Media in Iran

Topic: Media in Iran

Rouhani supporters celebrate their president′s victory in Tehran (photo: Tasnim)

Presidential election aftermath in Iran

Rouhani, take note!

With the latest presidential election result, Iranians have sent a clear message across the nation and to the world at large. Their voices should be heeded, writes Ali Sadrzadeh in his commentaryMore

Reformists sweep Tehran municipal vote as Rouhani wins Iran Economic policy in Iran: Rouhani′s inevitable failure Iran following the death of Rafsanjani: On a knife edge

Participant in the My Stealthy Freedom Internet campaign in Tehran (source: My Stealthy Freedom)

Women's rights in Iran

Freedom by stealth – and its public impact

The "My Stealthy Freedom" Internet campaign is designed to make Iranians aware of women’s rights in their homeland. The project’s aim is to free women from their often passive victim roles and inspire them to start their own initiatives. By Iman AslaniMore

Women′s rights in Iran: "Now it's the men's turn"The headscarf in the colonial period: Remove your veils!Iran′s image in the West: Sheer incredulity

Interview with Hossein Derakhshan

Iran's 'blogfather' turned Internet sceptic

Hossein Derakhshan, a.k.a. Hoder, pioneered the blogger revolution in Iran. Released from prison following a term of six years, he barely recognised what the Internet has become. Interview by Julia HitzMore

Iran's blog generation: Society is escaping the control of the mullahs Weblogger in Iran: Hoder's virtual struggle for freedom Iran and its authors: The perils of writing

Proteste konservativ-islamischer Studenten in Teheran für eine "widerstandsfähige Wirtschaft" und gegen die ökonomische Öffnung des Landes und Integration des Iran in die Weltwirtschaft; Foto: Fars

Politics and economics in Iran

Pie in the sky

Four months after the historic nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been left practically empty-handed. UN sanctions against Iran have been largely lifted, but those still in force are so complex that few financial institutions in Europe are daring to conduct any business with Tehran, where there is a growing sense of disappointment – leaving rich pickings for the radicals. By Ali SadrzadehMore

Iran and the Revolutionary Guard: Pulling the economy's strings Iran′s image in the Arab world: Conservative regime and open-minded society After the nuclear agreement with Iran: Where to from here?

Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar (photo: DW)

A report by Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar

″Pinning our hopes on a murderer″

When the news of repeated break-ins at her parents′ house reached Parastou Forouhar in January, the artist, who lives in Germany, travelled to Iran to deal with the situation in person. The house that had belonged to her parents, political activists Daryoush Forouhar and Parvaneh Eskandari, before they were murdered by the secret service, had been completely vandalised. An account by Parastou ForouharMore

Parastou Forouhar: Art as a political weapon Writers in Iran: Fighting a losing battle Social justice and political reforms in Iran: A ticking time bomb

Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections in Tehran (photo: Reuters/R. Homavandi)

Elections in Iran

A lesson for the powerful and the disempowered

Granted, elections in Iran have little impact on the real political conditions in the Islamic Republic, where to this day the leader of the revolution retains his hold on the reins of power. But even so, the latest round of voting has highlighted the atmosphere among large sections of the civilian population. An analysis by Ali SadrzadehMore

Elections in Iran: Even Khomeini can be disqualified Social justice and political reforms in Iran: A ticking time bomb Five years after Iran's "Green Movement": Past and present

A young Iranian woman holds up a banner emblazoned with the word ″Change″ (photo: AP)

Iran and its authors

The perils of writing

The history of modern Iranian literature has been shaped by censorship. Nonetheless, Iran is hoping to be guest of honour at the world′s leading book fair in Frankfurt in 2018. Amir Hassan Cheheltan, one of Iran′s best-known contemporary authors, describes how he copes with the situationMore

Amir Hassan Cheheltan's ''Tehran, Skyless City'': Reflecting the dark side of Iran's Capital Portrait Amir Hassan Cheheltan: A love-hate relationship with Tehran Mahmud Doulatabadi's "The Colonel": Bitter Reckoning with Iran's Past

Women′s rights in Iran

"Now it's the men's turn"

The team captain of the Iranian national football team did not take part in the Asian Games staged recently because her husband would not give his permission for her to leave the country. Although the law of the Islamic Republic was on his side, he apparently does not enjoy the support of all the men in his country. By Yalda ZarbakhchMore

Photo essay: 50 years of women's voting rights in Iran Family policy in Iran: Children for the revolution The Documentary Film ''In the Bazaar of Sexes'': Temporary Marriage in Iran

Demonstration by General Qassem Soleimani′s supporters in Mashhad (photo: SNN.ir)

