Iranian clerics
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Political crisis in Iraq
Fighting for Shia hearts and minds
The clashes in Baghdad between supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr and pro-Iranian militias show that an intra-Shia power struggle is in full swing. An analysis from Cairo by Karim El-Gawhary
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Salman Rushdie attack
Summoning up Ayatollah Khomeini's spirit
Thirty-three years after Ayatollah Khomeini first issued his "Satanic Verses" fatwa, the attempt to kill Indian-born British writer Salman Rushdie in the United States proves just how destructive the political instrumentalisation of Islam is, writes Loay Mudhoon
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The Islamic Republic and Putin's war
Iran's sacred mission in Ukraine?
Since Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man, has openly and unconditionally come out in support of Putin's war in Ukraine, logistical help is on its way, with an allegedly civilian airline playing a key role. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Iran's corruptocracy
Why the Abadan building collapse matters
Days of protests across Iran followed the collapse of a high-rise building in the city of Abadan in May 2022. But why has the disaster become such a political issue? Rahman Bouzari and Ali Fathollah-Nejad report
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Iran and the Ukraine war
Ali Khamenei prepares for the future
The Ukraine war is changing the global geopolitical landscape. Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man, is already cosying up to Russia in anticipation of a harsh post-war reality. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Protests in Iran
Spiralling food prices fuel unrest
Since the government cut subsidies for food, prices in Iran have skyrocketed. Protests that broke out in Khuzestan province are now spreading across the Islamic Republic. By Sepehr Lorestani
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Ukraine war
Iran – at Putin's beck and call?
While Russia's watershed invasion of Ukraine has up-ended long-established European foreign and security policy paradigms, it also poses significant security challenges for countries throughout Eurasia and beyond. As Ali Fathollah-Nejad writes, Iran is by no means immune to the geopolitical changes underway
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Sexual violence
#MeToo revelations rock Iranian film industry
More than 800 Iranian filmmakers have signed a declaration against sexual harassment, coercion and violence in their industry. The public's response to their willingness to name and shame has been overwhelming. By Nasrin Bassiri
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War in Ukraine
Iran's conflict of interests
On the one hand, the Islamic rulers of Iran are sitting around the same table with the West to solve the nuclear conflict. On the other, their political ally Russia is at war with a European country – in direct contravention of United Nations articles. By Nasrin Bassiri
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Iranian economy
The causes of Iran's economic woes
Talks to salvage the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal have entered their eighth round in Vienna. Even if a deal is struck and some of the sanctions are lifted, the state of the Iranian economy is such that there can be little hope that any relief provided by a revived agreement will trickle down to the general population. By Ali Fathollah-Nejad
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Maryam Djahani's debut novel "Ungebremst durch Kermanschah"
Tearing through Kermanshah
In her debut novel "Ungebremst durch Kermanschah", Maryam Djahani draws readers into the life of a young woman desperate to assert herself against Iranian provincialism and her family. Gerrit Wustmann read the book for Qantara.de
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40th anniversary of the death of Shia scholar Allameh Tabatabai
The modest scholar of Qom
Right up until his death, Allameh Tabatabai dedicated himself to the revival of Shia Islam’s intellectual traditions. But few in the West have even heard of this exceptional philosopher. A portrait by Marian Brehmer