Political Commentary
Editorial Note (2026): In the wake of the popular protests in Iran in January 2026, public curiosity about the nature of the Islamic Republic, its political architecture, and its internal logic of power has intensified. The essay below, first published in Persian in 2013, is drawn from the archives of
News Analysis
What did bring Ayandeh Bank to its knees? How did a supposedly modern private bank accumulate a deficit so vast, 550 trillion tomans in losses, that the Central Bank could no longer look away?
Political Commentary
In Tehran, prices move like shadows on a wall, unsteady, alive, changing shape every hour. The city inhales but does not move forward; it circles within itself, whispering the language of survival: rent, exchange rate, bread, medicine, and the hope of a light at the tunnel’s end.
News Analysis
In a country where poverty, corruption, water and power shortages, and runaway inflation are fueling unprecedented anger, the sight of a massive crowd gathered freely in the heart of Tehran could have done more than provide music; it could have lit the fuse of a street revolt.
Essay
What steps in domestic politics could keep us from sliding into an external military aggression, a coup, civil war, and economic–environmental ruin?
Political Commentary
After Israel’s twelve-day military onslaught, the moderates are openly talking about the need to change the “governance paradigm.” That paradigm, when stripped of euphemism, is the Supreme Leader’s doctrine of clerical rule (Velayat-e-Faghih) and the Shiite radicalism of the “Axis of Resistance.”
Any viable political force hoping to step in must already have a domestic base, an organizational structure, and some measure of security and military support to prevent the collapse into anarchy. No such force exists.
Political Commentary
Whether the Iranian public is supportive of these strikes or instead deeply fearful remains unclear. While opposition groups abroad have expressed elation, and outlets such as Iran International have extensively amplified Israeli messaging in recent hours, the internal mood appears more complex.
Essay
“The Great Satan”, a label once wielded by the founder of the Islamic Republic to describe the United States, has long faded from Iranian discourse. Today, few Iranians remember the revolutionary fervor that once infused the phrase.