Tehran Times

2025-12-21 21:10
By Faramarz Kouhpayeh

The rabid dog barks again

Reports indicate Israel is looking to drag US into another war against Iran after waging two years of relentless violence in the region

TEHRAN – War and aggression appear to be an inseparable part of the Israeli regime's existence. From the 1948 Nakba in Palestine and the at least half-dozen wars with Arab states until 2006, to its recent aggressions against Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran, Israel appears locked in a perpetual cycle of inflicting death and destruction.
- Exclusive: Expert says Israel would have been destroyed had it attacked Iran without Western backing
- No power can defeat Iran: military strategist

By Shahrokh Saei

Fractured fortress: Israel crumbling from within

TEHRAN – Israel often presents itself as a regional fortress, with its military active from Gaza to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, and in confrontations linked to Iran. From the outside, it seems untouchable, disciplined, and in control. But a closer look reveals that the walls are cracking. Every strike, every campaign is like a hammer blow against the world, yet the same blows reverberate inside, shaking Israel itself. The more Israel relies on force, the more the foundations beneath it weaken.
By Sondoss Al Asaad

Israel’s role in fragmenting Yemen: Geopolitics, proxies, and strategic waterways

BEIRUT—The war on Yemen has never been merely an internal conflict. From its earliest stages, it has been shaped by regional and international actors seeking to redraw the country’s political and geographic map.
By Wesam Bahrani

‘Project Sunrise’: Trump’s vision for Gaza

TEHRAN – The U.S. administration revives its dangerous vision of transforming Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera,” sidelining the Palestinians once more.
By Martin Love

The Unites States of extreme folly is a fact?

Giving the Zionists $33 billion in the past two years has been insane

NORTH CAROLINA - I write from the realm of average Americans of conscience. I write from the world of Americans who live in what is recognizably a grotesque and a widening dystopia that week by week just seems to get worse as the USA under President Donald J. Trump and most of the US Congress inch (if not plunge) the country towards a "failed state" status that seems already to exist in many ways.
By Samaneh Aboutalebi

Painting on the news: Iranian artist turns newspapers into art

TEHRAN- In an era when printed newspapers are rapidly fading from everyday life, Iranian painter Behdad Najafi has turned the ephemeral medium of newsprint into a lasting artistic statement.

Politics

Araghchi highlights resilience of Venezuela in face of U.S. interventions

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly condemned the United States’ coercive approach toward Venezuela and other independent developing countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Pakistan president voices solidarity with Iran from the air

TEHRAN – Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari sent a “message of solidarity” with Tehran while flying through the Iranian airspace en route to Iraq, according to reports by Iranian and Pakistani media.
Iran’s Eurasian turn

The recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Belarus and Russia should not be read as a routine round of diplomatic engagements or as a symbolic reaffirmation of existing alliances. It reflects a more deliberate recalibration of Iran’s foreign policy within an evolving Eurasian environment shaped by sanctions fatigue, shifting power centers, and the gradual erosion of Western leverage as the primary organizing force of international politics.

Sports

Sepahan knocked out of 2025/26 Iran’s Hazfi Cup

TEHRAN – Sepahan football team failed to secure a place in the 2025/26 Iran Hazfi Cup quarterfinals after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Kheybar at the Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium on Sunday.
My goal is to compete in Nagoya and Los Angeles: Golmohammadzadeh

TEHRAN - Amirali Golmohammadzadeh, the youngest member of Iran’s delegation at the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai, expressed hope that he will be able to compete in the upcoming Asian Para Games in Nagoya and the 2028 Paralympic Games.
Pioneer gymnast Jamileh Sorouri honored in Tehran

TEHRAN - Iran’s Gymnastics Federation honored former national team member Jamileh Sorouri during a ceremony in Tehran’s Takhti Stadium.

Culture

Painting on the news: Iranian artist turns newspapers into art

TEHRAN- In an era when printed newspapers are rapidly fading from everyday life, Iranian painter Behdad Najafi has turned the ephemeral medium of newsprint into a lasting artistic statement.
Two new albums by Mohammadreza Shajarian unveiled

TEHRAN – The unveiling ceremony for the release of previously unpublished albums by the late legendary vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian was held on Saturday at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.
Best of Iranian cinema, TV honored at Hafez Awards

TEHRAN – The 24th film and television ceremony of Picture World Magazine (also known as Hafez Awards) announced the winners on Saturday in a ceremony held at the Rose Mall Cineplex in Tehran.

Economy

Tajikistan seeks broader civil aviation cooperation with Iran

TEHRAN – Tajikistan has called for expanding cooperation with Iran in civil aviation, praising the technical expertise and professional approach of Iranian aviation officials following a joint safety oversight mission, state media reported.
Iran exports non-oil goods worth $6.7b to Iraq in 8 months

TEHRAN- Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $6.719 billion to Iraq during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21), the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.
Iran, China explore ways to deepen strategic economic cooperation

TEHRAN – Iran’s private sector and Chinese policy institutes held talks on expanding long-term economic and strategic cooperation, focusing on investment, finance and regional connectivity, officials said.

Society

Iran attends Geneva meeting on establishing Tehran Convention Secretariat

TEHRAN – An Iranian delegation has participated in a meeting of the working group on establishing the secretariat of the Tehran Convention in the Caspian Sea region.
Health officials participate in Global Summit on Traditional Medicine

TEHRAN – The head of the health ministry’s traditional medicine office, Hossein Rezaeizadeh, the advisor to the health ministry’s traditional medicine office, Arman Zargaran, along with the ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, have attended the second World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine.
Newly appointed WHO representative meets health minister

TEHRAN – Awad Mataria, the new World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Iran, held a meeting with Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi on Sunday.

Tourism

Yalda Night, a symbol of human connection with nature, production and cultural identity

TEHRAN--Yalda represents deep connection of Iranians with nature, production, and cultural identity that has been passed down from generation to generation, said Mohammad-Hassan Mohebali, who is an eternal figure in cultural heritage.
Tajik ambassador underscores cultural convergence between Iran and Central Asia

TEHRAN – Tajikistan’s ambassador to Iran, Nizamuddin Zahedi, has said Iran’s festival of tribal culture reflects cultural convergence between the Islamic Republic and Central Asian countries.
Hafez mausoleum marks Yalda Night

TEHRAN--Concurrent with the fourth anniversary of Yalda Night’s inclusion on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a night celebration ceremony titled ‘Yalda at the Shrine of Hafez’ was held in Hafezieh, where the legendary Persian poet is laid to rest.

International

Fractured fortress: Israel crumbling from within

TEHRAN – Israel often presents itself as a regional fortress, with its military active from Gaza to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, and in confrontations linked to Iran. From the outside, it seems untouchable, disciplined, and in control. But a closer look reveals that the walls are cracking. Every strike, every campaign is like a hammer blow against the world, yet the same blows reverberate inside, shaking Israel itself. The more Israel relies on force, the more the foundations beneath it weaken.
Israel’s role in fragmenting Yemen: Geopolitics, proxies, and strategic waterways

BEIRUT—The war on Yemen has never been merely an internal conflict. From its earliest stages, it has been shaped by regional and international actors seeking to redraw the country’s political and geographic map.
‘Project Sunrise’: Trump’s vision for Gaza

TEHRAN – The U.S. administration revives its dangerous vision of transforming Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera,” sidelining the Palestinians once more.