Hassan Rouhani
All topics-
Protests in Iran
The spark that turned into a wildfire
In this essay, Ali Fathollah-Nejad looks at how the ongoing unrest in Iran is shining a light on the structural social and economic injustices inherent in the Islamic Republic and shows just how much trust in Rouhani's government has been eroded
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Protests in Iran
An own-goal for the hardliners
The blaze of popular wrath that has been ignited in Iran's provinces has long since begun to consume the cities as well. Initially intended by hardliners as a demonstration of dissatisfaction with President Rouhani, the demonstrations are now directed at the system as a whole. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Interview with the Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar
"Their audacity leaves me speechless"
Every year the Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar holds a ceremony in Tehran to commemorate her parents′ murder by the regime. Accused of propaganda against the system, she′s now on trial herself – for artwork that the regime considers "insults the sacred". Interview by Catrin Lorch
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Annulling the Iran deal
When amateurs rule
Abandoning the nuclear deal with Iran will leave the U.S. completely isolated, undermine global security and strain relations with its allies, which are already under mounting stress thanks to Trump′s unseemly and erratic behaviour. Commentary by Alon Ben-Meir
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Iran and the USA
Trump's UN debut: The axis of evil is back
The USA no longer accepts the nuclear agreement with Iran in its current form and instead wants to renegotiate elements of the international treaty. President Hassan Rouhani now has to manoeuvre between Trump and the radicals at home – hoping all the while that Europe will act as mediator. A commentary by Ali Sadrzadeh
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Securitising Turkish foreign policy: Turning back the clock
Turkey′s armed forces chief is due to visit Tehran this week, the trip is the latest by the region′s top generals in and out of Ankara. This military traffic is being seen as evidence of a foreign policy increasingly dictated by security concerns, last seen in the 1990′s. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul
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Women's rights in Iran
Farewell compulsory veiling? Time to go with the flow
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic regime began to force women to adopt Islamic dress. Resistance to the rule has never ceased, though it has changed. And suddenly compulsory veiling in the theocracy no longer seems to be on solid ground. An abridged version of the original article by Nasrin Bassiri
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The Islamic Republic
The West's Iran policy: For real change through trade
Despite four years of moderate rule under President Rouhani and the historic nuclear deal with the West in 2015, little has changed in Iran. There has been no improvement in the human rights situation and the lifting of economic sanctions has mainly benefitted companies close to the state, writes political analyst Ali Fathollah-Nejad
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Iran′s ″Holy Defence″
Dulce et decorum est...
Iran has many museums dedicated to its rich history. Nevertheless, those places that focus on events during which Iranians and other prominent 'Defenders of Islam' lost their lives, enjoy special status. By Philipp Breu
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Nepotism in Iran's Islamic Republic
At home with the mullahs
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, which once vowed to eliminate hereditary rule, large family dynasties are increasingly dominating the political landscape. Critical voices assert that the Shah has been replaced by a clerical "king" as ruler of the country, complete with his own court and state nobility. However, some of the hereditary princes are demonstrating remarkable independence. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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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 commentary
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Economic policy in Iran
Rouhani′s inevitable failure
Four years ago, Hassan Rouhani assumed the Iranian presidency on the back of a campaign pledge to alleviate Iran′s economic hardship by striving for the removal of sanctions. Yet the looked-for up-turn has yet to materialise. An issue, argues Ali Fathollah-Nejad, that is bound to play into the hands of the arch-conservative opposition