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30% of Iranian Students Drop Out of School
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In Iran today, one-third of students never make it to high school graduation. The numbers are stark: out of the 1.2 million children who step into first grade every year, only 70% complete their education. Professor Gholam-Ali Afrouz of the University of Tehran spoke about this silent crisis, warning that it’s more than a…
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Debunking Reza Pahlavi’s Leadership Claims in Iran
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Iran stands at a crossroads, grappling with internal crises and external threats, yet Reza Pahlavi’s self-proclaimed leadership offers little more than a mirage. Declaring himself the “leader of the transition,” he has sidelined notions of democracy and pluralism in favor of an authoritarian vision, all under the guise of fulfilling a vague “call from…
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The Art of Survival in Iran’s Repressive Regime
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Life in Iran under a totalitarian regime is a relentless performance, a dance of endurance. It’s like Tehching Hsieh and Linda Montano’s “Art/Life: One Year Performance 1983–1984,” where they tied themselves together by an 8-foot rope, day after day. The rope held them close but kept them apart, bound by rules but divided by…
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Iran’s Nuclear Tensions: A Deepening Crisis with the West
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The nuclear standoff between Iran and the West is more than a diplomatic struggle—it is a tense, layered conflict that increasingly pushes toward a dangerous precipice. Iran’s relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) exemplifies this tangled web of mistrust and maneuvering. The agency’s concerns over undeclared enriched uranium sites and Iran’s restricted…
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Unpacking Iran’s Sudden Lift on Internet Censorship: What’s Next?
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The Islamic regime in Iran is making an unexpected move: lifting restrictions on internet access and some social media platforms like Instagram, offering people more open connectivity. This change, however, is not rooted in freedom of expression or the promotion of free media. The real motives remain ambiguous, raising questions about what the regime’s…
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The Face of Hate: How Islamic Regime Feeds on Anti-Semitic Lies
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Shariatmadari, a former interrogator from the 1980s and now the mouthpiece of Ali Khamenei, reflects a dark legacy in his editorial work. He distorts the global outrage over Palestinian suffering to propagate hateful narratives reminiscent of fascism. His recent statements accuse the German government of Zionist control and dismiss the Holocaust as a fabrication,…
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My Favorite Cake: Cinema, Memory, and Resistance in Iran
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For some time now, My Favorite Cake, directed by Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, has been available to the public through some Telegram channels. After receiving attention in the 74th Berlin Film Festival’s cinema circles, audiences now have easy access to this film. My Favorite Cake draws power from its strong screenplay, memorable performances…
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Iran’s Economic Woes: Inflation and the Struggle for Survival
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The Iranian Parliament’s Research Center has laid it out for everyone—poverty in Iran has clawed its way to 30.1% in 2023. That’s nearly a third of people, everyday Iranians, who can’t make ends meet. We’re not talking a new issue, either. For five years, poverty’s hovered here, stuck like a thorn, and they say…
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Iran-Israel Tensions: The Shadow of Military Strikes
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The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel have resulted in a complex situation with recent military actions unclarified by either side. Israel claims to have struck 20 targets deep within Iran, including a factory known for industrial machinery, while Iranian authorities dismiss these claims as false. The IRGC promotes a narrative of calm in…
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Breaking Down Orientalist Views of Politics
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Last October, I was talking with friends about the situation. Week after week, it became clear to me: they didn’t care about defending Palestine, or standing with oppressed people, or fighting against colonialism. It was only about fighting Israel, at any cost. I had a conversation with a Palestinian friend about why, as an…
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The Anti-Colonial Dilemma: Israel and Palestinian Liberation
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What we face today on the global left is a fundamental issue, not just with ideology, but with clarity of purpose. There’s a fixation on the destruction of Israel, a vision rooted in an anti-Semitic worldview. It’s crucial to confront this head-on. The struggle for Palestinian liberation, over the past decades, has become entangled…
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Iran on the Brink: War, Fascism, and the West’s Hypocrisy
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The people in the West, standing up for Palestine over the past year, are doing something important. It’s true, some of them also hold racist and Orientalist views, supporting Islamic fascism without realizing it. But for us Iranians, the fight against Islamic fascism and the struggle for Palestinian liberation are two separate matters. We…