By Sahar Dadjoo

Targeted killing of scientists is a criminal act, says Indian analyst

Vineet Tiwari says the assassinations linked to “Operation Narnia” violate sovereignty, international norms, and basic human ethics

TEHRAN – In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, Vineet Tiwari, an Indian writer and civil society activist, offers a critical assessment of revelations contained in a recent Washington Post’s investigation produced in partnership with PBS Frontline, which details Israel’s covert campaign, known as “Operation Narnia,” targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists.

By Mona Hojat Ansari

Iran's path to orbit

Space chief tells Tehran Times the story of building a national program in the midst of sanctions

TEHRAN – When Iran established its new political system in 1979, its leaders placed a paramount emphasis on achieving independence. This pursuit faced numerous hurdles over the decades that followed, a period during which the country endured two wars, countless terrorist attacks, and, most critically, debilitating Western sanctions. Nevertheless, as we stand on the cusp of 2026, the independence Iranians once dreamed of has been realized in various sectors, partly because the country possessed no other option. 

By Sahar Dadjoo

Sanctions intended for nuclear pressure instead fuel human suffering in Iran: Stanford researcher 

Dr. Ruth Gibson highlights gaps in UNSC Resolution 2231 that leave civilians without critical medical equipment

TEHRAN – In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, Ruth Gibson, a scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health and the Center for International Security and Cooperation, examines how international sanctions have systematically weakened Iran’s public health system under the guise of political pressure.

By Mahnaz Abdi

Khuzestan must build an economy beyond oil: head of Ahvaz chamber of commerce

TEHRAN- In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Shahla Amouri, Head of the Ahvaz Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, emphasized the urgent need for economic diversification in Khuzestan, Iran's energy powerhouse.

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. 

By Mahnaz Abdi

Beyond the Strait: Hormozgan charts course from transit hub to economic powerhouse

TEHRAN- Strategically positioned at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz—the world's most critical energy chokepoint—Iran's Hormozgan province serves as the nation's indispensable commercial gateway. Home to major ports like Shahid Rajaei, the country's largest container port, it is the primary hub for Iran's import, export, and transit trade, connecting global markets from the Persian Gulf to Africa and India.

Zionist lobbyists may use Sydney terror act to polish Israel’s image: Lebanese analyst

Hakam Amhaz says Mossad may have incited the Bondi terrorist incident

TEHRAN - In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, Hakam Amhaz, a Lebanese political analyst and member of the International Association of Political Analysts and Experts, examines the political and media ramifications of the deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. 

By Mohammad Khatibi

Expert says Chinese investment in Iran difficult under sanctions, but possible with determination 

TEHRAN – In the midst of intensifying regional tensions and the enduring weight of Western sanctions, the future of China–Iran relations remains a subject of growing international interest. To better understand the dynamics shaping Beijing’s approach to Iran, The Tehran Times spoke with Professor Hongda Fan, director of the China–Middle East Center at Shaoxing University.

Israel exploiting Syrian instability to expand territorial control, Lebanese analyst warns

Abir Bassam says Israel seeking to control all water sources in southern Syria and southern Lebanon

TEHRAN- As Syria marks one year since the fall of the Assad government, the country faces unprecedented political, social, and humanitarian challenges.

By Sahar Dadjoo

U.S. actions, not Iran’s behavior, triggered nuclear standoff: Chinese analyst

Professor Jin stresses that progress is impossible unless Washington demonstrates genuine commitment.

TEHRAN – On the sidelines of the Conference on “People’s Rights and Legitimate Freedoms in the Thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei,” the Tehran Times spoke with Professor Jin Liangxiang, a senior research fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, to explore the shifting dynamics of global governance, human-rights discourse, and power politics in West Asia.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Iran’s stand in the 12-day war undermined U.S.-Israeli strategy, says Philippine scholar

Julkipli Wadi warns that as Israel widens its aggression, Iran’s resilience signals a new regional momentum.

TEHRAN – At the sidelines of the Conference on “People’s Rights and Legitimate Freedoms in the Thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei,” the Tehran Times spoke with Professor Julkipli Wadi of the University of the Philippines to examine the conference’s intellectual significance, the current crisis of international law, and Iran’s evolving role in regional security.

By M.A. Saki

Trump reverting to 1920s–30s ‘gunboat diplomacy’ in Venezuela: ex-CIA officer

'Military pressure on Venezuela sends this sense to the world that Trump’s US is imperialist'

TEHRAN – Paul Pillar, a former CIA officer and now a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies, tells the Tehran Times that the Pentagon’s attacks on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean, carried out under the claim that they are trafficking drugs to the United States, reflect President Donald Trump’s return to the “gunboat diplomacy” of the 1920s and 1930s, when U.S. military forces intervened in several Latin American countries.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Iran’s steadfast stance has transformed resistance politics in West Asia: Malaysian activist

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid says Iran’s resistance to Western pressure gives it unique strategic weight

TEHRAN – At the sidelines of the Conference on “People’s Rights and Legitimate Freedoms in the Thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei,” The Tehran Times sat down with Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, President of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM), to discuss the evolving landscape of global justice, Palestine advocacy, and the role of the Muslim world in confronting oppressive power structures.

By Shahrokh Saei 

Professor Azarov argues the West moves Ukraine like a pawn in a grand game

TEHRAN – The war in Ukraine has emerged as one of the defining struggles of the 21st century, redrawing global fault lines and igniting fierce debate over its origins. While the result of US-mediated talks over the war between Russia and Ukraine remains unclear, the question of how this confrontation began — and why it has endured — has taken on fresh urgency.

