Persian Letters
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March 10, 2016Women Deputies Sue Iranian Lawmaker Over 'Donkey' Remarks
Iranian female lawmakers are suing a hard-line male colleague, Nader Ghazipur, for saying parliament was no place for women and donkeys.
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March 07, 2016
Iran Sets New Restrictions On University Concerts
Iran has set new restrictions on concerts held at universities, as hard-liners dig in their heels after election gains for moderates who might seek to ease some of the Islamic republic's harshest limits on cultural life.
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March 04, 2016
Nine Takeaways From Iran's Elections
Iran's moderates and reformists have had nearly a week to celebrate their return from a decade of political marginalization. But how much has really changed?
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March 03, 2016
Iranian Lawmaker Says Parliament Is No Place For Women, Donkeys
A hard-line Iranian lawmaker has come under fire for declaring that women should not be allowed to serve in parliament.
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March 02, 2016
Iranian VP Under Fire For Claiming All Of Village's Men 'Executed'
Iranian Vice President Shahindokht Molaverdi has come under fire for claiming that the entire male population of a village in restive Sistan-Baluchistan Province has been executed on drug-related offenses.
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February 28, 2016
'Tehran Is Now Free' -- Iranian Election Results Spark Gleeful Social-Media Response
While waiting for the final results of Iran's elections to be released, some Iranians exchanged jokes targeting hard-liners who oppose better ties with the West and less restrictive social and cultural policies.
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February 24, 2016
Iran's Hard-Liners Accuse Britain Of Backing Moderates In Upcoming Vote
Moderate candidates in Iran's upcoming parliamentary elections are being portrayed by their hard-line critics as being lackeys of Britain.
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February 23, 2016
Iranian TV Show Angers Afghans
A new show on Iran's state-controlled television has angered critics who say it promotes hatred against Afghan refugees living in the Islamic republic.
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February 22, 2016
Dog-Beating Video Sparks Protests In Tehran
A disturbing video of a hunter in northern Iran brutally beating his dog has triggered a rare public protest in the capital, where dozens gathered to call for an end to animal cruelty.
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February 19, 2016
'I Was Becoming Afraid Of Writing': Iranian Poet Flees Because Of Crippling Censorship
Iranian poet Fatemeh Ektesari, who recently fled Iran after being sentenced to a stiff prison term and lashes, says she had to leave because she couldn't bear to censor herself any longer.
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February 11, 2016
Capture Of U.S. Sailors Reenacted At Celebrations Of Iran’s 1979 Revolution
The capture of 10 U.S. sailors by Iranian forces last month was reenacted at rallies in Iran celebrating the anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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February 10, 2016
Tehran Just Had A Crazy Car-Wash Attack
Things turned violent and messy at a car wash in the Iranian capital when city workers reportedly beat up the staff and destroyed the property amid a long-running land dispute.
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February 10, 2016
Iran Releases New Footage Of U.S. Sailors
Iran has released more footage and images of U.S. sailors who were briefly detained last month by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, including images that appear to show one of them crying.
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February 06, 2016
Trash-Talking: Collecting Garbage Isn't A Crime In Tehran. Or Is It?
Left with few options to legally highlight state repression in Iran, Mohammad Maleki and Mohammad Nurizad settled on a seemingly innocuous form of public protest -- collecting garbage from the streets of Tehran. That's not a crime. Or is it?
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February 04, 2016
Tonic For The Troops: Iran Singer Takes Stage In Syria
An Iranian religious singer popular with hard-liners says he traveled recently to the frontlines in war-torn Syria to sing for Iranian fighters deployed to assist President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
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February 03, 2016
Former BBC Journalist, Translator Arrested In Tehran
Iranian journalist and translator Bahman Darolshafayi, a dual Iranian-British national and former BBC journalist, has been arrested in Tehran.
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February 01, 2016
Iranian Commanders Who Detained U.S. Sailors Receive Hero Treatment
Officers with Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have been showered with accolades for their detention of U.S. sailors who accidently crossed into Iranian waters.
