Iranian-American Debuts Feature Film Documentary "War Child" - Molavi, along with director and co-producer Karim Chrobog, held an advanced screening for his latest endeavor, the award winning documentary "War Child", a painfully honest and inspirational story chronicling the life of a Sudanese child soldier, Emmanuel Jal, who, though taken from his home at the young age of seven, and forced into war, has emerged as an international hip-hop star with a message of peace. 11/22/08
Iran criticizes IAEA for raising baseless concerns - Majlis speaker Ali Larijani on Saturday criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei for raising baseless concerns in his latest report on Iran. Calling ElBaradei's report as ambiguous, Larijani said: "So, it seems we will hear double-standard statements from the agency forever." 11/22/08
Shiraz influential in world civilization: Asian mayors - A number mayors of Asian capitals and major cities described Shiraz as the cradle of Iran's civilization and admired the role of its literary, scientific and religious elites in human civilization. 11/22/08
Iran Hangs Iranian Convicted Of Spying For Israel - Ali Ashtari who was convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence services was hanged in Tehran on November 17, an official at the Information Ministry said on Saturday. 11/22/08
UNHCR chief visits, praises refugee camp in eastern Iran - Visiting what he termed one of the world's best refugee camps, High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Friday noted Iran's long record of generosity to uprooted Afghans and called on the international community to do more to ensure they can finally go home and rebuild their lives. -Ron Redmond in Torbat-e-Jam, Iran 11/22/08
Can we forgive and forget? - In a few days, 10 years will have passed since the brutal death of Dariush and Parvaneh Forouhar. Later Mohammad Mokthari, Ja'far Pouyandeh and Majid Sharif were abducted and strangled by rogue agents of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic. -Fariba Amini 11/22/08
Scientific success of Iranians abroad praiseworthy - Envoy - Islamic Republic of Iran's Ambassador to France said in Paris Friday scientific achievements of Iranians, including Iranian medical doctors abroad, is becoming a commonplace phenomenon and is quite praiseworthy. -IRNA 11/22/08
UN Secretary-General regrets that Israel has not heeded his call to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay: "By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months. This is in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. It must end now." 11/22/08
Iran Blocking Access to 5 Million Websites - Judicial authorities in Iran admit to blocking access to more than 5 million websites deemed immoral or antisocial. -RFE 11/22/08
Iran Fails To Halt UN Assembly Rights Resolution - Western states claimed a success when on November 21 a UN General Assembly resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran passed through a key committee more easily than in the past. -Reuters 11/22/08
Maine man sues Sears over alleged discrimination - An Iranian-born U.S. citizen has filed a federal lawsuit against Sears claiming his supervisor at the store where he worked called him a terrorist, slurred him racially and denounced his religious views. -AP 11/22/08
Iranian pilgrims under arrest in Iraq to be freed - Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi said on Saturday that some 86 Iranian pilgrims under arrest in Iraq for not having valid papers will be set free soon. -IRNA 11/22/08
History's missing pages: Iranian academic sliced out sections of priceless collection - To the untrained eye the damage is barely visible. Yet within the handbound pages of books charting how Europeans travelled to Mesopotamia, Persia and the Mogul empire from the 16th century onwards, the damage caused by one Iranian academic to a priceless British Library collection is irreversible. -Guardian 11/22/08
Helsinki Commission Hears Gloomy Predictions For Turkmen Election - Can an authoritarian country that still bears the strong imprint of its Soviet past and has just one political party, no independent media, and prisons full of political opponents hold free and fair elections? -RFE 11/22/08
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Lawmakers, Experts agree on diplomacy with Iran - A group of the nation's leading thinkers on US foreign policy in the Middle East gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss the future of US-Iran relations under an Obama administration. The jumping off point for the discussion, organized by the National Iranian American Council, was a 'Joint Experts Statement on Iran' (JES) - produced by a group of 20 former US officials and pre-eminent Iran experts. 11/21/08
