Trump wants to get out of the Iran quagmire, but seems can't do it: American journalist

“Trump went against his own advisors and foolishly allowed himself to be used by Israel”

TEHRAN – Since February 28, the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran has raised serious questions about Washington’s strategic calculations, the extent of Israeli influence over American decision-making, and the future of diplomacy in West Asia. In an interview with the Tehran Times, Joe Lauria, a veteran American journalist and editor-in-chief of Consortium News, says Washington entered the war based on a major strategic miscalculation and underestimated Iran’s ability to resist military and economic pressure.

By Samaneh Aboutalebi

Piercing gaze of innocence: Tajrish Square hosts “Eyes of Minab” installation

TEHRAN- In the heart of the bustling Tajrish Square, where the vibrant energy of the capital often conceals the quiet sorrow of recent months, a profound artistic intervention has forced passersby to pause. 

By Mohamadreza Seyedagha

Art Bureau connecting artists, raising global awareness through universal language of art

After Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel on February 28, a committee was established at the Art Bureau in Tehran, focusing on the production and collection of artworks related to the war, which lasted for 40 days.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Iran’s military strength has delivered strategic results: Pakistani journalist

Javed Rana says Tehran’s response altered regional calculations and exposed the limits of U.S. coercive diplomacy

TEHRAN — Pakistan stands at the center of international diplomacy as efforts continue to end nearly two months of multiple war theaters in the Middle East. Leveraging its unique ties with both Tehran and Washington, Islamabad has so far helped secure a two-week ceasefire, creating a crucial window for negotiations on a lasting end to the conflict.

Ashish Prashar says Washington and Tel Aviv underestimated Iran’s preparedness

U.S.-Israeli pressure on Iran risks strategic failure: Political strategist

TEHRAN — Ashish Prashar, an award-winning political strategist and human rights advocate who has advised senior political figures in the United States and Europe, spoke with Tehran Times about the implications of the U.S.–Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28.

By Sahar Dadjoo

Failure to condemn attacks on Iran’s heritage makes the world complicit, Italian archaeologist warns

TEHRAN – The recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, which began on February 28, have triggered widespread concern over the safety of the country’s historical and cultural heritage. Reports indicate that prominent sites, including the Golestan Palace and the Naqsh-e Jahan Square, have sustained damage, highlighting the potential for irreversible losses to monuments that reflect centuries of Iranian civilization.

By Afshin Majlesi

Minister reveals legal, restoration efforts to protect cultural heritage

TEHRAN – Following extensive damage to some of Iran’s most important cultural heritage sites, including the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace, Tehran has intensified its diplomatic, legal, and cultural response, describing the attacks as not only material destruction but also an assault on humanity’s shared heritage.

By Maryam Tavassoli

A woman's praiseworthy dedication to her country

TEHRAN – Maryam Eskandarian is one of the thousands of Iranian women who have dedicated their life to help people since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli imposed war on February 28.

Decapitation strategy against Iran doomed to fail: Pakistani expert

Barrech says U.S.–Israeli aggression strengthens Iran’s institutional resilience and national cohesion

TEHRAN – Tehran Times spoke exclusively with Dr. Dost Muhammad Barrech, a Pakistani expert in security and regional politics at the University of Balochistan in Quetta, on the ongoing U.S.–Israeli aggression against Iran and its wider implications. Dr. Barrech argues that the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the broader “decapitation strategy” are unlikely to weaken Iran, but may instead reinforce national cohesion and institutional resilience.

US-Israeli assault on Iran signals failure of Washington’s regional designs: Palestinian diplomat

Dr. Ribhi Halloum says aggression violates international law and risks wider regional instability

TEHRAN — Since the joint military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, the region has plunged into one of its most dangerous crises in decades, with escalating missile exchanges, regional spillover, and mounting civilian casualties. The attacks triggered a wider confrontation that has shaken global energy markets and intensified geopolitical tensions across West Asia.

US-Israeli military action amid nuclear talks is ‘act of perfidy and aggression’: Alfred de Zayas

TEHRAN- In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, Professor Alfred de Zayas of the Geneva School of Diplomacy, a renowned international law expert and former UN Independent Expert on International Order, delivers a sobering legal and moral appraisal of the unprecedented joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, an operation that has shaken the Middle East and reverberated across the world.

Epstein scandal goes far beyond one man, says American journalist

Christopher Helali says focusing on Epstein alone obscures deeper structures of power

TEHRAN- The Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues to generate headlines as new documents are unsealed, yet fundamental questions about accountability, power, and institutional complicity remain unanswered.  While the case is often framed as a series of horrific but isolated criminal acts, critics argue that such a narrow focus obscures a far deeper political and structural reality. 

