Tehran Times

2026-01-25 21:06
By Shahab Sarmadi

Minneapolis: Ground zero of American hypocrisy

Alex Pretti’s death exposed a US that champions freedom abroad even as federal agents take the lives of its own citizens at home

TEHRAN — Anger is surging across the United States — particularly in Minneapolis — after federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American ICU nurse, during a chaotic immigration raid. His death has become a symbol of what critics describe as a violent and uncontrolled federal crackdown — one that is now claiming the lives of U.S. citizens.
- A state in protest: Is Minnesota becoming the fault line of US immigration policy?
- Iran rejects Western-backed UN mandates as ‘human rights weaponization’ for political gain

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.
By Batool Subeiti

Why American threats against Iran will fail

LONDON - U.S. saber-rattling against Iran may signal a turning point in West Asia, tempering Trump’s euphoria following his successes in the Caribbean and challenging his perception of himself as an uncontested global hegemon.
Sunni clerics join Shiite religious leaders in backing Islamic Republic

TEHRAN – Hundreds of Sunni religious scholars in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province have issued a declaration of firm and informed support for the Islamic Republic and the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, revealing a broad national consensus in the face of recent U.S.-backed unrest.
By Wesam Bahrani

Nouri al-Maliki nominated for Iraqi premiership

TEHRAN – In a major development, Iraq’s Coordination Framework has officially nominated former Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki as its candidate to lead the next government.

Politics

UNHRC resolution ‘against Iran, not about rights’

TEHRAN — Iran’s government spokesperson sharply rejected a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on the country’s recent unrest, calling the measure a ‘politically motivated’ effort to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic while ignoring Western sanctions and Western-backed regional wars that constitute grave rights abuses.
Police chief says defense of Islamic Republic will continue

TEHRAN — Iran’s top police commander says the country’s security forces and much of the public remain firmly committed to defending the Islamic Republic, describing the recent wave of unrest as a failed attempt by foreign-backed actors to fracture Iranian society.
Washington labeled world’s foremost environmental aggressor by IRGC

TEHRAN — In an address linking ecological preservation to national defense, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), identified the United States as the world’s most prolific and deliberate destroyer of the natural environment.

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

Minneapolis: Ground zero of American hypocrisy

TEHRAN — Anger is surging across the United States — particularly in Minneapolis — after federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American ICU nurse, during a chaotic immigration raid. His death has become a symbol of what critics describe as a violent and uncontrolled federal crackdown — one that is now claiming the lives of U.S. citizens.
Nouri al-Maliki nominated for Iraqi premiership

TEHRAN – In a major development, Iraq’s Coordination Framework has officially nominated former Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki as its candidate to lead the next government.
Economic fragility and militarized escalation in Trump’s foreign policy

BEIRUT — Since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been characterized by confrontation, escalation, and a growing reliance on military force.