Delegation from Mennonite universities visits Iran - A delegation from six U.S. and Canadian Mennonite universities visited Iran from Oct. 4 to 10 to explore opportunities for academic collaboration with Iranian universities. 11/21/08
Photos: Seminaries Students Zourkhaneh Competitions in Qom, Iran - Zourkhaneh is not only a place where physical exercises are held but also one where chivalry is learned. The Zourkhaneh sportsman is first expected to be pure, truthful, good-tempered and then physically strong. Zourkhaneh and varzesh-e pahlavani have their roots in Iranian culture and date back at least 2000 years ago. -Photos by Mohammad Akhlaghi, ISNA 11/21/08
Persian Carpet Designs Exhibition opens at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art - Some 226 carpet designs are currently on display at the exhibition, which commemorates Iranian veteran artist Mohsen Mohseni. At the ceremony, Mahmud Shaluii expressed his hope that holding such exhibitions would introduce traditional Persian arts to Iranians. 11/21/08
Tehran declaration of the first Asian Mayors Forum - We the mayors and the authorities of 89 Asian cities convened in Tehran and kindly hosted by the people and the municipality of Tehran, on 19-20 November 2008, for the first meeting of the Asian Mayors Forum representing our respective municipalities and localities do hereby... 11/21/08
A Mere Atmospheric Change in Obama's Foreign Policy - After Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential elections last week, discussions about what direction an Obama/Biden Administration is likely to follow are gaining momentum. --- U.S. London-Based Pundits See Rather Continuity Than Change -Ali Fathollah-Nejad 11/21/08
Iran weaving carpet to promote world peace - The process of weaving the Carpet of World Peace and Friendship was officially inaugurated at the Sadabad Historical Complex in the presence of several Iranian and foreign officials on Wednesday. -MNA 11/21/08
US frees Iranian after harsh accusations - Iran's embassy in Baghdad has announced that American troops in Iraq have released an Iranian citizen after two days of detention. The Iranian source said that the prompt release indicated the extent of 'baseless' accusations brought against Iranian nationals by US forces stationed in the oil-rich country. -Press TV 11/21/08
Canadian blogger feared arrested in Iran - Bloggers worldwide are abuzz over a report that Hossein Derakhshan, a popular Iranian-Canadian writer once dubbed the Blogfather, has been arrested in Iran. -Globe & Mail 11/21/08
That Iranian "Bomb"? Relax. - With the Bush administration swirling around the drain -- get out the plunger! -- it's now time to stop hyperventilating about the "Iranian bomb." For goodness sakes, let it go! -The Nation 11/21/08
Photos: Second cesarean with hypno-anesthesia in Iran - For the second time in the country, Iranian doctors have used hypnosis as the sole anesthetic to deliver a baby via cesarean section. Dr. Roya Khodaei Ob/Gyn, performed the C-section at Paiambaran hospital in Tehran. Dr. Hossein Almasian was the clinical hypnotherapist who used hypnosis on the mother Sara Tavassoli. 11/20/08
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Iran's coach Ali Daei blames UAE draw on referee - "We could have won the game if the referee had not made mistakes. He did not make two penalty decisions for the Iranian side," Ali Daei said at a joint press conference after the match on Wednesday. -Press TV 11/20/08
Iranian poet Maryam Ala Amjadi embraces the adventure of writing in English - English is not the native tongue of young Iranian poet Maryam Ala Amjadi, who is in residence this fall in the University of Iowa International Writing Program. And that is the primary reason that she writes exclusively in that foreign language, savoring the challenge: "It's a new land that demands a sense of adventure." 11/20/08
US: Iran-IAEA cooperation disappointing - The US has criticized Iran over alleged non-compliance with the UN nuclear watchdog, saying it has failed to cooperate with the IAEA. The IAEA director general's report has urged Iran 'to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program at the earliest possible date'. 11/20/08
Iranian Minister In Hot Water (Yet Again) - Iran's vice president and the head of the country's Tourism and Cultural Heritage Organization, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, is in trouble again, this time over a ceremony that involved an explosive mix for the Islamic Republic: women, music, and the Koran. -Golnaz Esfandiari 11/20/08
Photos: Iranian Women Handball Team - The following photos are from the practice game between Iran's National Women Handball Team and the Naft team. -By Mona Hoobehfekr, ISNA 11/19/08