Iran exists today because of its missiles, says former UN weapons inspector

As Washington once again raises the prospect of confrontation with Tehran, questions about U.S. intentions—and the limits of American power—have returned to the center of debate in West Asia. In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector and U.S. Marine intelligence officer, discussed how Washington views talks with Iran, what it hopes to achieve with the country, as well as the growing risk of military escalation.

Indonesia’s role in the Gaza Board of Peace lacks strategic weight: Philippine scholar

Julkipli Wadi says the board is a political masquerade that shields Israeli regional aggression

TEHRAN- Amid growing controversy surrounding Washington’s so-called Gaza “peace plan” and the proposed Board of Peace, questions persist over its real objectives and the role assigned to non-Western actors, including Indonesia.  In this interview, Tehran Times speaks with Julkipli Wadi, dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman, one of Southeast Asia’s most respected Islamic scholars. 

By Sahar Dadjoo

Peace must be shaped by Palestinians, says rights activist

Rifat Odeh Kassis says the Trump-backed Gaza Board of Peace lacks UN legitimacy and meaningful Arab engagement

TEHRAN- In an interview with the Tehran Times, Palestinian Christian human rights activist Rifat Odeh Kassis offers a critical assessment of the Gaza “Board of Peace” amid growing international controversy over Gaza’s post-war governance and security arrangements.

U.S. seeks an Iran that is subservient, says Chinese expert

Hongda Fan warns U.S. and Israeli interference could reshape regional alliances and intensify security rivalries

TEHRAN-Amid renewed unrest in Iran and escalating rhetoric from Washington and Tel Aviv, questions are mounting over whether Western claims of supporting civil liberties mask deeper geopolitical objectives. To explore these dynamics, Tehran Times spoke with Professor Hongda Fan, Professor and director of the China-Middle East Center at Shaoxing University, China.

Open Israeli role in Iran unrest marks new escalation: Canadian historian

Samir Saul says Mossad activity is increasingly visible following the June 2025 failure

TEHRAN — In an interview with the Tehran Times, Canadian historian and political economist Samir Saul offers a critical assessment of U.S. and Israeli involvement in the protests that unfolded in Iran in January, with a particular attention to U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. 

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.

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. 

US-Israeli strategy in Iran reflects long-term regime change tactics: Pakistani expert 

Dr. Barrech draws parallels between the current unrest and the 1953 coup in Iran through sanctions, proxies, and disinformation

TEHRAN - Tehran Times spoke exclusively with Dr. Dost Muhammad Barrech, a Pakistani expert in security and regional politics at the University of Balochistan, Quetta, on the ongoing unrest in Iran and the role of external actors. Dr. Barrech argues that U.S. and Israeli support for violent elements within Iran aimed to weaken the country’s economy and undermine national cohesion.

By Afshin Majlesi

At Tchogha Zanbil, a living monument to Elamite faith and engineering

On a serene plain in southwestern Iran, the stepped ziggurat of Tchogha Zanbil has stood for more than 3,500 years, making it the best-preserved ziggurat outside Mesopotamia and one of the rare surviving monuments of the Elamite civilization.

Talks with US won't guarantee Iran's security: Velayati

TEHRAN – Senior Advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ali Akbar Velayati says Tehran does not think talks with Washington will ensure its security after seeing what happened to Venezuela.

By Mohamadreza Seyedagha

“The Legend of Sepehr”: Iranian identity narrated in universal language

TEHRAN – The Iranian animated feature “The Legend of Sepehr,” directed by Emad Rahmani and Mehrdad Mehrabi, has recently started its theatrical run in Iran after achieving global success.

By Mona Hojat Ansari

Baghaei tells Tehran Times ‘relations with Lebanon matter greatly’ ahead of FM’s visit 

Spox says new Lebanese and Iranian ambassadors will begin missions soon   

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei recently visited the Tehran Times, where he met with the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief and CEO and gave a detailed interview to a correspondent.

By Sahar Dadjoo

“Game Over Israel”: Red card pressure to hunt down Gaza genocide perpetrators

Ashish Prashar shares the story behind his global campaign in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times

TEHRAN- Ashish Prashar is a political strategist, believes that if Israel were removed from football, it would send an “unmistakable global message” that genocide which has been happening in Gaza for more than two years is unacceptable.

Exclusive dispatch from Venezuela:

Washington’s ‘vile’ violation of Bolívar’s homeland

"Tense calm in country after ‘vile’ US strikes"

TEHRAN — In a brazen escalation of longstanding hostility, the United States conducted airstrikes on Venezuela on early Saturday (January 3) in what international observers have widely denounced as an illegal violation of national sovereignty.

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.