Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
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Katajun Amirpur's "Khomeini" biography
Khomeini, the enigmatic Ayatollah
Recently published in German, Katajun Amirpur's new biography of Ayatollah Khomeini is a multi-faceted and knowledgeable portrait of the Iranian revolutionary leader that also offers some surprises. Marian Brehmer read the book for Qantara.de
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Afghanistan and Iran
Can Iran be friends with the Taliban?
One thing the regime in Tehran has in common with the Taliban is that they both dislike the USA. But apart from that, Tehran has a number of issues with its neighbour, writes Katajun Amirpur, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Cologne
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Raisi inherits an ancient civilisation
The striking continuity of Iran – Persia unchanged?
At the root of Iran’s current economic malaise, political disarray, and foreign policy confrontations lie various approaches that are powerfully historical and therefore problematic to deconstruct. Three pervasive tendencies in its political culture are scapegoating, political tribalism, and an obsolete interpretation of national sovereignty. By Mahmood Sariolghalam
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Elections in Iran
Khamenei shuts down opposition ahead of upcoming ballot
In the run up to Iran’s presidential election, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sought to entrench his power. Alex Vatanka asks whether a sharp slump in voter turnout will reveal the extent of popular discontent
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Iran's 2021 presidential elections
Iran's elite politicians ignore the burning social issues
Despite promises to the contrary, the social and economic situation in Iran deteriorated under President Rouhani, prompting two nationwide revolts in recent years. Yet the social question continues to be neglected by all factions of the elite. Meanwhile the country urgently needs social reform. By Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Arash Sarkohi
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How much longer till Turkey's elections?
President under pressure – Erdogan's popularity nosedive
Turkey's parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for June 2023. But they are already casting a shadow. While the opposition is calling for early elections, President Erdogan is insisting on holding the elections in the highly symbolic year of 2023. For right now, his ratings are poor. Ronald Meinardus reports from Istanbul
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Iran's presidential election: Contest of losers
Iran's Guardian Council has selected seven candidates for the mid-July presidential election. Most have run in the past. By Shabnam von Hein
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Iran’s presidential race: Who is ultra-conservative favourite Ebrahim Raisi?
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Power politics in Iran
Fallout from Mohammed Javad Zarif's political bombshell
An interview by Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has provoked outrage in Iran. In it, Zarif criticised the Revolutionary Guards' destructive role in both the nuclear agreement and the Syrian war. Ali Sadrzadeh has the details
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The politics of the Pope in Iraq
Pope Francis and Ayatollah al-Sistani, meeting in faith
When Pope Francis sets foot in Iraq, he will be breaking historic ground while manoeuvring religious and political minefields. So will his foremost religious counterpart, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the Shia Muslim world’s foremost scholars and leaders. By James M. Dorsey
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Iranian Faezeh Hashemi, Rafsanjani's daughter, speaks out
Will the Islamic Republic ever get a female president?
Iran's social media was buzzing in January when, Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of Iran’s former President Rafsanjani gave a controversial interview, striking a chord with many Iranians. Questioning the merits of Tehran’s regional policy of "resistance" pursued by the late General Soleimani, Hashemi went on to assert that it will take sustained pressure to change the Islamic Republic’s policies. By Ali Fathollah-Nejad
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The Persian poetry of mathematics
From Omar Khayyam to Mirzakhani – Iran’s beautiful minds
Presenting a more nuanced vision of their common homeland, Iran, to Western imaginations, kindred spirits Omar Khayyam and Maryam Mirzakhani stand out against the twenty-first century backdrop of anti-Iranian sentiment and Islamophobia. By Hamid Dabashi