Six American University Presidents Visit Isfahan - The Chancellors of six American universities visited Isfahan's historical monuments Wednesday. They arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the invitation of Tehran's Sharif University of Technology. 11/19/08
Photos: Picking herbs in Khuzestan, Iran - Khuzestan is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq's Basra Province and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and covers an area of 63,238 km square. -Photos by Amin Nazari, ISNA 11/19/08
Iran: New Voices - Quartet: A Journey North (Play) - This documentary-style performance takes us deep into the motivations of the human mind. Based upon real-life cases from Iran, four witnesses are questioned in a police investigation following the murder of four people. Two of them are the murderers. -By Mehr Theatre Company 11/19/08
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Rick Steves talks about trip to Iran and an upcoming documentary - Like most people, Rick Steves says, he knew next to nothing about Iran or its sometimes scary-to-Westerners Islamic culture. Unlike most people, though, Steves, local travel guru, sees that kind of thinking as more dare than obstacle. So last spring, he took his film crew and folksy disposition into the "axis of evil" to see for himself. -Seattle Times 11/19/08
Iran Opens fourth Naval Base in Persian Gulf - The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has upgraded a naval base on Iran's Persian Gulf coastline to improve its defensive capabilities. -FNA 11/19/08
Obama adviser outlines Iran strategy in Denver - Iran's high unemployment, high inflation, dropping oil prices and other internal problems should enable the United States to engage the Iranian government in meaningful negotiations if the U.S. applies a policy of "strong sticks and strong carrots," President-elect Barack Obama's Middle East adviser said in Denver today. -Denver Post 11/19/08
Asian mayors meeting opens in Tehran - The meeting of mayors, chairmen of city councils and the municipalities' representatives from 48 Asian states named the Asian mayors meeting opened in Tehran on November 19. 11/19/08
Tehran is much cooler - Tehran is really getting cooler and I am writing to you from my desk where the central heating unit is on and I have my warm tops on. I could not believe that just a couple of weeks ago, we were wondering if it was time to close up the coolers for this year or not, and the next week we turned the heaters on and now I have put on my woollies and thick socks with such a drastic change in the weather. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran 11/18/08
Video Profile of Iranian-American Scientist Dr. Pardis Sabeti - She has not only lived the dream, but has redefined it for immigrant women everywhere, rising to the top of the scientific world by developing an algorithm which explains the effects of genetics on the evolution of disease, and reigniting hopes for cures to diseases like Malaria and Tuberculosis which have eluded scientists for years. -PAAIA 11/18/08
Iranian-American Mother & Daughter, Etrat and Baran Elahi, recognized by Women's Initiative - Women's Initiative, a San Francisco/Bay Area non-profit, offering training and support to low-income women wanting to start and grow their own businesses, announced the selection of Etrat and Baran Elahi co-founders of The Nutty Cookie Company as its Alameda County Honorees for its November 3rd Honoree and Graduates Luncheon at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency. 11/18/08
Photos: 15th Press Fair in Tehran - The 15th Press and News Agencies Fair opened in Tehran on Sunday. Over 470 domestic publications and major news agencies are active in the 15th Press and News Agencies Fair. Publications and news agencies from 27 foreign countries are also taking part in the exhibit. -Photos by Alireza Sotakbar, ISNA 11/18/08
Iran: Rainfall destroys historical houses in Masuleh - Several houses in the historical village of Masuleh collapsed after the recent heavy rain in the village, leaving debris of roof timbers and pieces of wood and stones in the passageways. 11/18/08
Winners of 25thTehran Short Filmfest Announced - A total of 273 short films competed in the various sections of International Competition, Asia Pacific competition, Questing for the Truth, Films about the Islamic World, National Competition, Prophetic Heritage, Panoramas of our Beautiful Homeland, and the 30th Anniversary of Splendid Islamic Revolution. 11/18/08
