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Iran's Crackdown on Celebrities
Updated: January 9, 2023
During the first two months of protests, dozens of major celebrities—from athletes and artists to award-winning actors, from poets to theater directors—publicly supported the growing challenges to the theocratic regime. Their actions and statements reflected the willingness of national figures to…
Explainer: Iran’s Drone Exports Worldwide
Updated: April 11, 2024
Iran has developed a robust drone industry after decades of importing defense equipment for domestic use by both security and military forces. By early 2024, Tehran had also exported drones or drone technology to at least five countries on four continents as well as to at least seven proxy militias…
U.S. Sanctions Iranian State Media
On November 16, the United States sanctioned four senior officials and two journalists at the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for involvement in censorship and airing forced confessions of detainees. The journalists worked with the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS…
U.S. Sanctions Iran-Russia Drone Facilitators
On November 15, the United States imposed sanctions on Iranians and Russians involved in the export of drones used in Ukraine. The State and Treasury Departments designated three Iranian entities, a Russian paramilitary, two Russian nationals, and two transportation firms based in the United Arab…
New E.U. & British Sanctions Over Iran’s Protests
On November 14, the European Union and Britain imposed sanctions on dozens of senior Iranian government and security officials for the brutal crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16. Brussels named 29 officials, including Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, provincial…
News Digest: Week of November 14
Updated: November 17, 2022
November 14
International: The Revolutionary Guards launched missile and drone attacks on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq. Iran reportedly hit a Komala Party base near the city of Sulaimaniya as well as four Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan offices near Erbil. At…
Explainer: Iran's University Protests
Updated: January 5, 2023
Students were the trigger and sustaining force behind protests that erupted on September 16. During the first two months, young Iranians demonstrated against the government at some 143 universities in all 31 provinces, which led to government crackdowns and hundreds of deaths. By early January 2023…
News Digest: Week of November 7
Updated: November 10, 2022
November 7
International: Iran summoned Norway’s ambassador over “interventionist comments” by the Norwegian parliamentary speaker in support of Iranian demonstrators.
International: London Metropolitan police reportedly warned two British-Iranian journalists of an assassination plot against them…
Iran: 43 Years After U.S. Embassy Takeover
On November 4, Iran held some 900 rallies nationwide to commemorate the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979. Demonstrators chanted “Death to America” outside the former embassy compound in Tehran, burned American flags, and waved posters vowing loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.…
G7 Nations Back Iran Protesters
On October 4, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations, representing the world’s most advanced economies, issued a joint statement backing Iran’s protest movement. They called on the Iranian government to end its crackdown and release “unjustly detained prisoners,” including protesters, children,…
U.S. Sanctions Oil Smuggling Network
On November 3, the United States sanctioned an international network that smuggled Iranian oil for the Qods Force, the external operation arm of the Revolutionary Guards, and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia and political party backed by Tehran. “This network has facilitated the sale of hundreds of…
Malley on U.S. Iran Policy
Updated: December 1, 2022
In fall 2022, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley discussed Iran, the 2022 protests, the nuclear negotiations, and the drone transfer to Russia with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Foreign Policy. The following are key excerpts from his comments.
Carnegie Endowment (…
U.S. Sanctions For Rushdie Attack
On Oct. 28, 2022, the United States sanctioned Iran’s 15 Khordad Foundation for offering a $3.3 million bounty for the murder of Salman Rushdie, the British-American author of “The Satanic Verses.” Thirty-four years after his book was published, Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture at the…
New U.S. Sanctions Over Iran’s Protests
On October 26, 2022, the United States sanctioned 14 senior officials—including Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders, intelligence and police officials, prison administrators, and a governor—from at least five provinces. It also designated an internet surveillance company, a prison, and a…
Explainer: Iran’s Gen Z Protests
In September 2022, Iran’s Gen Z – a young generation born between 1997 and 2012 – issued the boldest challenge to the theocracy in more than a decade. Protests sparked by the issue of personal freedoms for women erupted in dozens of cities, from Tabriz in northern Azerbaijan to southern Bandar…
Elnaz Rekabi's Controversial Climb
Updated: December 6, 2022
On October 16, Elnaz Rekabi, a young Iranian rock climber, generated controversy when she competed without her headscarf, as mandated by the government, in the Asian Continental Championships in South Korea. She personified the spirit of defiance among young female demonstrators who made the hijab…
Explainer: Iran’s 2022 Protests in Context
How do the 2022 protests compare to previous rounds of demonstrations in 2009, 2017-18, and 2019? What is unique or different this time?