The role of Qassem Soleimani in Iraq

Reining in the lion

Until recently, General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards "Quds" Force, was still being hailed as a military hero and man for the future. But more and more details are emerging concerning his destructive role in Iraq. By Ali SadrzadehMore

Profile: Qassem Soleimani: The man who pulls the strings Iran's role in the Iraq conflict: An ally, but not a puppet Protesting corruption and mismanagement in Iraq: Caught in the spotlight

Iranian filmmaker Ayat Najafi being interviewed (photo: imageo/Seeliger)

Interview with the Iranian filmmaker Ayat Najafi

"Freedom starts in the mind"

In his two documentary films, Ayat Najafi has focused on women who are fighting for change in Iran. Marian Brehmer talked to him about his projects and the difficulties faced by Iranian filmmakersMore

Film review of "No Land's Song": One woman's quest to make Iranian women's voices heard Berlinale 2015: Golden Bear for Jafar Panahi's film "Taxi"Iranian cinema: Shining a light on inner conflicts Qantara dossier: Iranian cinema

Activists from Reporters without Borders demonstrating on the Champs Elysee in Paris in July 2012 against the oppression and torture of journalists in Iran (photo: EPA/IAN LANGSDON)

Media portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East

Who shapes our image of the world?

In this commentary, Charlotte Wiedemann considers how press freedom and the media are tethered to Western geopolitics
More

Interview with journalist Chris Woods on drone warfare: "It's not risk-free war, it's displaced war" Drone war in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Living in the shadow of the "angels of death"Qantara.de dossier: Yemen conflict Media in Egypt: Fall into line or switch off

The Iranian theatre director Amir Reza Kohestani (photo: Mani Lotfizadeh)

Interview with the Iranian theatre director Amir Reza Kohestani

"In Iran, art fills a void"

Amir Reza Kohestani is currently the most sought-after theatre director in Iran. David Siebert talked to him about censorship, the enthusiasm for theatre among young Iranians and the new cultural freedom under President RouhaniMore

Interview with the Egyptian theatre director Ahmed el-Attar: "Art changes thought in the long term"Interview with Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian: The rage of an entire generation on screen Iranian cinema: Shining a light on inner conflicts The Kurdish theatre company Teatra Si: Out of the cellars and onto the stage Interview with Thomas Ostermeier: "An Enemy of the People" in Istanbul

Yemeni Shia Houthi rebels in Sanaa on 21 September 2014 (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's foreign policy in Yemen and Iraq

Arab fear of the "extended arm of Iran"

The recent capture of Sanaa by Zaidi fighters was celebrated in the Iranian media as a "victory for the revolutionaries". The Arab press, by contrast, accused Iran of trying to influence events in Yemen after already getting involved in Iraq and Syria. The conflict increasingly threatens to be seen as an exclusively Sunni–Shia power struggle. By Ali SadrzadehMore

Political upheaval in Yemen: The triumphant advance of the Houthi rebels Federalism and state-building in Yemen: Between transition and stagnation The Iranian president and his political opponents: Rouhani under fire and on fire

Yukiya Amano, head of the IAEA, and President Hassan Rouhani of Iran during a meeting in Tehran on 17 August 2014 (photo: IRNA)

The Iranian president and his political opponents

Rouhani under fire and on fire

One year into his tenure, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has entered the first precarious phase of his presidency. The challenges at home are becoming more urgent, his political adversaries more outspoken and the setbacks more frequent and severe. The turf war within Iran's political establishment is intensifying. By Adnan TabatabaiMore

One year on from Rouhani's election victory: Surprise and disenchantment Power struggle in Iran: Rouhani's balancing act Iran's intellectuals and President Rouhani: When freedom becomes a possibility

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian (centre) performing on stage with the Shahnaz Ensemble in Dubai in February 2011 (photo: AP)

Music and power in Iran

An instrument of propaganda and control

In her essay, Maria Koomen examines the important role played by music in the history of Iran, in particular since the Islamic revolution of 1979More

Interview with Mohammad Reza Shajarian: ''Humanity Is What Art Is All About'' Ban on Western Music in Iran: Return to the Khomeini Era?Iranian musician Shahram Nazeri: The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope

Baran Kosari and Navid Mohammadzadeh in a still from the Iranian film "Asabani Nistam!" (I'm not angry!)

Interview with Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian

The rage of an entire generation on screen

The film "Asabani Nistam!" (I'm not angry!) was the only Iranian entry at this year's Berlinale film festival. On screen, young Iranians vent their anger and frustration at the day-to-day economic hardship and the general hopelessness of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's term as president. Igal Avidan spoke to the director and producer Reza DormishianMore

Mehran Tamadon's documentary "Iranien": A bold experiment Mohammed Rasoulof's ''Manuscripts Don't Burn'': Iranian Agents as Killers Iranian Propaganda Cinema: Reversed Symbolism