Photos: Hara Forests in Qeshm, Iran - The Hara forests is the common name for mangrove forests on the southern coast of Iran, particularly on and near the island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf. Dominated by the species Avicennia marina, known locally as the "hara" or "harra" tree, the forests represent an important ecological resource. -Photos by Sajad Avarand, ISNA 11/17/08
Crude restoration spoils authenticity of Cyrus Tomb - Recently, the authentic character of the tomb of Cyrus the Great has been seriously compromised during an inept restoration project. A portion of the stone in the ceiling of the tomb have been cut and replaced with another piece during the project, an expert of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO), who wished to remain anonymous, told MNA on Sunday. 11/17/08
Obama victory, offers best chance of direct Iran talks? - Obama victory offers best chance in decades of direct Iran talks –AP report --- I think this AP report reflects to some degree the height of fear and the depth of hopelessness to which eight years of the Bush Administration has driven the world and the American nation of people. We need to move beyond the fear mongering rhetoric. -Debbie Menon 11/17/08
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LECTURE: Changing Youth and Changing Sexual Identities in the Wake of Iran's Sexual Revolution - A public lecture by Pardis Mahdavi, Pomona College. Pardis Mahdavi is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Pomona College. She was trained as a medical anthropologist and her interests include socio-cultural aspects of health and healing, gender, sexuality, and advocacy within anthropology. 11/17/08
'I, Barack Hussein Obama...' - A cathartic moment, a sudden change of vista and a vision of hope -- the election of Barack Obama as the next US president was all these things, despite some ominous signs of things to come, writes Hamid Dabashi 11/17/08
Iran's East and West Azarbaijan provinces conntected by Lake Orumiyeh bridge - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took part in a special ceremony in Orumiyeh on Monday to inaugurate the new bridge named after Shahid Kalantari which connects East and West Azarbaijan provinces. Construction of the bridge started some 29 years ago. 11/17/08
Photos: 'Security and Tranquility' Drill in Tehran's Azadi Square - Iranian police forces on Saturday continued their combat exercises in Tehran by holding a drill in Tehran's Azadi Square. The Azadi Tower (meaning in English: Freedom Tower) is the symbol of Tehran, Iran, and marks the entrance to the city. 11/16/08
US diplomats, academics call for unconditional talks with Iran - A panel of 20 experts who include academics and former ambassadors said in a joint statement to be presented to a conference on the future of US-Iran relations next week that US Administration must give Iran a "place at the table" in shaping future of Iraq and Afghanistan. 11/15/08
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Encyclopaedia Iranica Needs Your Help - There are times when one has no alternative but to appeal to one's friends. You have helped us with your support in the past, which has enabled us to continue the publication of the Encyclopaedia Iranica, in print and electronically, and I am most grateful to you. Without such support progress on the Encyclopaedia could not continue. -Ehsan Yarshater 11/15/08
Photos: Weaving with Camel Wool in Kardovan Dashti Village in Bushehr province of Iran - Bushehr or Bushire, pop. 165,377 (in 2005), is a city on the southwestern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. It is the chief seaport of the country and the administrative centre of Bushehr province. Its location is 28° 59' N, 50° 49' E, about 400 km south of Tehran. The local climate is hot and humid. -Photos by Mohsen Halvai, ISNA 11/15/08
VOICES OF IRANIAN WOMEN in New York - Nahid Rachlin reading from her memoir and Ezzat Goushegir performing her play, November 28, at KGB in Manhattan 11/15/08
Ancient Iran wins Moonbeam Children's Book Awards bronze medal - Ancient Iran, a pictorial history for young readers by Massoume Price, has won the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards bronze medal for one of the best multicultural non-fiction books in 2008 11/14/08
Iran at 116th place in The Global Gender Gap Report 2008 - Iran stands at 116th place (among 130 countries) in the Global Gender Gap Report 2008 published by World Economic Forum. India (113), Iran (116), Nepal (120) and Pakistan (127) continue to hold some of the lowest positions in the Asian rankings, but on average all four countries post gains relative to their own performances in 2006 and 2007, signifying a positive trend. 11/14/08
