Hooman Abedi
Iran International
Iran International
The hanging of a 19-year-old wrestler on Thursday intensified concerns over the fate of other detained athletes, with fears growing that more executions could follow in cases linked to protests earlier this year.
Nowruz is approaching with far less of its usual energy across Iran this year, as many families abandon long-standing New Year preparations while war, economic strain and an atmosphere of uncertainty dampen the festive mood.
The appointment of a military adviser by Iran’s new Supreme Leader triggered a wave of ridicule on Iranian social media, with users mocking both the decision and the figure chosen for the role.
Iranians across social media are sharing images of past tragedies tied to state mismanagement, repression and neglect, building a crowdsourced archive under a hashtag in recent days to argue the country’s suffering long predates the current war.
Kharg Island, a narrow coral outcrop in the northern Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the most strategically important locations in the confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Two days after he was announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei remains absent from public view, raising questions his swift selection was meant to pre-empt.
Iranians have flooded social media with dark humor and mocking comments about the delayed burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after authorities on Wednesday canceled a planned procession and what they described as a public farewell to his body due to security concerns.
A series of Iranian social media accounts fell silent after their owners were shot during January protests, leaving behind final posts that now read like unfinished testimonies and have turned into digital memorials where protesters mourn, vent anger and hail the fallen.
A stuffed rat hung by protesting students at Tehran’s Sharif University and removed by a Basij-affiliated student signaled that supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have effectively acknowledged and amplified a mocking nickname that chips away at his authority.
A tightening security atmosphere inside schools across several Iranian cities has prompted a new wave of student absences, according to messages sent to Iran International, with families saying classrooms no longer feel like safe spaces for their children.