First, the 2022 protests were driven by a demand for greater civil liberties, including women’s rights. They were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-…
News Digest: Week of October 24
Updated: October 26, 2022
October 24
International: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had ordered 2,000 suicide drones from Iran. “The disgusting sound of Iranian drones is heard in our skies every night,” he said. “Iranian instructors came to teach Russians how to use drones.”
#UPDATE President…
Iran's Tactics During Protests
Updated: November 10, 2022
In September 2022, Iran deployed diverse tactics–killings, beatings, surveillance, internet restrictions, and military operations–to contain the most significant unrest in more than a decade. Protests over the price of eggs and poultry in 2017 and the gas price hike in 2019 lasted just days, while …
World Reaction to Iran’s Drones in Ukraine
On October 20, the White House charged that Iranians had deployed in Crimea to help Russian forces launch dozens of Iran’s kamikaze drones on Ukraine. Tehran’s decision to intervene in Russia’s war reflected the deepening strategic alliance with Moscow. “Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground…
News Digest: Digest Week of October 17
Updated: October 23, 2022
October 17
Domestic: Protests endured for a 31st day following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd who was detained for “improper” dress. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned Iran for “grave violations of children’s rights,” including the killing of at least 23 children…
Fire and Chaos at Evin Prison
A large fire broke out at Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison on October 15. Flames and thick smoke could be seen for miles. Eight prisoners died and dozens were injured, according to the judiciary. Hundreds of security forces, including the Basij paramilitary, were reportedly deployed around the prison…
Context of Protests: Economic Woes
The protests that erupted in mid-September after the death of Mahsa Amini also grew out of widespread discontent over core economic challenges for the average Iranian ― cost of living, unemployment, limited opportunity, sanctions, and a weak currency. Since May 2022, the prices of bread and other…
Biden on Iran in October
Updated: October 16, 2022
In October 2022, President Biden toughened his stand on Iran amid protests over the death of a young Kurdish woman detained for inappropriate dress. On October 3, Biden endorsed Iran’s protests and vowed to impose “further costs” on the government for its crackdown on nationwide protests, many led…
Explainer: Russia Deploys Iranian Drones
Updated: October 17, 2022
What drones has Iran provided to Russia? How many? What are their capabilities? When did they arrive and how quickly did Russia begin to use them?
Iran has apparently provided at least two systems—the Shahed-136 and the Mohajer-6. The Shahed-136 can be described as a direct-attack munition,…
Iran’s #HairForFreedom Campaign Goes Global
Iran’s protests – launched over personal freedoms for women – have inspired a campaign by women across the globe who are cutting their hair and posting videos using the #HairForFreedom hashtag on Instagram. The protests erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd, was detained for showing too…
Protestors Challenge Raisi, Khamenei
On Oct. 8, 2022, Iranians launched separate acts of defiance against President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini for improper dress. Female students demonstrated during Raisi’s speech at Al Zahra University, a college for…
The Rallying Cries of Iran’s Protests
The slogans of Iran’s protests have evolved dramatically since the death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022. They grew quickly into broader issues about personal freedom for women, political change, and rejection of the clerical vision of an Islamic Republic. They called for “Death to the Dictator,”…
News Digest: Week of October 10
Updated: October 13, 2022
October 10
Economy: Britain sanctioned Iran’s morality police and several senior security officials involved in the bloody crackdown on protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. The new sanctions “send a clear message to the Iranian authorities — we will hold you to account for your repression…
Protest Context: Statistics on Iran's Women
Since the 1979 revolution, women have worked to regain rights attained during the monarchy. The status of women has improved in some fields, especially in health and education. In 1998, Iran won a U.N. award for closing the gender gap in education. In 1999, Iran won the U.N. Population Award for…