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One Year of COVID: Infected Officials
Updated: June 7, 2021
Dozens of high-ranking Iranian officials have contracted COVID-19, which originated in China in late 2019 and was first reported in the Islamic Republic in February 2020. Two vice presidents were among the early cases. The virus has since swept through the ranks of the executive branch, parliament…
State Department Report on Human Rights in Iran
Iran’s human rights record remained dismal in 2019, according to an annual report by the State Department. Issues included executions of juvenile offenders, denial of fair trials, poor prison conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, invasion of privacy, restrictions on freedom of expression,…
U.S. Demands Release of American Detainees
On March 10, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Iran to release “all wrongfully detained Americans being held in Iran.” He warned that the United States would hold Iran accountable if any of the American prisoners died from coronavirus, which had spread to at least three Iranian prisons by…
Global Map: Coronavirus Traced to Iran
The spread of COVID-19, widely believed to have originated in China, has had severe repercussions across the globe. Coronavirus cases traced to Iran have shown up in at least 23 countries – from the United States and Europe to the Middle East and New Zealand – spread either by their own nationals…
News Digest: Week of March 9
Updated: March 13, 2020
March 9
Health: Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced 7,161 cases of coronavirus, including 237 deaths. Chief of Iran’s Crisis Management Organization Esmail Najjar tested positive for the infection, according to a statement from the organization. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali…
Pompeo on Disappearance of Robert Levinson
March 9 marked 13 years since Robert Levinson went missing in Iran. Levinson, a former FBI agent, disappeared on March 9, 2007, during a visit to Kish Island. “For 13 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of his whereabouts or condition, a claim that defies credibility,” said Secretary…
Iran’s Roster of Political Influence Abroad
Since the 1980s, Iran has forged a network of political alliances across the Middle East that now give it more influence than its Gulf rivals and the United States. Tehran has exploited local grievances, sectarian identity, and conflicts to create or foster political parties, most visibly in…
Iran’s Foreign Policy After 2020 Election
On February 26, four experts discussed the victory by conservative factions in Iran’s parliamentary elections and the impact on its foreign policy. Speakers included:
• Robin Wright (moderator) – Distinguished Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center
• Ali Vaez – Iran…
Iran Mobilizes Military to Fight Coronavirus
Updated: April 27, 2020
On March 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the mobilization of the military to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. Authorities said that 300,000 troops from the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and its Basij paramilitary force would deploy to help sanitize public places, direct traffic,…
Iran’s Response to Coronavirus
Updated: April 9, 2020
Iran’s government was initially slow to react to the spread of coronavirus, which was first reported in Qom on February 19. But as the death toll rose, Iran upped its efforts to contain the disease, which had reached all 31 provinces by March 5. The government closed schools, universities and…
How Iran's Public is Responding to Coronavirus
Updated: April 8, 2020
The Iranian public coped with the outbreak of the coronavirus in a wide variety of ways. Some made personal sacrifices for the benefit of society. The chief nurse of a Tehran hospital postponed her wedding ceremony so that she could continue working. Others responded by trying to keep public…
IAEA Rebukes Iran for Nuclear Violations
Updated: March 5, 2020
On March 3, 2020, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released two reports that criticized Iran for violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the first report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog found Iran had tripled its stockpile of low enriched uranium since its last…
Coronavirus Spreads in Iran’s Prisons
Updated: August 11, 2020
Iran’s prisons became a focal point in the outbreak of the coronavirus since shortly after the first case was reported on February 19. By February 25, cases were reported in at least three prisons— Karaj Prison, Evin Prison and Tehran's Greater Prison, also known as Fashafuyeh. On March 3, Iran’s…
News Digest: Week of March 2
Updated: March 10, 2020
March 2
Medicine: Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi announced 523 new coronavirus cases and 12 new deaths, a total of 1,501 cases and 66 fatalities since the outbreak was first reported on February 19. State media reported that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a senior member of the Expediency Council,…
Europe to Help Iran on Coronavirus
Updated: March 26, 2020
On March 2, France, Germany and Britain pledged $5.6 million in financial aid to help the Iranian government fight the coronavirus. The so-called E3 countries also announced a delivery of medical equipment through the World Health Organization and other U.N. agencies. "France, Germany and the…
U.S. Offers Aid on Coronavirus Outbreak
Updated: April 14, 2020
In a break from two years of its maximum pressure campaign, the United States offered Iran humanitarian aid to help with the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak. “This offer of support to the Iranian people, which has been formally conveyed to Iran through the Government of Switzerland,…
Iran's Response to Coronavirus
Updated: June 1, 2021
As of March 2021, more than year after the first COVID cases were reported, Iranian leaders struggled with public messaging. The government had responded slowly to the outbreak of the coronavirus and then scrambled to catch up as it spread quickly across the country. Top government officials…
Coronavirus, a New Jolt to Iran's Economy?
