The night air on Jan. 8 in northeastern Tehran filled with chants rising in defiance. Among them stood Pooya Faragerdi, a violinist whose life was measured in music and a heart that beat for Iran. Then came the gunfire.
During state-organized rallies marking Iran’s 1979 revolution anniversary, demonstrators in several cities burned large statues of a horned, bull-headed figure identified by organizers as “Baal,” an ancient deity referenced in biblical and Islamic tradition.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, a physician-turned-politician, said in the olden days a doctor working in a remote area made six thousand dollars a month while “as president, now I make a thousand dollars a month.”
The United Nations said a congratulatory letter sent by Secretary-General António Guterres to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution was a routine diplomatic gesture and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Tehran’s policies.
Free expression group ARTICLE 19 said China has spent more than a decade helping Iran build one of the world’s most restrictive internet control systems, supplying technology and a governance model used for censorship, surveillance and shutdowns.
The Canadian Senate held a hearing on Tuesday on a new immigration and border security bill with much of the discussion focusing on individuals allegedly linked to the Islamic Republic living freely in Canada.
Weeks after Iran’s bloody January crackdown, intimate tragedies are emerging from the silence, among them the story of a young auto mechanic and his dog.
Hundreds of messages sent to Iran International from Iranians inside the country urge US President Donald Trump not to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, warning that talks would legitimize repression and betray protesters killed by security forces.
Middle East analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov says people close to President Trump believe he is likely to strike Iran, arguing the Islamic Republic’s failure against Israel revealed a “paper tiger” abroad — even as it remains ruthlessly lethal toward its own citizens.
Australian Senator Raff Ciccone, Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and a co-sponsor of a bipartisan Senate motion condemning Iran’s crackdown on protests, said Australia was standing firmly with the people of Iran.
The Australian Senate on Thursday passed a motion condemning Iran’s crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December, citing killings, mass arrests and internet blackouts imposed on civilians.
US investigators are examining whether cryptocurrency platforms were used to help Iranian officials and state-linked actors evade sanctions, a blockchain researcher told Reuters, as crypto use rose sharply in Iran amid currency weakness and political unrest.
An Iranian diplomat posted in Austria has left his assignment and sought asylum in Switzerland, informed sources told Iran International on Tuesday.
Iran could launch its Hatef-3 satellite on a Simorgh rocket by the end of the current Iranian year in March, the head of the country’s space agency said on Tuesday, adding that compatibility tests are under way.
Australia imposed new sanctions on 20 individuals and three entities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accusing them of involvement in a violent crackdown on protests.
Reza Bahmani Alijanvand, a 34-year-old Iranian protester, disappeared after attending protests in the central Iranian city of Shahin Shahr on January 8, and was later found dead in the cold storage of a cemetery, people familiar with the matter told Iran International.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran was ready for diplomacy and said he hoped there would be results soon, as Iran weighs possible talks with the United States.
Security forces were given free rein to use lethal force during the January 8–9 crackdown to spread fear and deter further protests in Iran, a senior government official said in a closed-door meeting, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Several Afghan migrants were killed during Iran’s recent nationwide protests, with some taking part alongside Iranian demonstrators and others shot despite having no direct involvement, a source confirmed to Afghanistan International.
Iran showed no sign of shifting its stance toward the United States at a joint press conference with Turkey on Friday, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran had no plan to meet US officials and would not negotiate under threats or preconditions.
Iranian bank branches are facing growing shortages of cash as demand for banknotes rises sharply, prompting informal daily withdrawal caps of 30 million to 50 million rials per customer (about $18 to $30), Iranian media reported.
The possibility of US military action against Iran is eroding Iranians’ purchasing power and deepening their sense of insecurity, according to Iranian economic news outlets which provide a rare window into economic behavior amid an internet blackout.