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The New York Times •

The Places Where the Bombs Have Rarely Stopped Falling in Iran

The turquoise blue waters, white sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs on the island of Qeshm until recently drew millions of annual visitors and a devoted community of artists, investors and designers who helped turn the island into Iran’s hottest vacation spot.It is so exquisite that it earned a UNESCO Global GeoPark designation because of its natural wonders, with names that seem out of a fairy tale: the Valley of Stars, the Hara Forest mangroves and the Hawksbill turtles of Shib Deraz.But the wa...
The New York Times •

Houthis Claim Attack on Yemeni Military Camp

The Houthi militant group said on Friday it had launched a drone and missile attack on a military camp of the internationally recognized government in Yemen, escalating fighting that has threatened to reignite the country’s civil war.The Iran-backed Houthis said they had attacked “weapons depots, military vehicles and equipment” at the Sahn al-Jinn camp, a base in the northeastern province of Marib that is used by the country’s official armed forces, which are supported by Saudi Arabia.The Yemen...
The New York Times •

Iranian Singer Sentenced to 74 Lashes for Performing Without Hijab

An Iranian court has sentenced an outspoken female singer to 74 lashes for performing at a concert without wearing a hijab, according to a person close to her family and state media news reports. The punishment indicated a possible tightening of religious rules for women under an Iranian political order reshaped by war.The singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, was sentenced last week at a closed trial in Qom Province along with eight band and crew colleagues.A video of the 2024 performance in which the singe...
The New York Times •

Jaded and Exhausted, Many Iranians Shrug at World Cup

After a year that brought Iranians two devastating wars, mass protests crushed by the government and an imploding economy, Iran’s appearance in the World Cup is doing little to cheer people up or to unite the country.Some Iranians view the national soccer team as representatives of a repressive government. Others see the players as a source of pride that should transcend politics. But the overall feeling, expressed in interviews with Iranians across the political spectrum in recent days, is one...
Rolling Stone •

How Iranians View the War: 'We Are All Exhausted'

Between an ongoing internet blackout and the constant strain of war, Mariam sends messages in short bursts from her apartment in Tehran. Like other Iranians, she has been living under war conditions since the U.S.–Israeli strikes began.



Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total nationwide internet shutdown, declaring the move a national security measure. To get online, people like Mariam pay exorbitant prices for black-market VPNs or rely on Starlink, often managing just a few minutes o...
AP News •

Residents of Tehran tell AP of rising fear and isolation as bombs strike without warning

CAIRO (AP) — An engineer crouches under a park bench as fighter jets roar overhead. An athlete wracked by anxiety can’t sleep as explosions go off. With the internet shut down, families and friends rely on each other for news about the war and the latest damage caused by airstrikes.Fierce U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran’s capital, Tehran, now at the end of its second week, has left residents in a state of shock. From central historic quarters to upscale northern areas, bombs are shaking the cit...
Atlantic Council •

Geoeconomic fragmentation and net-zero targets

The second half of the twentieth century experienced significant economic integration. International trade, cross-border migration, capital flows, and technological diffusion increased per capita incomes across countries and reduced global poverty. However, events such as the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009, Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic—all against the backdrop of escalating great power rivalry and tensions between the United States and China—have demonstrated the rise of geoeconomi...

Iran’s Environmental Challenges with Shirin Hakim | Babel: Translating the Middle East | CSIS Podcasts

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Shirin Hakim, head of the Environment, Climate Security, and Public Health unit at the Center for Middle East and Global Order. They talk about Iran’s worsening environmental issues, the Iranian government’s decades-long mismanagement and overexploitation of its natural resources, and how Western sanctions play into the Iranian regime’s environmental strategy. Dr. Hakim closes the interview with thoughts on how U.S. policymakers should weigh environmental...
Global Policy Journal •

Parched Politics: Iran’s Water Scarcity and the Rising Wave of Discontent

Water has long shaped landscapes and civilizations. In the face of water scarcity, escalating concerns regarding the availability of this resource are forming new pathways for political change in the Middle East. With its increasingly arid climate and burgeoning political discontent, Iran stands as a quintessential case for examining the ramifications of water scarcity.
According to the Iranian Meteorological Organization, 97 percent of Iran is experiencing some degree of drought conditions. Alt...
Atlantic Council •

Springtime in Iran signals the renewal of an environmental movement

Across diverse cultures, the arrival of Spring evokes literary connotations as a period of hope and revival. The term often appears in association with political upheavals—consider the example of the Arab Spring.

For Iranians, Spring is particularly significant as its arrival coincides with the start of the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, which translates to “new day.” It is celebrated with thirteen days of rituals centered around rejuvenation and nature. This year, however, the dawn of Spring was pa...
Royal United Services Institute •

Conflicts of Interest: The Environmental Costs of Modern War and Sanctions

The devastating and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only triggered significant loss of life and a massive refugee crisis spilling into Europe, but has also dealt a heavy blow to a silent victim of modern-day military and economic warfare: the environment.Since February of this year, the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia have collectively induced a steady rise in crude oil prices, disruption to global grain and fertiliser markets, environmental damage, and reactive forced-hand po...
Climate and environment at Imperial blog - •

Climate change is a security issue. How can we make sure climate security receives the attention it needs? - Climate and environment at Imperial blog

Shirin Hakim and Miriam Aczel, who recently co-organised a Grantham Institute event about climate change, low-carbon transitions and security, reflect on why climate change is a security issue and the next steps for researchers and policymakers .  
While climate change and security have traditionally been examined in isolation, climate is increasingly entering the policy arena as a national security issue. The impacts of global warming are far-reaching. Extreme weather like droughts and flooding...
Atlantic Council •

The Rise and Fall of Iran’s Khuzestan: A Calamity of International Significance

Khuzestan, the Iranian province whose oil once illuminated European streets, is now recurrently left in darkness. For much of human history, this region was a beacon of innovation, giving birth to fundamental developments in society including the first cities known to man and what was once the world’s largest oil refinery. Commonly referred to as “the birthplace of the nation,” Khuzestan was where Aryan tribes first settled to later join local Elamites in laying the foundations for what became t...
The Guardian •

‘I am Lake Urmia’: a social media campaign takes on the environment in Iran

Long tucked away behind the mountains of northwest Iran, Lake Urmia is becoming a national symbol of environmental degradation that is eliciting public sensitivity and awareness. Launched at the end of August, the ‘I am Lake Urmia’ campaign is a grassroots effort to collect a million signatures to push the United Nations to discuss ways to revive this salt lake, which has lost 90% of its surface area since the 1970s.The “I am Lake Urmia” hashtag (من_دریاچه_ارومیه_هستم#) is slowly trending across...