Journal
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UN Snapback on Iran: The Profiteers’ Economy vs. Public Welfare
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Sanctions are never just “sender vs. target.” They create corridors—ship-to-ship transfers, free-trade zones, real-estate havens—where sanctioned oil turns into offshore balances while basic goods at home get pricier. Unless diplomacy plus domestic rule-of-law closes these corridors, the profiteer economy outlives the sanctions and workers keep paying through prices, unsafe jobs,…
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Iranian Cinema in a Shapeless Moment: Dissecting Survival, Agency, and Paradox in a Transitional Era
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One of the latest conversations in cinema and art, hosted by an Iranian YouTube channel, brought together two of today’s most prominent Iranian film directors. Their discussion about censorship and cultural authoritarianism was gripping. But one point in their remarks clearly showed how different Iranian society is from three years…
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Iran’s Reform Front Statement: Insiders Expose a System in Crisis
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Less than two months after the “ceasefire” between Iran and Israel, on August 17 Iran’s Reform Front (including more than 30 political party and groups) released a statement titled “National Reconciliation: A Golden Opportunity for Change and a Return to the People,” offering immediate and practical steps for structural reforms…
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Antigone in Exile: On Bombs, Borders, and the Silence We Refuse
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While Israel rained missiles on Iranian cities and the Islamic Republic intensified its internal repression, I found myself sitting on ancient stone, watching Antigone under the open sky in Epidaurus. I am a political refugee from Iran—exiled, but not erased. This reflection is not just about one night of theater…
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We Are Not Your Martyrs: On Resistance, Racism, and Revolution
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This morning, as I was going through the news, the images of a protest in front of the University of Tehran caught my attention—slogans full of nationalist passion, and that during the days of Muharram and Ashura! Hadn’t they been telling us for forty years that the entire Islamic worldview,…
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Iranian Labour Unions Condemn Mass Deportation of Afghan Migrants
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Two Iranian labour organizations have condemned the mass deportation of Afghan migrants as “organized inhumanity” and “a political cover-up” for the Islamic Republic’s domestic and regional failures. According to official figures, more than 380,000 Afghan nationals have been expelled from Iran in a short period, mostly through the Dogharoun border…
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“What’s Happening in Iran?” A Question with No Easy Answer
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One of my friends asked me, “What’s happening in Iran?” It was a simple question, but answering it has become not only difficult, but terrifying. In a country struck by both repression and missiles, it’s not just the roofs that collapse—language has collapsed too. People are trapped under rubble, but…
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Seven Women in Evin Prison Speak Out Against War
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Two separate but politically aligned statements from seven imprisoned Iranian women — all feminist and labor rights activists currently held in Tehran’s Evin Prison — have emerged, calling for an end to war, foreign aggression, and authoritarian rule. The statements sharply criticize both the Israeli government’s military assault on Iran…
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Palestine Between Propaganda and Betrayal
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As expected, the IAEA has finally issued its resolution against Iran. Now, the case will likely be reviewed by the UN Security Council. In response, the Islamic regime quickly claimed it would build a new enrichment facility in a “more secure” location! But that means it would take at least…
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2024: The Year of Gradual Collapse of Labor Rights
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In a year when nearly half of the world’s population is expected to vote, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has released a report that goes beyond just another annual overview of labor conditions. The 2024 Global Rights Index doesn’t just map how labor rights are respected or violated in…
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Guernica in Tehran: From Anti-War Icon to Tool of Hypocrisy
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In a time when the world is blurred by the smoke and fire of wars, the exhibition of one of the most famous anti-war paintings of the 20th century—Guernica by Pablo Picasso—in Tehran is not just ironic; it’s a symbolic disaster. Guernica was created in memory of the brutal bombing…
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The Racism of Anti-Racists: Bourdieu, Said, and Inverted Orientalism
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There’s a kind of violence that doesn’t wear a uniform, doesn’t raise its voice, and doesn’t need to spill blood to be effective. It speaks in well-published books, sits on academic panels, tweets in solidarity, and signs petitions. It insists on cultural understanding. It warns against Western arrogance. It tells…
