Archiv: Iran


15.01.2026 - 18:18 [ NewStatesman.com ]

To survive Trump, Starmer must think the unthinkable

Britain can no longer avoid the costs of appeasing America’s predatory president

(…)

The word “crisis” is rooted in the Greek New Testament, referring to a decision, or judgement, in an unstable moment that forces a new clarity into being. While Trump’s exact motives for his aggression in our hemisphere remain opaque, our own predicament is now clearer. It is this: such is the new emerging order around us that we can no longer muddle through, finessing Trump’s instincts, hoping for the best so governments can focus on domestic political problems. Britain must choose.

13.01.2026 - 19:27 [ Barak David / Axios ]

Scoop: Trump‘s envoy secretly met Iran‘s exiled crown prince

White House envoy Steve Witkoff met secretly over the weekend with the exiled former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, to discuss the protests raging in Iran, according to a senior U.S. official.

13.01.2026 - 19:23 [ ORF.at ]

„Hilfe ist auf dem Weg“: Trump ruft indirekt zu Umsturz im Iran auf

Trump schrieb in Großbuchstaben auch, dass Hilfe „auf dem Weg“ sei. Was er damit meinte, blieb unbeantwortet. Wegen der schweren Gewalt gegen Demonstrierende hatte Trump der iranischen Führung bereits zuvor mit militärischen Mitteln gedroht. Die USA nähmen die Lage im Iran sehr ernst, so Trump am Sonntag. „Das Militär befasst sich damit, und wir prüfen einige sehr drastische Optionen. Wir werden eine Entscheidung treffen.“

13.01.2026 - 18:53 [ Associated Press ]

Torture still scars Iranians 40 years after revolution

(February 6, 2019)

Torture became widespread, as shown in the museum’s exhibits. Interrogators all wear ties, a nod to their Western connections. Portraits of the shah, Queen Farah and his son, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who now lives in exile in the U.S., hang above one torture scene

(…)

Sheikhi walked with Associated Press journalists through the prison that once held him, built in the 1930s by German engineers. Black-and-white photographs of its 8,500 prisoners from over the years line the walls. They include current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Sheikhi, then 19, spent about three months in the prison and 11 months in another after being detained for distributing anti-shah statements from Khomeini, then in exile.

13.01.2026 - 18:48 [ The Grayzone / Youtube ]

Inside Iran‘s Savak torture museum

May 17, 2025 #TheGrayzone

Caution: This report contains depictions of simulated violence that may upset some viewers.

Max Blumenthal tours one of the most disturbing museums on the planet.

Set in Tehran‘s former Ebrat Prison run by the anti-sabotage unit of Shah Reza Pahlavi‘s Savak intelligence services, the museum is filled with shockingly graphic exhibits featuring lifelike mannequins recreating the hideous torture tactics deployed to repress dissidents rebelling against Iran‘s monarchy.

Many mannequins on display represent notorious torturers who either fled or were executed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, while others are modeled after famous prisoners locked away in Ebrat like the current Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamanei.

13.01.2026 - 18:22 [ Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung ]

16. Januar 1979: Sturz und Flucht des iranischen Schahs

Noch Anfang der 1950er-Jahre wurde Iran wirtschaftlich von Großbritannien ausgebeutet. Nur ein kleiner Teil der enormen Öleinnahmen verblieb im Land. Teherans Opposition, die in weiten Teilen eine Verstaatlichung der Erdölindustrie forderte, gewann an Zulauf. Die Nationale Front aus verschiedenen linken, islamistischen, aber auch liberalen Gruppen einte damals die Ablehnung des Schahs und ausländischer Einflussnahme. Nach der Ermordung des vom Schah installierten Premierministers Ali Razmara durch Islamisten leitete eine Parlamentskommission im März 1951 die Verstaatlichung der iranischen Ölindustrie ein. Ende April 1951 ernannte der Schah den Führer der Nationalen Front, Mohammed Mossadegh (1882-1967), zum Premierminister.

