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

Iran end 2025 unchanged in FIFA ranking

TEHRAN – Iran national football team ended 2025 year unchanged in the FIFA World Ranking released on Monday.
Iran to play three friendlies ahead of 2026 World Cup

TEHRAN – As the Iranian national football team enter the final phase of its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Football Federation of Iran is planning to arrange three international friendly matches for Team Melli.
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.

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.

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 submits commitment document at global summit on traditional medicine

TEHRAN – During the closing ceremony of the second World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, Iran pledged commitments to advance the implementation of the Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine 2025-2034.
Intl. Conference on Information, Knowledge Technology to be held

TEHRAN – The 16th International Conference on Information, Knowledge Technology (IKT 2025) will kick off on Monday and will run till December 25, with scientists from six countries, namely the U.S., Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and New Zealand in attendance.
Tehran, Moscow holding workshops on drug abuse prevention, rehabilitation

TEHRAN – The Drug Control Headquarters (DCHQ) of the country, in cooperation with the Russian Federation, is conducting workshops that provide effective strategies for the early detection and prevention of drug abuse in Tehran and eight other provinces of the country.

Tourism

Archaeologist says pomegranate origin traces back to the Iranian plateau

TEHRAN--Pomegranate is not only a plant native to the Iranian plateau, but also a symbol of civilization that has been present in Iranian culture as a symbol of fertility, blessing, and continuity of life, at least since the Iron Age until today, and rituals such as Yalda Night are a direct continuation of this ancient tradition.
Nahavand’s tumulus-shaped tomb could shed light on Seleucid era: archaeologist

TEHRAN – An Iranian archaeologist has said the discovery of a tumulus-shaped ancient tomb near the city of Nahavand could reveal new details about the Seleucid period, citing it as the only known tumulus in Iran dated to that era.
Dome of Shah Nematollah Vali Shrine restored

TEHRAN – A restoration and conservation work has been completed for on the dome of the Shah Nematollah Vali shrine in the city of Mahan in Kerman province, the provincial tourism chief said on Monday.

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.