By Juan Cole 1. Karen DeYoung points out that the siege of the Iraqi Shiite town of Amerli could not have been broken without the help of Shiite militiamen from the Badr Corps, the Salaam Brigades (Mahdi Army) and the extremist Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq. The US essentially provided them close air support against the Salafi […]
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Iran
What You won’t See on US TV: Iranians Sympathetic to US over ISIL Attacks
Channel 4 News Channel 4 News: “What does Iran make of Islamic State?” Meanwhile, although some Iranian sources deny it, the BBC’s sources say that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader has “authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces.” Khamenei seems to be preparing the Iranian people […]
Can You pass the Iran Quiz?
By Jeffrey Rudolph What can possibly justify the relentless U.S. political and economic aggression against Iran? It cannot be argued that Iran is an aggressive state that is dangerous to its neighbors, as facts do not support this claim. It cannot be relevant that Iran adheres to Islamic fundamentalism, has a flawed democracy and denies […]
Iran Hard Liners denounce US Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson, Mo.
By Golnaz Esfandiari via RFE/RL The unrest in the U.S. state of Missouri sparked by the fatal police shooting of a black teenager is being played up by Iranian hardliners, with several lawmakers calling on the Foreign Ministry to react and highlight what they describe as blatant human rights abuses in the United States. The […]
How America made Martyrs of two Iranian Democrats and overthrew Iran’s Liberal Government in 1953
By Farhad Malekafzali August 19 is the anniversary of the 1953 CIA-MI6 coup in Iran. The coup overthrew a government with a remarkable commitment to the norms of liberal democracy. The fate of Premier Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh has rightfully received a good deal of scholarly and journalistic attention. He was tried for treason, imprisoned for […]
Iranian Woman wins Math Genius Prize, Iranian officials Obsess about her Hair
By Golnaz Esfandiari via RFE/RL "No hair, no ears, no neck." That's how one journalist described a front-page portrait of Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani that an Iranian newspaper digitally doctored to obscure her hair and skin to placate censors in the Islamic republic. The altered picture of Mirzakhani, who this week became the first woman […]
Iraq: Al-Abadi garners Iranian, US, Saudi Support: But can He Unite Iraq?
By Juan Cole Middle Eastern regional powers joined the US in welcoming the appointment of Haydar al-Abadi as Iraq’s next Prime Minister, creating a dorm full of strange bedfellows. The chairman of Iran’s national security council, Ali Shamkhani, congratulated al-Abadi and said that Iran approved of the legal process whereby President Fuad Masoum appointed the […]
How its Iran Sanctions hurt US Economy: Cutting off your Nose to Spite Your Face
The National Iranian American Council There are very few studies measuring the cost of sanctions to the sanctioning countries. In the case of Iran, where unprecedented U.S. and international sanctions may soon be lifted as part of a deal over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, understanding the cost of the policy is particularly important since any […]
The Fall of the New Year Throne (Complete Sword & Sorcery Novel of ancient Persia)
By Juan Cole The Fall of the New Year Throne Many, many thanks to everyone who followed the serialized sword and sorcery novel I have posted here since last January. I had written a version of it in the early 1990s. I wasn’t satisfied with it and ultimately got drawn into other projects. The book […]