Unter Mossadegh schritt die Verstaatlichung der Ölindustrie schnell voran. Nachdem die Briten fast 50 Jahre lang quasi ein Monopol auf iranisches Erdöl innehatten, mussten sie es nun aus der Hand geben. London setzte daraufhin einen Boykott Irans durch fast alle internationalen Ölgesellschaften durch. Die Folge war eine schwere Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise. Dies änderte zunächst nichts an der Unterstützung Mossadeghs innerhalb der Bevölkerung. Mossadegh erhielt Sondervollmachten durch das Parlament. Nach einem gescheiterten Versuch Rezas, Mossadegh seines Amtes zu entheben, und den darauf folgenden Kämpfen zwischen den beiden Lagern floh der Schah ins Ausland.

Im August 1953 wurde Mossadegh von Teilen der iranischen Armee mit Hilfe des US-amerikanischen Geheimdienstes CIA gestürzt. Der Schah kehrte aus dem Exil zurück. Fortan war Iran ein treuer Verbündeter der Vereinigten Staaten. Der Monarch unterdrückte jede Opposition mit Härte. Ab 1954 teilte sich ein Konsortium westlicher Ölkonzerne die Gewinne aus dem Erdölgeschäft mit der National Iranian Oil Company. Von den Öleinnahmen profitierte jedoch nur ein kleiner Teil der Bevölkerung.

Washington unterstützte den Schah in den 1950er-Jahren bei der Modernisierung seiner Streitkräfte und ab 1957 beim Aufbau des gefürchteten Geheimdiensts SAVAK.

13.01.2026 - 17:36 [ PressTV.ir ]

Behind the riots: Israel-Pahlavi nexus and the delusion of ‘regime change’ in Iran

The alliance between Iran’s former monarchists and the Israeli regime – actors united by shared interests – gained further momentum after Pahlavi and his spouse visited the Israeli-occupied territories in April 2024 at the invitation of Netanyahu himself.

The visit marked the formalization of what had long been an informal and deeply troubling relationship.

This relationship was further solidified after the Tel Aviv regime launched an unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Iran in June this year, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 1,000 people, including women and children.

While the Iranian nation mourned its dead, Pahlavi monarchists openly celebrated. Reza Pahlavi offered no words of sympathy for the victims of the 12-day war, laying bare where his loyalties truly lie.

13.01.2026 - 17:18 [ PressTV.ir ]

Iran slams Germany’s Merz over riots-linked remarks, says Berlin ‘worst-placed’ to lecture on rights

Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Germany was “perhaps the worst-placed” government to lecture others on human rights, arguing that Berlin’s credibility had been “obliterated” by its total support for the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“When Iran defeats terrorists who kill civilians and police officers, the German chancellor rushes to declare that ‘violence is an expression of weakness’,” Araghchi posted on X.

“What, then, does Mr Merz have to say about his wholehearted support for the mass murder of 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza?” he asked.

His comments came in the wake of Merz’s remarks questioning the legitimacy of Iran’s government and suggesting it was nearing collapse following the recent riots across the country.

13.01.2026 - 17:09 [ United Nations ]

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Secretary-General is shocked by the reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters in multiple locations across the Islamic Republic of Iran, resulting in scores of deaths and many more injuries in recent days.

All Iranians must be able to express their grievances peacefully and without fear. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international law, must be fully respected and protected.

The Secretary-General urges the Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.

He further urges steps that enable access to information in the country, including restoring communications.

13.01.2026 - 17:04 [ Al Jazeera ]

Iran’s Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi warns of ‘organised killing’

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has accused Iranian authorities of attempting to conceal a deadly crackdown on protesters by cutting internet access and suppressing information.

In a post on Instagram, Ebadi said the shutdown of communications and alleged intimidation of witnesses pointed to an effort by Iran’s government to “kill in silence and then erase it”.

Ebadi called out a pattern of “organised killing” carried out under the cover of internet blackouts. She also demanded the internet’s immediate restoration, and an independent international investigation into the bloodshed.

