Israeli bombs shattered homes—and our sense of safety
This is Tehran, two weeks after the ceasefire with Israel. Shops are open, people are out, the air is as polluted as ever—and the dread that began last month still hasn’t lifted.
Society
Iran puts flag before faith after war with Israel
Tehran’s patriotic messaging in the wake of the war with Israel reached new heights when Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in his first public appearance since the ceasefire, requested that a patriotic song be sung at the year’s flagship religious ceremony.
Activists urge Iran to stop deporting Afghans amid post-war crackdown
More than 1,300 activists, artists, and journalists from both Iran and Afghanistan have signed an open letter addressed to the Islamic Republic, calling for an immediate halt to the mass deportation of Afghans, which has intensified following the Israel war.
Faces of the fallen: the innocent lives snuffed out in Israeli attacks
Israel’s twelve days of air attacks on Iran killed hundreds of civilians—among them an eight-year-old gymnast in a red dress whose last joyful dance has become a symbol of the war’s human cost.
After punishing conflict, Iranians doubt Khamenei victory declaration
Iranians speaking via Iran International's submission line doubted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s declaration of victory over the United States and Israel in a televised speech on Thursday.
Evin prison was meant to fall not by bombs but the people's will
I’ve spent time in Evin, Iran’s most notorious prison, the one Israel bombed on Monday. Half a dozen of my closest friends have been there too. Do we want it flattened, turned into a park? Yes. Are we pleased it was bombed? No.
Grief, rage, solidarity: Iranians under fire, out of sight
The war may have begun as a clash between Israel and the Islamic Republic, but for many Iranians now caught in the crossfire, it has become an intimate reality, marked by both grief and rare solidarity.
A broadcaster bombed: why many Iranians welcomed strike on IRIB
Israel’s airstrike on Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB may raise legal questions for scholars of war, but for many Iranians, it felt like a long-overdue punch to the face of the Islamic Republic.
In rubble, not in court: Hajizadeh’s death and the voices of PS752
So much has happened since Israel began striking Iran that the killing of IRGC aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh already feels half-buried—but not to those who lost loved ones on Flight PS752, shot down by the forces under his command.
Missiles overhead, Khamenei underground: Iranians face the fallout
"The contrast between the defiance projected on X by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his appearance in two recent video addresses—broadcast from what appears to be a bunker—could hardly be starker."
Friends of the Iranian people? The dead beg to differ
Five days have passed since the war began. Last night, Donald Trump told us to leave Tehran—but didn’t say where.
Panic in Tehran: exodus as Israel strikes for a fourth day
Panic-stricken residents began fleeing Tehran on Sunday as Israeli strikes and air defense fire rocked the city, sending thick plumes of smoke into the skyline of a capital unprepared for war.
After young woman's murder, Iranian women open up about persistent threats
The killing of 24-year-old Elahe Hosseinnejad by a driver from a ride-hailing app has deeply jarred Iranian women who say they live in daily fear on buses, in taxis and on the streets.
Iran amputates hands of two thieves in Isfahan
Iran has carried out amputation sentences on two people convicted of theft in Isfahan Central Prison, the head of the Isfahan Justice Department announced on Tuesday.
South Korean lawyers reject any settlement in Iranian athletes' rape case
Lawyers of a South Korean woman allegedly raped by Iranian athletes during the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships say Seoul has full jurisdiction over the case, which may lead to life sentences under domestic sexual violence laws, rejecting any external pressure for a settlement.
Murder of young Iranian woman reignites debates on sexism and justice
The murder of 24-year-old Elahe Hosseinnejad gripped Iran, sparking grief and anger over gender violence, legal discrimination and the state’s failure to protect women.
Iranians are accused of waste while struggling with shortages
People in Iran are often accused of contributing to the country’s economic woes through wasteful habits—not just by officials, but by one another. But how much truth is there to these claims?
Iran extends dog walking bans to more than 20 cities as crackdown widens
Iranian prosecutors have expanded a ban on dog walking to more than 20 cities across the country, building on similar restrictions first introduced in the capital Tehran in 2019.
Average red meat intake in Iran drops by over half as millions go without
Iran’s average meat consumption has dropped to as little as seven kilograms per person annually from an average of 18, with some citizens eating none at all, according to Masoud Rasouli, secretary of the Meat Production and Packaging Association.
Desperate odds: inside Iran’s quiet gambling boom
Despite legal and religious prohibitions, online gambling is quietly on the rise in Iran, offering an illusory hope of gain to many worn out by economic hardship.
Iran closes beauty brand’s Instagram account over female rappers promo
Iranian authorities have shut down the Instagram page of a popular beauty brand after it released a promotional rap music video featuring young female hip hop artists, in the latest official move against the creative advertising industry.
Iran’s ‘hell’ exhibit goes cold on final night after technical glitch
A theatrical “hell” installation staged by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards failed to deliver its fiery finale after technical issues left the exhibit cold on its final night, the online newspaper Faraz reported.