Tehran Times

2026-04-22 21:41
By Shahrokh Saei

US blockade dwarfed by Iranian naval power

The IRGC seized two vessels on Wednesday for 'disrupting order and safety in the Strait of Hormuz'

TEHRAN - President Donald Trump’s unilateral extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran highlights the country’s battlefield strength and lays bare the failure of US military strategy.
- Talking to pirates is neither wise nor productive

The components of “a strong Iran”

TEHRAN - A professor of history says having efficient, intelligent, and predictable governance structures plays a decisive role in strengthening the concept of “a strong Iran”.
By Shahrokh Saei

Talking to pirates is neither wise nor productive

Iran says it holds the 'upper hand' and will not allow the US to turn negotiations into a ‘surrender table’

TEHRAN - Iran has reiterated its position that it will not hold negotiations with the United States under coercion or pressure as President Donald Trump intensifies military threats against Tehran.
Russia: US-Israeli strikes on Iran undermine NPT

TEHRAN- Russia has condemned the U.S.-Israeli military aggression against Iran, warning that the attacks have severely weakened the global nuclear nonproliferation regime and the IAEA safeguards system.
Strait of Hormuz crisis: A looming food security time bomb

TEHRAN- The world is holding its breath. With the escalation of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil passes, has effectively been closed. While the immediate crisis is measured in halted tankers and rising energy prices, the United Nations warns that the real detonation will be a "food security time bomb" felt not just at gas pumps, but in supermarket aisles worldwide.
Documents on US-Israel war crime in Minab sent to international legal bodies

TEHRAN – The judiciary department of Hormozgan Province has sent documents to international legal bodies regarding the US-Israeli crime in launching a missile attack on an elementary school in the city of Minab, killing at least 168 students on February 28.

Politics

Strait of Hormuz: Man-made crisis and the plight of stranded seafarers

TEHRAN- 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf's waterway bottleneck. UN calls for immediate aid to sailors, and Qatar believes that resolving the crisis is not the responsibility of one country alone.
US estimates Iran retains 70% of pre-war missile stockpile

TEHRAN – Despite repeated claims by Washington that its war on Iran has severely degraded the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile capabilities, U.S. intelligence estimates suggest that Tehran retains access to the vast majority of its missiles and launchers, according to a report by The New York Times.
US abandoned deterrence, failed in its war on Iran: MEI analysis

TEHRAN- A detailed analysis published by the Middle East Institute (MEI) concludes that the United States abandoned deterrence as the core of its Persian Gulf strategy, leading to a failure in the war on Iran and leaving the Persian Gulf arab states worse off than before the conflict began.

Sports

Golnoosh Khosravi reflects on Asian Cup journey

TEHRAN - Iran’s national women’s football team winger, Golnoosh Khosravi, has opened up about the squad’s 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign, revealing that a World Cup berth was within reach had circumstances aligned differently.
Sanya 2026: Iran beach handball start on high

TEHRAN - Iran’s national beach handball team launched their campaign at the 6th Asian Beach Games with a commanding performance, defeating the Philippines 2-0 on Tuesday.
Iran to compete at 2026 World Cup in U.S., says Infantino

TEHRAN - The Iranian men’s national soccer team were one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, an event shaping up to be FIFA’s largest yet, not only in terms of footprint and participating teams but also commercially, projected to generate upwards of $11 billion in revenue.

Culture

Symbolic installation in Tehran honors Minab martyred students

TEHRAN – A field installation titled “The Left-behind Shoes: In Memory of the Jasmines of Minab” has been set up at the Eivan-e Entezar of Valiasr Square to pay tribute to the students and staff martyred in the recent tragic attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school.
City Theater to restage Neil Simon’s “The Prisoner of Second Avenue”

TEHRAN – The 1971 American black comedy “The Prisoner of Second Avenue” written by Neil Simon will be restaged at the Tehran’s City Theater from Wednesday after its successful performance in February.
Tennessee Williams’s “Suddenly Last Summer” published in Persian

TEHRAN – The Persian translation of the play “Suddenly Last Summer” by Tennessee Williams has been released in the Iranian bookstores.

Economy

Hidden casualty of U.S.-Israeli war on Iran: Global logistics

TEHRAN- What began as targeted military strikes has rapidly escalated into a full-blown geopolitical earthquake. The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, initially framed as a strategic countermeasure, is now revealing itself as one of the most destructive events for global logistics in modern history.
Economic policy in wartime: Assessing state of mother industries & energy

TEHRAN – An economic expert has outlined the consequences of a 40-day war on Iran's mother industries and energy infrastructure, while explaining the requirements of economic policy in the current era, IRNA reported. As Iran enters a two-week ceasefire, the country's economy faces challenges after enduring a 40-day imposed war (following an initial 12-day battle).
Iran, Turkmenistan forge closer ties amid regional turbulence

TEHRAN- In a telephone conversation between Iran's Minister of Transport and Urban Development and Turkmenistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, both sides stressed the strengthening of economic and transit cooperation, while Ashgabat announced the continued openness of borders and the development of joint projects.

Society

Documents on US-Israel war crime in Minab sent to international legal bodies

TEHRAN – The judiciary department of Hormozgan Province has sent documents to international legal bodies regarding the US-Israeli crime in launching a missile attack on an elementary school in the city of Minab, killing at least 168 students on February 28.
IRCS proposes an “addendum to Geneva Conventions” to limit use of AI in warfare

TEHRAN – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has proposed the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) for an “addendum to Geneva Conventions” to limit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare.
World Earth Day: war reveals bitter and contradictory reality

TEHRAN - Every year on April 22, Earth Day reminds us of the power we have to protect our planet and in 2026, that message feels more relevant than ever.

Tourism

Austrian Iranologists condemn destruction of Iran’s cultural heritage at Vienna event

TEHRAN - A group of Austrian and international scholars specializing in Iranian studies have strongly condemned the destruction and damage inflicted on Iran’s cultural heritage, describing such acts as not only an assault on a single nation but a profound loss for humanity as a whole.
Isfahan official calls for combined tourism tours centered on ‘resistance tourism’

TEHRAN – A tourism official in Isfahan on Wednesday called for the design of combined tourism packages centered on “resistance tourism,” aiming to link cultural and historical attractions with sites tied to the war with US and the Zionist regime of Israel.
Discover Soubatan, scenic summer haven above the clouds

TEHRAN - Nestled in the highlands of northern Iran, Soubatan village is one of the most captivating rural destinations in Gilan province, offering a rare blend of untouched nature, traditional lifestyles, and dramatic mountain scenery.

International

Iraq nears government formation breakthrough

TEHRAN – Iraq advances toward selecting a prime minister as political factions intensify negotiations following the presidential appointment.
The sledgehammer that crystallized Israel’s war on Christianity

TEHRAN — The image lands like a physical blow: An Israeli soldier in full uniform stands outside a family home in the Maronite Christian village of Debel, six kilometers from the border, and swings a sledgehammer straight into the head of a Jesus statue on its crucifix.
The rain fell, and the UAE’s house on sand is falling

TEHRAN — The United Arab Emirates had a defining choice to make, and it made the wrong one. For years, Abu Dhabi cast itself as the clever pragmatist of the Persian Gulf, a nimble trader that could glide above the region’s oldest fault lines.