By Afshin Majlesi

A thousand stories under one name, Herbert Karim-Masihi reflects on his new exhibition

TEHRAN – Iranian-Armenian photographer, and cultural heritage researcher Herbert Karim-Masihi is presenting a new exhibition titled “Iran Thinks of You” at the Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex in northern Tehran.

By Mona Hojat Ansari 

SCO anti-terror drill enters critical phase

Iranian commander says "nations’ will stronger than terrorism"

TEHRAN – A multinational military exercise taking place in Iran was preparing to enter its most important phase Wednesday, with the hosts hailing it as an important sign of cooperation toward ensuring regional security and peace.

By Sahar Dadjoo

‘What is happening in Gaza is not collateral damage, it is policy’

Azra Sayeed says the pattern of attacks proves intent, not accident

TEHRAN — In a revealing and timely conversation, Azra Talat Sayeed, Secretary-General of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) and one of the lead conveners of the International People’s Tribunal on Palestine (IPT), discusses the tribunal held on November 23–24, 2025, in Barcelona, Spain.

By Ali Hamedin

“All That’s Left of You”: a story shot in the eye of the storm

TEHRAN- “All That’s Left of You” is the latest work by Cherien Dabis — the Palestinian-American director, writer, and actor. Released in January 2025, the film places the audience on a historical journey, from the beginning of the Nakba (1948) to present-day Palestine, following the story of a single family to illuminate the harrowing fate of a people whom Zionist forces sought to erase from history.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Israel waging ‘ecocide’ to erase Gaza’s future, expert warns

Omar Nashabeh says destruction of Gaza’s ecosystems proves a long-term strategy to make Palestinian life impossible

TEHRAN - As the “Right to Resist” International People’s Tribunal on Palestine delivered its landmark verdict in Barcelona—finding Israel, the United States, key European states, and other actors guilty of genocide, ecocide, forced starvation, and systematic violations of international law—one of the most compelling expert voices was that of Dr. Omar Nashabeh.

By Sahar Dadjoo

I wrote so that monsters wouldn’t erase me: Gazan author

Wasim Said tells Tehran Times his testimony began amid ruins of Beit Hanoun and continued through renewed attacks and starvation

TEHRAN- In the midst of Gaza’s devastation, where entire neighborhoods have vanished and the international community largely remains silent, young Palestinian writer Wasim Said has emerged as one of the clearest voices documenting a genocide as it unfolds. 

By Sahar Dadjoo

Israel’s Beirut strike exposes collapse of international law, Lebanese analyst warns

Adnan Alameh says UN and global powers have failed to enforce the truce agreement, leaving Lebanon vulnerable to repeated raids

TEHRAN – The recent Israeli strike on Beirut nearly a year after the ceasefire with Hezbollah has raised urgent questions about the effectiveness of international law and the enforcement of UN resolutions in Lebanon. For Adnan Alameh, a Lebanese political analyst, the incident reflects not only Israel’s strategic ambitions but also the broader failure of the international community to restrain violations of sovereignty.

By Sahar Dadjoo

From battlefield to hunting ground: How civilians became targets for sport in Bosnia

The Slovenian filmmaker says paid ‘sniper tourists’ treated civilians as subhuman, exposing a hidden atrocity of the 1992–96 siege

TEHRAN- In an exclusive conversation with the Tehran Times, Miran Zupanič, the Slovenian director behind the revelatory documentary “Sarajevo Safari,” delves into one of the most disturbing and little-known episodes of the Bosnian War.

By Mehdi Garshasbi

Young Scholars Club materializes Iran’s scientific diplomacy, superiority

TEHRAN - The Young Scholars Club was established in the Iranian year 1366 (1987-1988) to promote and expand basic sciences in the country.

By Sahar Dadjoo

International law has collapsed under great-power pressure, UN observer warns

Thomas G. Weiss says geopolitical paralysis has left the UN unable to restrain U.S.-Israel actions against Iran

TEHRAN – The recent 12-day U.S.-Israel assault on Iran has reignited debates about whether the global legal system retains any real authority or has collapsed under the weight of great-power politics. For Thomas G. Weiss, a leading thinker on international governance and long-time observer of the UN, the crisis is symptomatic of a much deeper breakdown.

June attack against Iran a clear violation of UN Charter, Indonesian envoy tells Tehran Times

TEHRAN – In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times newspaper, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Iran His Excellency Rolliansyah Soemirat discussed the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations, calling for deeper cooperation while condemning the June attack on Iran as a breach of international law.

By Katayoon Dashti

Tourism opportunities in Iran: Expert weighs in

Arashk Masaeli, a faculty member at the Research Institute of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, has elaborated on the fundamental conditions needed to expand Iran’s tourism sector. He outlines a seven-part framework, examines the impact of recent regional conflict, and assesses the potential of medical and regional tourism.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Osprey V: Rock, resistance, and survival in Gaza

TEHRAN- The story of Osprey V does not begin in a studio or on a stage—it begins in the ruins, during blackouts, under the sound of drones, and in the shadows of war. As Gaza’s first and only English-speaking internationally recognized rock band, Osprey V has become both a witness and a voice for a people under siege. Their music, forged through trauma and resilience, now crosses borders as an urgent echo from a place the world has rarely listened to.