Adnan Mazarei
At a time of horrific economic pressure resulting from U.S. sanctions, a recession, high inflation, and the mismanagement of its own finances, Iran could ill afford another blow to its stability. Now one has come in the form of a public health crisis caused by the coronavirus. On top…
Iran's Political Future After 2020 Election
On February 26, four experts discussed the sweeping victory by conservative factions in Iran’s parliamentary elections. Speakers included:
• Robin Wright (moderator) – Distinguished Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center
• Ali Vaez – Iran Project Director,…
U.S. Sanctions Missile Procurement Network
On February 25, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions on 13 foreign companies and individuals for supporting Iran's missile program. The entities were based in China, Iraq, Russia, and Turkey. The State Department said that the action was based on a periodic review required under the Iran,…
Part 1: Coronavirus Strikes Iran
Updated: July 21, 2020
The coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China in late December spread to Iran in February. On February 19, the health ministry announced that two elderly people in Qom had died from the coronavirus. On February 23, Iran’s health minister Saeed Namaki blamed an Iranian merchant from Qom who had …
2020 Parliamentary Election Results
Conservative and hardline factions, including candidates closely aligned with the Revolutionary Guards, won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections held on February 21. They won 221 of the 290 seats, more than doubling their presence in parliament; 83 were elected in the 2016 poll, according…
News Digest: Week of February 24
February 24
Medicine: Iran’s Health Ministry reported 61 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths since the outbreak was first confirmed in the country on February 19. Cases were recorded in the provinces of Qom , Tehran, Gilan, Markazi, Isfahan, Mazandaran and Hamadan. The ministry said that the new…
What It Looks Like to Vote in Iran
On February 21, Iranians headed to the polls to elect a new parliament. The regime cites turnout as a reflection of public support, so it encouraged citizens to fulfill their “national duty.” Fars News Agency reported that the turnout was about 40 percent nationwide and only 30 percent in Tehran as…
Financial Watchdog Returns Iran to Blacklist
On February 21, a global financial watchdog returned Iran to its blacklist. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body of 36 countries that sets standards for countering the financing of terrorism and money laundering, cited Iran’s failure to comply with international norms…
Pompeo in Saudi Arabia on Iran
On February 19, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh for three days of meetings with Saudi officials, including King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During a meeting with King Salman, Pompeo discussed “bilateral issues, including countering the…
U.S. Sanctions Guardian Council Members
On February 20, U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook announced sanctions on five key members of Iran’s Guardian Council, an unelected panel of twelve Islamic jurists and scholars. The council disqualified more than 9,000 out of the some 14,000 candidates who registered to run in…
Iranian Media on Election 2020
Iranian newspapers have been divided in their coverage of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for February 21. Reformist papers initially focused on the Guardian Council’s disqualification of 90 incumbent lawmakers and the vast majority of reformist candidates. Reformist papers also…
Iran Sentences Eight Environmentalists
On February 18, an Iranian revolutionary court finalized the sentences of eight environmental activists by upholding tough prison terms for “cooperating with the hostile state of the U.S.” and “collusion to act against national security.” One of the eight is Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian who also holds…
Trends in Parliamentary Election 2020
Updated: February 21, 2020
Key Dates
Registration Period: December 1-7, 2019
Campaign Period: February 13-20, 2020
First Round of Elections: February 21, 2020
Second Round of Elections: April 20-May 20, 2020
Facts and Figures
The unicameral Majles has 290 seats for 31 provinces; 285 seats are directly elected and…