12.01.2026 - 19:10 [ Al Jazeera ]

Iran’s FM says protests became ‘bloody’ to give Trump intervention excuse

He said Trump’s warning of military action against Tehran should ‌protests turn ‌violent motivated “terrorists” ⁠to target protesters and security forces ‌to invite foreign intervention. “We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” he added.

Araghchi also said Iran has footage of weapons being distributed to protesters, adding authorities will soon release confessions of detainees.

11.01.2026 - 19:06 [ CNN ]

Trump weighs potential military intervention in Iran

A number of different agencies have been involved in helping prepare options for the president, officials said. More formal briefings are expected in the coming week, including on Tuesday, when Trump is expected to convene senior national security officials to discuss how to proceed.

Tehran will treat US military and commercial bases as targets for retaliation if Washington intervenes militarily in unrest-hit Iran, its hardline parliamentary speaker has warned.

“If the US takes military action towards Iran or the occupied territories, the US military and shipping centers will be considered legitimate targets,” Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said.

05.01.2026 - 20:34 [ Fox News ]

Trump warns ‚sick‘ South American leader, reiterates ‚we need Greenland‘ for national security

„We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,“ Trump said.

„We need Greenland from a national security situation. It‘s so strategic,“ he added.

05.01.2026 - 20:27 [ Democracy Now ]

Trump Threatens Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Iran and Mexico After Attack on Venezuela

President Trump has also threatened military action against Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Iran and Mexico, following the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically targeted Colombian President Gustavo Petro and claimed without evidence that Petro was trafficking cocaine into the U.S.

01.01.2026 - 12:31 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Bombed Seven Countries in 2025 as Trump Dramatically Expanded Airstrikes

According to a report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) released earlier this year, Trump launched nearly as many airstrikes in just his first five months in office as President Biden did during his entire four-year term.

If Trump’s claims of a Christmas Eve attack on Venezuela and reports that it was a CIA drone strike are true, the US has bombed seven countries this year, on top of the airstrikes targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

24.12.2025 - 08:48 [ United Nations ]

Security Council remains divided over Iran nuclear programme, sanctions stay in place

Russia’s delegate, Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia, took aim at the Slovenian presidency of the Council, regretting that they did not „find the courage to impartially uphold your obligation not to act at the behest of those who insisted on holding a Security Council meeting on a non-existent agenda item“.

“The JCPOA Committee does not exist anymore,” he added. “Therefore, the EU is not the coordinator anymore and therefore should not be allowed to brief the UN Security Council“.

Speaking for Iran, Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani insisted that Resolution 2231 (2015) expired on 18 October 2025, and thus “ceased to have any legal effect or operative mandate“. He concluded that there is “no mandate for the Secretary-General to submit any report and no mandate for the Council to hold discussions on it”.

Today, he said, the Council is witnessing “a calculated distortion“ of the resolution and the “deliberate dissemination of disinformation” about Iran’s nuclear programme.

20.12.2025 - 09:05 [ Drop Site News ]

Epstein, Israel, and the CIA: How the Iran-Contra Planes Landed at Les Wexner‘s Base

Stanley Pottinger, as it happens, was a notable figure in the scandal that became known as Iran-Contra, in which the CIA used Israel as a middleman to move off-the-books weapons to Iran. In the early 1980s, under the CIA’s supervision, Pottinger advised an Iranian banker on shipping embargoed arms to Iran using fraudulent paperwork and overseas “dummy companies”—in the very same period that Pottinger and Epstein worked together selling “tax-avoidance” strategies from a penthouse by Central Park. Pottinger’s system eventually gave rise to a network of covert intermediaries shipping arms around the world; the CIA’s profits became a slush fund used to illegally bankroll the insurgent Contra army, who waged a war against Nicaragua’s leftist government while simultaneously trafficking cocaine to the United States.

