Iran

Iran defrocks cleric after challenge to state-backed Shiite narratives

Iran’s Special Clerical Court has sentenced dissident cleric Abdolrahim Soleimani Ardestani to six years in prison, a fine and removal from the clergy, months after his public challenge to state-backed Shiite narratives drew threats and political pressure.

As prices soar, Iranian diets shrink to survival level

Citizens across Iran say soaring food prices have reduced household diets to the bare minimum needed to stave off hunger, with nutrition and variety increasingly out of reach.

Iran eco-tourism operators warn of closures as travel dries up

Tourism businesses report empty rooms, mounting losses and growing pressure to cut jobs as rising living costs push travel out of reach for many households.

Iranian teens say rising costs turn simple wishes into distant dreams

Simple pleasures, personal goals and everyday purchases have become out of reach for many Iranian teenagers, who told Iran International that economic hardship is reshaping their lives and dimming their hopes for the future.

Iran judge says asset seizures will weaken diaspora’s anti-regime protests

Confiscations of assets belonging to exiled Iranians will weaken their protests in front of the Islamic Republic’s embassies overseas, a judge said on Tuesday.

'Nothing is over': Iran-Israel conflict enters a new phase

Iran and Israel have paused direct attacks, but Tehran's latest warning suggests the conflict may be evolving rather than ending.

What Israel hit at Iran's Karoon Petrochemical and why it matters

A strike on the Karoon Petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran on Monday put the spotlight on a key industrial facility with roles in both civilian production and sectors tied by Israel and Western governments to Iran's military capabilities.

Student protests over university entrance exam rules continue across Iran

Student protests over Iran’s university entrance exam system continued on Sunday, spreading across at least 20 provinces as pupils demanded changes to rules that give school grades a decisive role in university admissions.

Inside Rasht's bloody crackdown: witnesses detail secret removals of bodies

Security forces opened fire on protesters, blocked medical aid and secretly removed bodies as they crushed demonstrations in Rasht, northern Iran, during January’s nationwide uprising, eyewitness accounts and documents sent to Iran International show.

British couple jailed in Iran remain on hunger strike as health fears grow

A British couple imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison remain on hunger strike over access restrictions, raising health concerns as one of them is now barely able to walk, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International.

Can Trump crack Iran's negotiating playbook?

As US-Iran talks stall over Tehran's demand for billions of dollars in frozen assets, the Trump administration faces a familiar challenge: whether it can force a deal before Iran's long-standing strategy of delay reshapes the terms of negotiation.

Iranian Kurdish parties say they received no weapons from Israel or US

Three Iranian Kurdish opposition groups denied Israeli media reports that the Mossad and CIA had armed Kurdish fighters as part of a plan to help bring down Iran’s government.

Stolen Revolution: new book traces Iran’s path from revolution to mafia state

As Iran grapples with its most severe crisis since 1979, a new book by journalists Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin is revisiting how a revolution built on promises of justice and equality turned into what the authors describe as a mafia state.

Shortages of addiction medicines raise fears of relapse in Iran

Shortages and rising prices of addiction treatment medicines are disrupting care for many people with substance dependence in Iran, raising concerns that patients could relapse or turn to more dangerous drugs, a former addiction treatment official said on Thursday.