Iran’s former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken the surprise move of registering to run in next month’s presidential election. Ahmadinejad had insisted he would not stand after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year that his candidacy would have a ‘polarising’ effect. Under his previous tenure, between 2005 and 2013, Iran saw mass … Read more
Iran’s former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the shock move on Wednesday of registering for next month’s presidential election, going against the advice of the supreme leader. Ahmadinejad had previously insisted he would not stand after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year that his candidacy would have a “polarising” effect on the nation, and instead … Read more
The United States stepped up pressure Sunday on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning that any further chemical attacks would be “very damaging” to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace in Syria while Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump’s top advisers took to Sunday television talk shows to … Read more
Iran’s conservatives announced a shortlist of five presidential candidates on Thursday as they experimented with their first-ever democratic primary in a bid to find a leader to challenge President Hassan Rouhani. Fearing another defeat at the hands of the moderate president in next month’s election, a new alliance called the Popular Front of Revolutionary Forces … Read more
Former hardline Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday he would support a long-time ally in May’s presidential election. In his first press conference for four years, Ahmadinejad said he will back Hamid Baghaie, his former vice president who headed the tourism board. “I have no plans to present myself. I support Mr Baghaie as the … Read more
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is credited with pulling the economy back from the brink, but less than two months before his re-election bid, has he done enough to convince voters? “This year was full of stress — no jobs, recession, a stagnant housing market,” said Ali Bakhtiyari, a jeweller in the Tajrish bazaar of northern … Read more
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fleshed out his vision of a “Made in Iran” economy Tuesday, calling for a ban on certain imports and an end to the $15-billion smuggling trade. The annual speech on the first day of the Persian year serves as a sort of Iranian equivalent to the US State of the … Read more
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday reiterated a call for a “resistance economy” that prioritises domestic production. In a televised message to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year, he urged officials to “focus on the key issues of domestic production and employment, especially youth employment.” Khamenei said he could feel people’s bitterness, especially … Read more
While Iranians would bear the brunt of Donald Trump’s visa ban, which has been blocked on the orders of a US court, international officials say the country has quietly emerged as one of the most generous towards refugees. “The leadership demonstrated by the Iranian government has been exemplary in hosting refugees and keeping borders open,” … Read more
Iran’s hardline former president Mahmud Ahmadinejad became the latest leader to join Twitter on Sunday, despite having been instrumental in getting it banned from the country. Ahmadinejad’s first tweet from his personal account was a video in which he called on people to follow him at @Ahmadinejad1956. “In the name of God Peace be upon … Read more
A new animated film from Iran shows the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet being blown out of the water in the latest effort to build up the legend of the country’s most celebrated general. Director Farhad Azimi told local media his 80-minute “Battle of the Persian Gulf II” is “a response to the gibberish of Hollywood … Read more
Iranian officials have banned the flying of all private drones over Tehran after two recent incidents led to one of the devices being shot down near the supreme leader’s office. “Based on a recent order regarding prevention of unlicensed flight by private drones, we have stopped these planes which had created security… problems,” said Revolutionary … Read more
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected the possibility of reconciliation with a “minority” that is opposed to the regime. The idea of reconciliation emerged in newspapers this week after former reformist president Mohammad Khatami mentioned it in a statement calling on people to join a march marking the 1979 Islamic revolution. “Some … Read more
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday to swear allegiance to the clerical establishment following U. S. President Donald Trump’s warning that he had put the Islamic Republic “on notice”, state TV reported. On the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled the U.S.-backed shah, marchers including hundreds of military personnel and policemen … Read more
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians are expected to fill the streets of the capital Tehran for the funeral of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The ceremony is due to begin with prayers performed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the … Read more
Iranian lawmakers approved plans on Monday to expand military spending to five percent of the budget, including developing the country’s long-range missile program which U. S. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to halt. The vote is a boost to Iran’s military establishment – the regular army, the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and defense … Read more
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has led tributes to former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has died at the age of 82. Ayatollah Khamenei hailed a “companion of struggle” despite their differences, saying this was a “difficult” loss. President Hassan Rouhani praised Mr Rafsanjani as a great man of the Islamic revolution. The government … Read more
More than 1.5 million Muslims from across the globe have converged on Saudi Arabia for the annual five-day Hajj. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to do so are expected to take part in the Hajj at least once in their lifetimes. Iran is … Read more
Iran’s supreme leader has attacked Saudi Arabia’s handling of the Hajj almost a year on since hundreds of pilgrims were killed in a stampede. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said because of Riyadh’s “oppressive behaviour” the “world of Islam” should reconsider its management of the Hajj. This year it begins on 11 September but Iranians will not … Read more