Iran's internet is back, but still broken
International internet access has largely returned to Iran, but users and experts say the network remains degraded, unstable and significantly worse than before the war.
Iran Insights
Was the Iran war leverage or a lifeline for Tehran?
The Iran war left the Islamic Republic weaker than it had been in years. The question now is whether Washington will turn that weakness into leverage – or give Tehran room to recover through a new deal.
Hardline rallies turn Iran’s streets into pressure front against US talks
What began as street mourning for Ali Khamenei has become a nightly stage for Iran’s hardliners to attack negotiations with Washington, promote wartime defiance and pressure officials to follow the Supreme Leader’s red lines.
Iran factions clash over interim US deal as Trump weighs final call
The prospect of an interim agreement between Tehran and Washington has exposed deep divisions in Iran, with some officials presenting it as diplomatic progress while hardliners warn it could cross the Islamic Republic’s red lines.
How four Khamenei family names map the Islamic Republic’s inner circle
Names on a memorial poster for four relatives and in-laws of Ali Khamenei offer a rare snapshot of how family ties link Iran’s ruling household to parliament, elite universities and the Supreme Leader’s office.
Iran’s partial internet return exposes rift inside ruling system
Iran’s partial restoration of international internet access after nearly three months of blackout has opened a new fight inside the ruling system, with hardliners accusing President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government of bypassing powerful security and cyberspace institutions.
Prospect of US-Iran deal fuels attacks on Ghalibaf
Talk of a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington has intensified political attacks on parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a central figure in Iran’s diplomatic push and a politician widely seen as backing a more pragmatic approach to negotiations.
Hope for US-Iran deal faces hardliner hostility in Tehran
Hope for a limited US-Iran agreement gained momentum Friday as regional mediators intensified efforts to stabilize the ceasefire, but the fragile diplomacy faced hostility from Iranian hardliners who cast negotiations as a prelude to renewed conflict.
Iran scrambles for Omani back channel around the Hormuz blockade
A small port on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula has become part of Iran’s workaround to the maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, traders say, as goods once routed through the UAE are shifted through costlier channels.
The strange afterlife of Iran’s firebrand president
A New York Times report claiming former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was considered by some US officials for a post-war role in Iran triggered a storm of speculation, ridicule and conspiracy theories inside Iran.
Hardliners attack Pezeshkian over talks and wartime candor
President Masoud Pezeshkian has come under mounting attack from Iran’s hardline factions after publicly defending negotiations with the United States and warning that war and sanctions are inflicting serious economic damage on the country.
Calls for pragmatism grow in Iran but rulers appear unmoved
A growing range of political voices in Tehran are calling for realism abroad and reconciliation at home rather than deeper confrontation as Washington signals both openness to talks and readiness for further military action.
How Iran’s blackout warps online picture of public opinion
The comment section under an Iran post can look like a national mood but under a blackout well into its third month, it is often something narrower: a space shaped by whitelisted access, economic privilege, cyber operations and fear.
Tehran unsure whether Trump is bluffing or preparing for war
President Donald Trump’s claim that he postponed a planned military strike on Iran has deepened uncertainty in Tehran, where officials and analysts remain divided over whether Washington is bluffing, buying time or preparing for another round of strikes.
Iran state TV rifle displays stir unease over domestic intimidation
Iran’s state broadcaster is facing criticism after airing programs in which presenters and government supporters handled rifles and other weapons on camera, with critics saying the displays blurred wartime messaging with intimidation at home.
Iran’s café culture buckles as everyday life contracts
Iran’s deepening economic crisis is pushing cafés and coffee culture toward collapse, as soaring prices and falling incomes force both businesses and customers to cut back.
Tehran media sees rising risk of war as US talks stall
Tehran media coverage of the impasse with Washington following President Donald Trump’s visit to China points to growing frustration, with many insiders voicing concern that diplomacy has stalled and more confrontation may lie ahead.
Hormuz gives battered Iran room to wait out Trump, experts say
The Iran war has entered a more ambiguous phase, with the regime battered but not broken, the US struggling to define victory, and the Strait of Hormuz emerging as Iran’s most potent bargaining tool, two Middle East experts said at an Iran International townhall in Washington DC.
'Class internet' fuels anger in blackout-hit Iran
President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the creation of a special committee to end Iran’s internet blackout, but many Iranians doubt it can overcome resistance from powerful state institutions.
State TV emerges as battleground in Iran’s wartime infighting
Tehran commentariat and figures close to the establishment are increasingly accusing hardliners and state television of deepening divisions and undermining national unity as the country faces war, economic strain and growing public anxiety.
Earthquakes and storm revive Tehran’s fears of 'the big one'
A series of overnight earthquakes and a powerful dust storm rattled Tehran and nearby cities on Tuesday night, reviving fears of a catastrophic earthquake in a capital still psychologically scarred by recent war.
Tehran and Beijing close ranks as Trump heads to China
Ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in Beijing, Iranian officials rejected suggestions that US pressure could weaken Iran-China ties amid growing speculation over a possible Chinese mediation role in the Iran conflict.