The Iranian government has allocated at least 360 trillion rials ($600 million) to its propaganda activities in the current calendar year (March 21, 2024 – 20 March 2025) amid a deep economic crisis.
The sudden arrest of Sadegh Zibakalam, a vocal Iranian academic, may signal to other tolerated critics that they too, even if they haven't advocated for regime change, might now face the threat of arrest.
Rivalry over power, influence and money among Iranian hardliners has turned into public mudslinging, after they began their successful bid in 2020 to gain full control over state institutions.
To defend a covert agreement to procure traffic equipment from China, the Tehran Municipality has erected banners and billboards across the capital, which critics argue "denigrate" domestic producers.
Iran’s government was widely criticized and mocked Saturday, after the Interior Minister called “epic” the run-off parliamentary elections that recorded the lowest turnout in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic.
The vote tally from Iran's run-off parliamentary elections on May 10, conducted amid widespread voter apathy, shows that in Tehran and most major cities, over 90% of eligible voters stayed home.
Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi told the international community on Saturday that if diplomacy fails to resolve the current crisis in the region, the only viable option is to support the people of Iran.
Iran might already possess a nuclear weapon, an insider politician in Tehran said on Friday, after remarks by a senior foreign policy figure the day before about a possible change in nuclear policy.
While the May 10 runoff parliamentary election appears to be a non-event for most Iranians, a politician suggests that widespread dissatisfaction with the government may lead to a very low turnout.
An Iranian cleric says that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has assured embattled Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf that he will keep his position as the Speaker of Iran's Parliament, amid a push by hardliners to unseat him.
The spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards dismissed the exodus of doctors as "enemy pretexts for psychological operations" against Iran in a bid to downplay the crisis.
Prominent conservative politician Mohammad Reza Bahonar says that government funds are scarce and oil sales alone cannot meet the country’s basic needs, adding to the recent criticism of President Ebrahim Raisi's economic policies.
Iran’s judiciary has confirmed that political commentator Sadegh Zibakalam has been sent to prison prison on charges including “making false statements and engaging in propaganda activities against the regime.”