 RFE/RL Iran Report 1/15/2010 5:38:01 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Iran.For more stories on Iran, please visit and bookmark our Iran page . |
 Iran To Cut Popular Subsidies Despite Political Risk Iran is set to phase out the decades-long use of state subsidies to keep the costs of staple goods artificially low. This is intended to save the government billions of dollars annually, but it could also spark higher inflation, and risks adding economic discontent to Iran's political unrest. More  Zahra And Millions Like Her Call For Change Nobody can predict the course of developments in Iran in the next year or two. But Iranians won't stop supporting freedom and calling for an open, moderate country with an accountable government. More  For You, In Solitary Confinement On Our Wedding Anniversary Iranian journalist Zhila Baniyaghoob writes to her husband, also a journalist, in solitary confinement on their wedding anniversary. More  After Decades Of Disruptions, A Weak Force For Change There are many people from the Balkans to Russia to Afghanistan who define themselves as middle class, either by their income level or their educational level. But as a social force for change in their societies, this emerging middle class remains noticeably weak. More  Powers To Meet On Iran Nuclear Topic The United States and five other countries have tentatively agreed to meet this weekend to discuss what to do about Iran's nuclear defiance of the UN Security Council. More  A History Of Political Assassinations In Iran With the death today of a nuclear scientist, Masud Ali Mohammadi, the tactic of assassinating high-profile figures seems to be back in Iran: More  Listening To Shirin Ebadi In an article for "Foreign Policy," RFE/RL's President Jeffrey Gedmin spoke to Iran's Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi about her changing views: More  Iran Blames U.S. In Nuclear Killing Official outlet accuses U.S., Israel of targeting "staunch" revolutionary nuclear lecturer and scientist Masud Ali Mohammadi. But other sources suggest Mohammadi was recently a government critic. More A human rights group says police in Iran made two arrests and violently disrupted a demonstration by relatives of a group of arrested mothers whose children are missing, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Video: Afghan Refugees In Iran Speak Out The group interviewed Afghan members of an Iran-based theater group, asking them what they remember about home country. The video also addresses the complications of living in Iran, a country that retains strong memories of the Iran-Iraq war in the late 1980s. More An Iranian conservative cleric, Ayatollah Haeri Shirazi, has said on state television that instead of jailing opposition protesters, it would be better to kill them. More  'Shots Fired' At Karubi's Car Iranian media report that shots were fired at the car of one of the country's main opposition leaders, Mehdi Karrubi. His son has told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Karrubi was not injured in the incident, which took northwest of Tehran late on January 7. More  'Internet Is Our Absolute Right' Blogger "The Little Sociologist" says free and fast Internet is the right of all Iranians but that their government is violating that right through censorship and painfully slow Internet. More  Embassy Hostage-Turned-U.S. Envoy Compares '79 To Iran Today U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran John Limbert tells RFE/RL that there are similarities between the current postelection unrest in Iran and the events that led up to that country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Limbert, who was among the 53 Americans held hostage for 444 days after Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 in support of the revolution, talks to RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari about the current crackdown in Iran and the nuclear issue. More  Ahmadinejad's Ties To Blacklisted Organizations The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has blacklisted 60 U.S. and international human rights and research organizations and accused them of being involved in a "soft war" in the Islamic Republic. More  My Advice For Iran's Green Movement Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji says the Green Movement has achieved much in seven months, including reflecting broad dissatisfaction and bringing Iranians together. More  My Father Was A Revolutionary Guard Blogger Aghle Sorkh (Red Reason) remembers his father’s time as a member of the powerful Revolutionary Guard. More  If I Were Health Minister Conservative blogger Goldokhtar (Flower Girl) believes that religious laws are not being fully respected at hospitals in Iran. More  Hack On Ahmadinejad Website? The website of Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad appeared to have been hacked today. More  Witness Says Protesters Deliberately Run Over In Iran During gatherings to mark the Shi'ite holiday of Ashura on December 27, demonstrations by Iran's opposition Green movement were violently broken up by state security forces. Eight protesters were reported killed. More  Listing The Iran Opposition's Demands Five Iranian intellectuals living abroad -- Abdolkarim Soroush, Akbar Ganji, Mohsen Kadivar, Ataollah Mohajerani, and Abdolali Bazargan -- have issued a list of what they consider to be the main demands of Iran's opposition Green Movement. More  Get To Know The Enemy Blogger Sheida Jahanbin reacts to the bloody Ashura crackdown on December 27 during which at least eight people were killed. She says that the protesters resorted to violence in order to defend themselves and their loved ones against the security forces, who brutally clamped down on members of the Green opposition movement. More  Why Would Iran Want Kazakhstan's Uranium Ore? David Albright is the president and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution dedicated to informing the public about science and policy issues affecting international security. Correspondent Aryan Hossein of RFE/RL's Radio Farda interviewed Albright about reports that Iran has been trying to secretly buy more than 1,000 tons of uranium ore from Kazakhstan. More  Link To Iran Spoils Kazatomprom's Party Kazakhstan has taken on a new role as the world in uranium production. But the achievement has been tainted by news that rogue elements within the state nuclear company are working out an illegal deal to supply Iran with a large amount of purified uranium ore. More  Iran Election One Of 2009's Most Dangerous Stories For Reporters An international media rights group has described Iran's disputed presidential election as one of the most dangerous stories for journalists to cover in 2009. More Two more significant videos which have emerged from Iran's Ashura demonstrations on December 27. More  Iran Rejects Report Of Secret Uranium Deal Iran has described as "baseless" a report that it is seeking to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan. More  Election Dispute Brings New Challenge To Iran's Regime At the start of the year, Iran's opposition was fragmented, with multiple messages voiced in muted tones -- but that all changed in 2009. Following the country's highly contentious presidential elections in June, the opposition united under the umbrella of the Green Movement. Six months later, the movement has proven its resilience in challenging the establishment despite a brutal state crackdown, while showing new willingness to use force itself if necessary. More  Senator Lieberman Voices U.S. Support For Iranian People Amid continuing antigovernment protests in Iran and a harsh crackdown by the authorities, U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (Independent, Connecticut) spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Farda correspondent Hossein Aryan about Washington's next foreign policy moves vis-à-vis Tehran. Lieberman said the U.S. Senate will take up an Iran sanctions bill at its next session in January and will press U.S. President Barack Obama to tighten the screws on Tehran. More |