(…)

Pottinger escaped prosecution after the FBI’s incriminating tapes of his conversations mysteriously disappeared; he went on to make a fortune on real estate deals in the 1980s, and became a New York Times’ bestselling novelist. His Times obit from last year reports that his final spy thriller remains unpublished. Hashemi died in 1986 after being infected with “a rare and virulent form of leukemia” that was diagnosed only two days before he died. (His death was later alleged to be foul play.)

29.08.2025 - 22:15 [ Reuters ]

Iran‘s Pezeshkian says Iran does not seek war, but Israel, US seek to ‚divide, destroy Iran‘

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Iran does not seek war but if Israel and the United States attacked, Iran will stand against them „forcefully“.
„America and Israel seek to divide and destroy Iran, but no Iranian wants Iran to be divided“, he said in a pre-recorded TV interview.

29.08.2025 - 22:10 [ Responsible Statecraft ]

Europe just made war with Iran more likely

France, Germany, and the UK (E3) have announced they will trigger snapback sanctions on Iran at the United Nations. This will launch a 30-day process that will likely culminate in the full reinstatement of all U.N. sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. The move will carry four major consequences.

First, the U.N. Security Council will formally adopt the demand — pushed by Israel — that Iran cease all uranium enrichment. Israel designed this demand to sabotage nuclear diplomacy and edge the conflict toward war….

08.07.2025 - 17:23 [ Tucker Carlson / Youtube ]

Tucker Carlson Interviews President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian

7:04 Is Iran Open to Diplomacy?

08.07.2025 - 17:13 [ PressTV.ir ]

Israel must not be allowed to attack Iran again, ignite new war: President Pezeshkian

“We have no problem with negotiation. But the atrocities Israel has committed in the region and against our country, and its war crimes…have caused a crisis,” he said.

The president said that returning to the negotiating table has a prerequisite, which is based on a confidence-building attitude.

“Israel must not be allowed to attack again right in the middle of talks and ignite a new war,” Pezeshkian stated.

The Israeli regime launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran on June 13, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders and nuclear scientists in addition to civilians.

On June 22, the United States officially joined the war against Iran by launching attacks on three nuclear facilities in the country in violation of the United Nations Charter and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

08.07.2025 - 17:08 [ FirstPost.com ]

Iran’s Pezeshkian under fire for backing renewed talks with US in Tucker Carlson interview

A day after stating he saw “no problem” in resuming indirect talks with the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday faced backlash from critics who accused him of being “too soft” in response to last month’s attacks on the country, according to a report.

07.07.2025 - 17:57 [ TKP.at ]

Tucker Carlson interviewt Irans Präsident Masoud Pezeshkian

Unredigiertes, ins Deutsche übersetztes Transkript:

Tucker [00:00:00] Herr Präsident, vielen Dank, dass Sie sich Zeit genommen haben. Es gibt eine Pause oder zumindest scheint es eine Pause im Krieg zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und dem Iran zu geben. Wie wird das Ihrer Meinung nach enden? Wie würden Sie sich ein Ende wünschen?

Masoud Pezeshkian [00:00:13] Wir waren die Initiatoren des Krieges. Wir haben diesen Krieg nicht begonnen und wir wollen auf keinen Fall, dass er weitergeht. Von Anfang an war es das Motto meiner Regierung, an dem ich mich immer gehalten habe, die nationale Einheit im Land zu fördern und auch den Frieden und die Ruhe sowie die Freundschaft mit den Nachbarländern und dem Rest der Welt zu stärken.

Tucker [00:00:45] Der amerikanische Präsident Donald Trump hat gesagt, dass die Vereinigten Staaten Ihre Anreicherungsanlagen bombardiert haben, weil die iranische Regierung sich geweigert hat, ihr Atomprogramm aufzugeben, und dass es keinen Frieden geben kann, solange der Iran dieses Atomprogramm nicht aufgibt. Wären Sie bereit, das Atomprogramm im Austausch für Frieden aufzugeben?