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Photos: Persian Gulf shores in Bandar Abbas, Iran - Bandar Abbas is a port city and capital of Hormozgan Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy. It had an estimated population of 352,173 in 2005. -Photos by Peyman Kiani, ISNA 11/13/08
Immigrant Rock Band Hypernova on U.S. Tour - After years of playing secret shows in Iran's underground music scene, the rock band Hypernova—now based in New York City—is on tour with The Sisters of Mercy. -Grace Nasri, Iran Times 11/13/08
PARSA Community Foundation Announces 2008 Mehregan Grantees! - PARSA Community Foundation is delighted to announce the awardees of its 2008 Mehregan grant cycle, with $138,000 in grants supporting sixteen powerful ideas. This is PARSA CF's fourth competitive grant round, and brings the total number of grants given to forty-four and the total amount awarded to $557,000. 11/12/08
Photos: Gravity Challenge at Sharif University in Tehran - Sharif University of Technology, formerly named Aryamehr University of Technology is a public university of technology, engineering and science in Iran. It is one of the most prominent science and engineering schools in Iran. -Photos by Amir Pourmand, ISNA 11/12/08
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The decline of religious fundamentalism in Iran - During the past three decades the rise of militant Islam has in many ways dominated political events in the region. The consequences of Iranian religious radicalism can be observed in the Persian Gulf region, in the Arab-Israel conflict, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Although Iranian Islamic militancy appears to be as dominant as ever, this may not be the case during the next decade. -Sadegh Zibakalam 11/12/08
Photos: Harvesting Saffron in Birjand, Iran - Saffron is a spice derived from the dried stigma of the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. The flower has three stigmas, which are the distal ends of the plant's carpels. Iran ranks first in the world production of saffron, with more than 94 percent of the world yield. -Amir Hosein Heidari, ISNA 11/12/08
Hadi Farahani - An Insightful Cartoonist - Hadi Farahani is an accomplished and internationally known graphic artist. His works have been published in many North American publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. Mr Farahani was educated in Tehran at the School of Visual Arts and at Tehran University, but for many years he has been living on the west coast of Canada. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran 11/11/08
OBAMA AND IRAN: Part I - President Elect Barack Obama’s tough talk about Iran, and his appointment of Zionist Hawks who could influence his Middle East policies: Window-dressing or serious business? -Kam Zarrabi 11/10/08
Iran invests $2.5b in stem cell research - Iran's Cord Blood Bank says 2.5 billion dollars will be invested in the country's stem cell research over the next five years. Iranian scientists test treatments on mice for everything from heart disease to multiple sclerosis in state-run laboratories and private hospitals in Tehran. The fund will be used for the development of such facilities in other Iranian cities. 11/7/08
Photos: Autumn in Zonouz near Marand, East Azerbaijan province of Iran - Zonouz is a small Iranian village near the city of Marand in the province of East Azarbaijan in Iran. It is located on a mountain, and has very cold weather in winter and cool summers. It is known for its different types of apples - it is considered the apple capital of Iran with some types of apple trees that grow only in Zonouz. -photos by Navid Jadidoleslam, ISNA 11/4/08
Finding Zoroastrianism in the Heart of the Iranian Desert - I wake up in my Tehran hotel to a placard signaling the direction of Mecca. In the cabinet drawers there is a minaret rock, prayer rug and Koran. Today I depart for the desert city of Yazd, the holiest city for Zoroastrians. -Deena Guzder 11/4/08
Photos: Picking Pomegranates in Paveh, Iran - Paveh is a city in Iranian province of Kermanshah. Paveh is located in the west of Iran and is 123 km far from Kermanshah and lies in a region along the Iran-Iraq border commonly referred to as Hewraman. 11/2/08
"Rustam and Sohrab" composed with Orff's assistance: Tjeknavorian - Iranian musician and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian regarded the guidance provided by German composer Carl Orff in the composition of his opera "Rustam and Sohrab" as a great experience. -MNA 10/29/08
What the Future has in Store for Iran - In my book, The United States and Iran: Sanctions, Wars and the Policy of Dual Containment, I cautioned that it is difficult to predict the future of the US policy of dual containment of Iran and Iraq without looking at the history of this policy. The warning still holds. -Sasan Fayazmanesh 10/24/08