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January 29, 2016
Khomeini's Grandson Vows To Challenge Decision to Bar Him From Election
A grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the cleric who led Iran's 1979 revolution and founded the Islamic republic, says he will challenge a decision to bar him from running in the February election for the Assembly of Experts even though it could be fruitless.
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January 27, 2016
Memes Circulate After Italy Hides Nude Statues For Rohani Visit
Memes are making the rounds mocking Italy's decision to cover up nude statues at Rome's Capitoline Museum with big white boxes for a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rohani.
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January 21, 2016
Iranian President: Mass Candidate Ban Could Make Elections Pointless
Iran's president has criticized the mass disqualification of candidates in next month's parliamentary elections, suggesting the decision could make the vote pointless.
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January 14, 2016
Iranian, U.A.E. Ministers Trade Twitter Digs In Saudi Standoff
A diplomatic war of words has erupted on Twitter between Iran and the United Arab Emirates amid deteriorating ties between Tehran and the U.A.E.'s ally, Saudi Arabia.
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January 08, 2016
Popular Iranian Poet Detained Upon Return To Iran
Hila Sedighi, a popular Iranian poet who had in the past criticized state repression and campaigned for an opposition presidential candidate, has been detained by authorities, relatives said.
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January 06, 2016
Iranian Soccer Player Jailed Over Photos With Unveiled Women
A professional Iranian soccer player has been jailed after photographs published on social media showed him together with several women not wearing the Islamic hijab, as required by Iranian law.
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January 06, 2016
The Mystery Behind The Saudi Embassy Attack In Iran
Based on the responses coming out of the Islamic republic, anyone and everyone could have been responsible for ransacking and setting alight the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.
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December 15, 2015
Iran Just Slapped A Shuttlecock Ban On The U.S.
Iran has banned the import of hundreds of American goods that include toilet paper, shuttlecocks, and tanks.
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December 14, 2015
'Walls Of Kindness' Encourage Iranians To Give
Walls typically create divisions. But not always.
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December 09, 2015
Iranian Newspaper Protests Media Ban On Ex-President
One of Iran's oldest newspapers has defiantly criticized a media ban on covering former President Mohammad Khatami.
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December 01, 2015
Popular Iranian Poet, Songwriter Arrested
A well-known Iranian poet and songwriter has been arrested in Tehran for reasons that remain unclear.
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November 18, 2015
Senior Iranian Cleric Refuses To Meet With Culture Minister
Senior Qom-based hard-line Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has refused to meet with Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati to demonstrate his disapproval of the ministry's policies, deemed too liberal by hard-liners.
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November 13, 2015
Red-Wine Lines: French Impasse Highlights Iranian Envoys' No-No's
French and Iranian officials have abandoned a plan to break bread next week when Iran's president comes to Paris as part of a European tour aimed at reengaging diplomatically and perhaps economically.
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November 04, 2015
Rohani Hits Back At Iranian Hard-Liners Over Spate Of Arrests
The arrests appear to be a backlash against Iran's landmark nuclear agreement reached with world powers in July, as well as part of hard-liners' efforts to stifle the political atmosphere ahead of national elections early next year.
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November 04, 2015
Iranian Authorities Clip Bogus KFC's Wings
Iran has shut down what officials reportedly thought was a branch of the U.S. fast food chain KFC.
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November 03, 2015
Iranian Activists Campaign To Bring More Women Into Parliament
Iranian women's rights groups have launched a campaign they hope will put more female faces in parliament after February elections. In a challenge to Iran's patriarchal politics, the activists are also handing out "red cards" to candidates -- male and female -- who oppose gender equality.
About This Blog
Persian Letters is a blog that offers a window into Iranian politics and society. Written primarily by Golnaz Esfandiari, Persian Letters brings you under-reported stories, insight and analysis, as well as guest Iranian bloggers -- from clerics, anarchists, feminists, Basij members, to bus drivers. Follow @GEsfandiari