Tehran Times

2026-01-24 20:45
By Saleh Abidi Maleki

No anxiety in Tehran as commanders declare readiness for war

Top officials express confidence that US aggression failed once—and will fail again, this time at a much heavier cost

TEHRAN – Iran’s top military officials looked relaxed and in high spirits as they gathered for an annual meeting marking National Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Day. Speaking to an IRIB reporter who managed to gain access to the gathering, the commanders commented on the growing prospects of another war with the United States with visible confidence.

US has absolutely zero credibility on human rights: Japanese professor

Saul Takahashi says Trump encourages protests in Iran as sanctions deepen economic hardship

TEHRAN - In an interview with the Tehran Times, Japanese human rights lawyer and academic Saul Takahashi critically examines U.S. and Israeli policies toward Iran amid the unrest that engulfed the country in the first 10 ten days of the current month.
By Xavier Villar

The political language used to frame Iran

MADRID - There is an art, almost a science, to the construction of a journalistic narrative that, under the appearance of balance and rigor, guides the reader toward a predetermined conclusion. This is not the overt propaganda of the twentieth century, with its recognizable slogans and incendiary language, but a more sophisticated procedure.
Trump’s ‘support for Iranians’ masks economic warfare and narrative manipulation: Senior analyst

Elija J. Magnier argues US strategy weaponizes dissent while sanctions intensify civilian hardship

TEHRAN- In an interview with the Tehran Times, veteran war correspondent and geopolitical analyst Elijah J. Magnier delivers a rigorous and unflinching analysis of U.S. and Israeli pressure tactics against Iran, situating them within a long-standing architecture of coercion, narrative warfare, and regional destabilisation.
By Xavier Villar

Power in Iran: A realist analysis by John Mearsheimer

TEHRAN - The protests recorded in Iran at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 have primarily been interpreted as the expression of accumulated economic and social tensions. This reading, focused on domestic factors, identifies real elements, such as persistent inflationary pressure. In many analyses, these factors appear sufficient to explain both the scale of the mobilizations and the subsequent response by the authorities.
By Fatemeh Kavand

Iran’s response will open the gates of hell

TEHRAN - In a report by Axios correspondent Barak Ravid, it is stated that despite announcing military readiness to attack Iran, Donald Trump abruptly canceled the strike in the final hours of Wednesday as a result of pressure from his regional allies.

Politics

Leader’s representatives visit individuals disabled during 1980-88 war, recent riots

TEHRAN - Over a dozen delegations representing Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei have visited disabled war veterans who sustained injuries during the eight-year Iraqi war on Iran in the 1980s.
Iran rejects Western-backed UN mandates as ‘human rights weaponization’ for political gain

TEHRAN – Iran has formally rejected a resolution adopted in the 39th Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Saturday, denouncing the move as a “blatantly politicized action.”
US, Israel hatched ‘false-flag killings’ plot to stir unrest in Iran: top MP

TEHRAN - A senior Iranian parliamentarian says the US and the Israeli regime were pursuing a policy of “false-flag killings” during the recent riots in Iran.

Sports

Asgari wins bronze at Karate One Premier League

TEHRAN – Bahman Asgari Ghoncheh of Iran claimed a bronze medal at the Karate One Premier League Istanbul on Sunday.
Iran to play Cameroon in friendly

TEHRAN - Iran’s national football team will step up their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a high-profile friendly against Cameroon on March 30 in Istanbul.
Iran's U23 football crisis: A cycle of failure and fading Olympic dreams

TEHRAN - Iran's U23 national football team have hit a new, embarrassing low. Their recent exit from the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia was not just a disappointment; it was a systemic failure that exposes deep-rooted problems within Iranian football's youth development structure.

Culture

12th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival screening Iranian modern, classic movies

TEHRAN – Five films from Iran are present at the 12th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival, which is underway in India.
44th Fajr Film Festival to be held in February with 31 films vying for Crystal Simorgh

TEHRAN – The 44th Fajr National Film Festival will be inaugurated at Mellat Cineplex in Tehran on February 1, setting the stage for ten days of artistic celebration and competition.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia” reviewed at Arasbaran Cultural Center

TEHRAN – Arasbaran Cultural Center in Tehran screened the 2025 dark comedy film “Bugonia” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos on Sunday.

Economy

Iran road transit holds at 12.4m tons despite disruptions

TEHRAN – Iran recorded 12.44 million tons of road transit cargo in the first nine months of the current Iranian year (march-December, 2025), maintaining volumes broadly in line with last year despite regional tensions and infrastructure incidents, a senior transport official said.
Iran to host pavilion at Afghanistan construction industry fair

TEHRAN – Iran has approved the organization of a national pavilion at the Afghanistan International Specialized Construction Industry Exhibition, scheduled to be held in Kabul in February 2026, the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO) said.
Customs clearance eased after FX reform, says trade official

TEHRAN – Iran has eased logistics and customs procedures for essential goods, raw materials and production equipment following the unification of exchange rates, with no shortages reported in basic supplies, a senior trade official said.

Society

Over 70 diagnostic, therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals being produced in Iran

TEHRAN – Iran has achieved a distinguished position in the region in the field of radiopharmaceuticals and biotechnological drugs, manufacturing 70 types of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals domestically, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.
Some 1.7% of Iranians donate blood regularly

TEHRAN – Around 1.7 percent of the country's population donates blood regularly, and the blood donation index is 28 per 1,000 population, an official with Iran Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) has said.
Intl. Day of Clean Energy highlights inclusive energy transitions

TEHRAN – Marked on January 26 every year, the International Day of Clean Energy aims to drive equitable and sustainable energy transitions, leaving no one behind and protecting the planet.

Tourism

Heritage sites in Fars province to be monitored by drones

TEHRAN – Fars’ cultural heritage department is set to use drones and electronic monitoring systems to oversee nationally and globally registered heritage sites scattered across the southern Iranian province.
National education platform for creative industries and handicrafts unveiled in Tehran

TEHRAN - Iran on Saturday unveiled the first phase of a national educational platform covering creative industries, handicrafts and library and museum skills at the Malek National Library and Museum in downtown Tehran.
Vivid colors of Qashqai carpets enliven black tents

TEHRAN — The vivid colors and distinctive designs of Qashqai carpets add visual richness to Siah-Chadors, the traditional black tents used by Iran’s nomadic communities. Such an striking contrast, seen in only a few places worldwide, has drawn attention to the artistry and cultural value of Qashqai weaving.

International

A state in protest: Is Minnesota becoming the fault line of US immigration policy?

TEHRAN — Recent events in the US state of Minnesota have exposed the deep tensions created by President Donald Trump’s immigration strategy. The mass protests on Friday, the widespread business shutdowns, and the willingness of thousands to gather in dangerous cold weather show a community reacting forcefully to a federal operation it sees as excessive and harmful.
What Palestinians endure in Gaza amid Israel’s continued demolition and siege

TEHRAN — Palestinians in Gaza are hoping for real changes that could ease their suffering and help them survive the harsh reality they face.
The US and Lebanon’s trilateral trap

BEIRUT — The United States is intensifying pressure on Lebanon to abandon the existing military “mechanism” overseeing the southern front and move instead toward a Washington-sponsored trilateral committee that would pave the way for political-security arrangements with Israel.