCPOA belied allegations against Iran - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the historic deal over Iran's nuclear program and its implementation belied claims about the country seeking weapons of mass destruction and demonstrated the honesty and sincerity of the Islamic Republic. Rouhani made the remarks in a press conference attended by some 200 Iranian and foreign reporters in Tehran on Tuesday on the first anniversary of the implementation of the country's nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 01/18/17
Why Coercion Is a Recipe for Failure with Iran - Opponents 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
Tehran Prosecutor Goes on the Defensive Over Hunger-Striking Political Prisoners - In an apparent response to growing pressure to resolve the issue, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi has criticized media coverage of a wave of hunger strikes in Iran by political prisoners, as well as the request by a conservative member of Parliament for the Judiciary to review the case of Ali Shariati. 01/14/17
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
Iranian-Swedish Disaster Medicine Expert Held in Iran Jail for Nine Months, on Hunger Strike Since December 25 - In yet another case of a foreign resident or dual national from a western country grabbed and imprisoned in Iran without access to a lawyer or any other aspect of due process, Iranian-born Swedish resident and expert in emergency disaster medicine Ahmadreza Jalali has been held in Evin Prison for almost nine months. He is now approaching three weeks on hunger strike in protest against his detainment. 01/13/17
As Trump guns for Iran Deal, can its Reformists survive death of Hashemi-Rafsanjani? - Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's death on Sunday January 8 in Tehran at the age of 82 marks the end of an era in Iran's post-revolutionary history. After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, in 1989, Hashemi-Rafsanjani's death will have the most significant impact on Iranian politics. -Farhang Jahanpour 01/12/17
PHOTOS: Iran's Rafsanjani Laid To Rest In Tehran - The funeral of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is being held in Tehran. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians jammed streets around Tehran University, where Rafsanjani was laying in state on January 10. A national holiday has been declared. 01/10/17
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 teenage girl pulls 3 cars with her teeth - Iranian 16-year-old girl, Faezeh Sarlak, has pulled three cars with her teeth 4.06 meters to register her name in the World Federation as the first female Iranian athlete in the field. She is the first Iranian female athlete who has been able to drag three cars with teeth, but her record still needs to be recognized by the Guinness World Records. 01/8/17
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
CONCERT: Songs of My Homeland - "Diaspora Arts Connection" and "Gilgamesh Art & Culture Foundation" Are pleased to present a very unique combination of World Music of Shirazi, Assyrian, Ghoochani, Armenian, Kurdish, Jewish, Gorgani, Azeri and Persian cultures, under the baton of Honiball Joseph. The concert will feature talented solo singers, "Iranian Choir of America" and "Gilgamesh Philharmonic Orchestra". 01/6/17
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
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 01/28/1775
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