Iran

Azar Nafisi, bestselling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, recounted how reading an “offensive” book with her students in the Islamic Republic of Iran posed a social threat because the act -- much like Socrates being accused of corrupting the youth of Athens by the use of sophistry -- was an affront to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s repressive regime. In such a milieu, the “deviant” characters in Vladimir Nabakov’s unique story – “the wayward child, the egotistic mother, the panting maniac” – and the prospect of the…

A radical decentralisation of politics and decision-making in Iran is needed to allow Kurdish communities to benefit from natural resources, experts have argued. Kurdish regions in Iran have rich minerals, dense forests and massive surface and underground water…

Photo: Ronald Martinez (Getty Images)We’ve all grown accustomed to hearing about foreign-seeded disinformation campaigns, but we seldom hear about America’s own covert influence operations. On Wednesday, however, social media researchers revealed details about what appears to have been a long-running U.S. disinformation effort aimed at web users in Russia, China, and Iran.In July and August, Twitter and Meta announced that they had uncovered two overlapping sets of fraudulent accounts that were spreading inauthentic…

Johnny Depp has a lookalike. A video of an Iranian man with striking resemblance to the Hollywood actor was being widely shared on social media. Watch it here. Johnny Depp fans are stunned as the actor’s doppelganger was spotted at a religious ceremony in Iran. The man’s video was captured as he attended a festival in Tabriz, Iran. The said video first reportedly appeared on TikTok before being shared on other platforms like Twitter and Reddit, with many social media users saying they were surprised to see Johnny’s…

Oil prices extended losses on Tuesday after weak US and Chinese data reinforced recession expectations with signs that Iran is moving towards a nuclear deal adding to the downward pressure. Abadan oil refinery in southwest Iran pictured from Iraqi side of Shatt al Arab south of Basra on September 21, 2019.…

Iran dismissed as "childish" Wednesday claims by the United States that an Iranian satellite launched by Russia is intended for spying.The satellite, called Khayyam, was launched into space on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Russian-controlled Baikonur Cosmodrome in neighbouring Kazakhstan on Tuesday.Responding to the launch, Washington said Russia's growing cooperation with Iran should be viewed as a "profound threat"."We are aware of reports that Russia launched a satellite with significant spying capabilities on Iran's…

Photo: Mc_Cloud (Shutterstock)The latest crypto bro on the block happens to be the country of Iran. Reports from the Tasnim news agency Tuesday said that, according to the country’s head of its Trade Promotion Organization Alireza Peyman-Pak, the country made its first official import order using crypto worth $10 million. Further, the official said they will be making widespread use of “cryptocurrencies and smart contracts” for foreign trade with “target countries” by the end of September.It’s likely the largest…

Analysts predict Iran could boost its oil exports by 1 million to 1.5 million barrels per day, or up to 1.5 percent of global supply, in six months, following international efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. The oil market has remained under pressure recently over global recession fears, with Brent prices…

Iran made its first official import order using cryptocurrency this week, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported on Tuesday, a move that could enable the Islamic Republic to circumvent US sanctions that have crippled the economy. The order, worth $10 million (roughly 80 crore), was a first step towards allowing the country to trade through digital assets that bypass the dollar-dominated global financial system and to trade with other countries similarly limited by US sanctions, such as Russia. The agency didn't specify…

Behram Rustomjee has all the hallmarks of a fine Parsi gentleman. He loves music, knows his operas, is dutifully loyal to his Irani cafes and Parsi restaurants, and has single-handedly raised his daughter. One would think his post retirement life would include watering his plants and sunbathing in the baug gardens gossiping with those his age. There’s just one tiny problem. Rustomjee likes to rinse his mouth with rum as soon as he wakes up. It would have been fine had he not started passing out in public places and his…