Masoud Pezeshkian [00:01:08] Ich möchte Ihnen erzählen, was passiert ist: Seit 1984 hat Netanjahu diese falsche Mentalität geschaffen, dass der Iran eine Atombombe anstrebt, und er hat unterstellt, dass der Iran in der Vergangenheit versucht hat, eine Atombombe zu entwickeln, und er hat dies in den Köpfen aller US-Präsidenten seitdem verankert und sie davon überzeugt, dass wir eine Atombombe haben wollen. Aber die Wahrheit ist, dass… in die Köpfe aller US-Präsidenten seitdem, um sie glauben zu machen, dass wir eine Atombombe haben wollen. Aber die Wahrheit ist, dass… Wir haben nie nach einer Atombombe gestrebt, weder in der Vergangenheit, noch in der Gegenwart oder in der Zukunft, weil dies falsch ist und im Widerspruch zu dem religiösen Dekret oder der Fatwa steht, die von seiner Eminenz, dem Obersten Führer der Islamischen Republik Iran, erlassen wurde. Es ist uns also religiös verboten, eine Atombombe anzustreben, und dies wurde dank unserer Zusammenarbeit mit der IAEO immer bestätigt, da sie immer vor Ort war, um dies zu überprüfen. Und um zu belegen, dass wir nie eine Atombombe wollten. Leider wurde diese Zusammenarbeit durch die rechtswidrigen Angriffe auf unsere Atomanlagen gestört.

27.06.2025 - 04:28 [ NPR.org ]

Forget ‚total obliteration‘ — experts say Iran and U.S. need to negotiate

Iran has limited its interaction with IAEA inspectors for several years, although they were still allowed to monitor declared nuclear sites. On Wednesday, Iran‘s parliament recommended a bill that effectively suspended cooperation with the agency. On Thursday, the country‘s Guardian Council fully approved it.

Iran has made clear that the suspension does not mean it will pull out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but it will prevent IAEA inspections of Iran‘s bombed nuclear facilities.

„The Iranian regime has invested decades in its nuclear program and also an unparalleled amount of resources,“ says Stroul, of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. „So to think that after less than two weeks, they are just going to take a knee and abandon their entire nuclear ambitions is likely a short sighted approach.“

27.06.2025 - 04:18 [ CNN ]

Iran foreign minister says US strikes on nuclear sites left „extensive and serious“ damage

Some background: The bill suspending cooperation with the watchdog is now on its final step before becoming law, having been sent to the country’s president for his signature. However, Iran’s supreme leader and the SNSC have decisive authority over how such policies are executed and whether cooperation is effectively suspended.

24.06.2025 - 21:21 [ Reuters ]

Iran-Israel ceasefire appears to hold under pressure from Trump

Trump scolded both sides for early violations of the truce he announced at 0500 GMT, but directed especially stinging criticism at Washington‘s close ally Israel over the scale of its strikes, telling it to „calm down now“.

He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command to preserve the deal to end a 12-day air war with Iran.
Both Iran and Israel sent signals the conflict was over, at least for now.

24.06.2025 - 21:17 [ theGuardian.com ]

Fragile Israel-Iran truce appears to hold after Trump’s fury at initial violations

(Tue 24 Jun 2025 19.41 CEST)

The shaky truce between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding on Tuesday evening, after an extraordinary day in which a furious Donald Trump at one point personally intervened by calling Benjamin Netanyahu in order to get him to scale down an Israeli airstrike.

Waking in Washington to find the ceasefire he had brokered the night before had been violated by both sides, Trump told the media: “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”

24.06.2025 - 21:10 [ Fox News ]

Trump announces historic Iran and Israel ceasefire agreement to end ‘12 Day War‘

Published June 23, 2025 7:20pm EDT | Updated June 23, 2025 8:19pm EDT

President Donald Trump declared Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire after missile exchanges, claiming the ‘12-day war‘ will end following a phased implementation over 24 hours.

„CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!“ Trump shared in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.