Iran Insights

Tehran may be poised to carry out a politically explosive crackdown on Islamic veiling after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a directive to step up enforcement according to a leaked directive.

The decision by Iran’s state broadcaster to produce a film about a female presenter whose image went viral when Israeli missiles hit its headquarters has sparked a wave of criticism and accusations of political propaganda.

Under unprecedented strain at home and abroad after the June war, Tehran is adopting new tones and messaging to steady its own base.

Tehran's crackdowns on media persist despite the state’s mounting political and economic troubles, with bans of various forms imposed on those who drifts beyond acceptable bounds.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is trying to turn Iran’s mounting economic turmoil into political capital, casting himself as a problem-solver while President Massoud Pezeshkian takes political blows for perceived inaction.

Mounting pressure on President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration from hardline opponents and an ailing economy appears to be cutting deep into his inner circle, triggering resignations, public spats and mistrust.

Tehran’s messaging this week suggests it may be open to a limited agreement with Washington, but its preconditions leave little room for a deal that US President Donald Trump deemed 'probable' this week.

Tehran is once again tiptoeing around the issue of gasoline prices under the long shadow of November 2019 protests that became one of the bloodiest crackdowns in the Islamic Republic’s history.

The sudden closure of the Tehran Design Week exhibition at Tehran University has ignited a storm of reactions—from hardline groups that pushed for its shutdown to students and sympathizers who lamented the decision.

A new school curriculum mandated by Iran’s education ministry has cast a 12-day war with Israel in June as a national triumph, underscoring a bid by the country's clerical rulers to boost support following the punishing conflict.

Tehran’s fraught relationship with the UN nuclear watchdog is set to enter a more confrontational phase as the IAEA Board of Governors meets in Vienna this week to vote on a Western-backed resolution censuring Iran for non-cooperation.

Tehran is turning to quieter, more insidious forms of repression: cutting citizens off from their mobile phone numbers without notice or pressuring them to shut down their often popular social-media accounts.

Iran’s strategy post-war and post-UN sanctions appears to have taken shape into what some in Tehran media have called “armed negotiations,” warning that it could make a thaw with Washington less likely.

The arrest of two men waving the pre-1979 Iranian flag at a Tehran subway station on Wednesday led to discussion among Iranians about the prospects of renewed protests and fundamental change in Iran.

Hardline media in Tehran have launched an unusual defence of President Massoud Pezeshkian, accusing the moderates who backed his rise of undermining him and even pushing for his resignation.

Iran’s economy is now defined by a widening gulf between rich and poor and the rapid disappearance of the middle class, with a constant stream of corruption scandals adding to the daily hardship millions already face.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is coming under growing pressure for what critics call his failure to match tough talk on economic reform with concrete action.

The debut of Tehran Fashion Week, held as part of Tehran Design Week, has set social media abuzz as the officially sanctioned fashion on show looked nothing like its past editions which extolled Islamic modesty.