Ahmadinejad's candidate will challenge disqualification; Rafsanjani won't

NIAC's Statement on US Congressional Action on Iran

Persian Language Symposium: This Weekend in NYC

Khomeini's Daughter Calls On Supreme Leader To Reinstate Rafsanjani

Exhibition in London: Hossein Valamanesh's "Breath"

US Lawmakers Pledge to Back Israel Against Iran

More Executions In Iran As Elections Near: 58 Hanged in One Month

UN Sanctions on Iran: The Dance of Mutual Deniability

Iran Induces Internet 'Coma' Ahead of Elections

Iran: Controversial candidates barred from running for president

Disqualification Of Rafsanjani Paves Way For Khamenei To Install Loyalist - The decision by Iran's powerful Guardians Council to bar former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from running in next month's presidential election paves the way for the country's establishment to bring a loyalist to power. It also deals another blow to the credibility of the June 14 poll, analysts say. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL 5/22/13

Iranian President Criticizes Aide's Election Ban - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is speaking out in defense of a close aide whom authorities have barred from running in next month's presidential election. Ahmadinejad described Mashaei on Wednesday as righteous, capable and beneficial for the country, and said the aide is a victim of injustice. 5/22/13

Iran's Supreme Leader shows compassion for disqualified candidates! - The official website of the Supreme Leader has published his February 2 2011 remarks on disqualified presidential candidates. According to Ayatollah Khamenei, disqualified candidates may not be competent to run for president, but they may have other competencies and so their lives are not over! 5/22/13

Inspired by reformist candidate, Iranian political prisoner end of hunger strike - Mehdi Khazali, a prominent Iranian political prisoner, has ended his hunger strike after 140 days following the announcement of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's decision to run for president. 5/22/13

'Great Shock' Over Rafsanjani's Disqualification - The front page of Iran's "Ebtekar" daily is a good indication of how many Iranians felt when they heard the news that former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani -- one of the pillars of the Islamic establishment -- had been banned from running in next month's vote. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 5/22/13

Iran cracks down on activists in runup to election - Human rights campaigners in Iran, speaking on condition of anonymity, say state repression has intensified in the runup to the polls on 14 June amid authorities' concern of a repeat of the anti-government protests that followed the 2009 election, which was described as a sedition led by the country's foreign enemies. -Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Guardian 5/22/13

Kerry Presses US-Russian Plan for Syrian Peace Talks - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets Wednesday in the Jordanian capital with senior diplomats from 11 nations, as part of a U.S.-Russian push to end Syria's civil war. 5/22/13

Iran Khodro to launch car assembly line in Iraq - Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro will establish an assembly line with the capacity of 30,000 units per year in the Iraqi city of Iskandariya by next month. Iran Khodro has been exporting its products to Iraq for about a decade 5/22/13

Iran Bars Election Candidacies of Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad Aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei - Iran says a conservative body has barred two prominent figures from competing in next month's presidential election -- moderate former president Hashemi Rafsanjani and a leading conservative allied to current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 5/21/13

Professor Parvaneh Vosough, angel of Iran's Cancer Children, passes away - Everyone in Mozaffar Street loved Mrs. Professor's Green Volkswagen bug; a symbol which would appear in the vicinity of Ali Asghar Hospital, making evident the presence of a woman who had dedicated her life to cancer-suffering children; who abandoned her residence in Europe to live beside cancer-suffering children in Iran and to help them. 5/21/13

Iran: Cleric warns Supreme Leader against barring candidate - In a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Ayatollah Mohammad Sadegh Haeri Shirazi, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, says the Supreme Leader's motto of "Political legend and maximum participation in the elections" will not be realized if the "top figures from each side" are not allowed to compete. 5/21/13

Iran's security forces in place for announcement of candidates - An Iranian opposition website reports that Tehran "has put on a military face" as the Guardian Council is set to announce today the presidential candidates that have been approved to run in the election. 5/21/13

Will Iran's Former President Rafsanjani Be Allowed To Run? - Recent comments by members Iran's Guardians Council, the hard-line oversight body that vets all election candidates, have raised doubt that former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani will be allowed to run in the June 14 presidential elections. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 5/21/13

Iran's medicine imports fall by 54 percent - Iran imported $34.2 million worth of medicine in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 21-April 20), down 54.7 percent year on year. In November 2012, the health ministry of Iran called the Central Bank to earmark $2 billion for importing medicine to cope with the domestic shortage as a result of international sanctions. 5/21/13

Choices -Travel Account 2 - The first initiation to Downtown LA actually happened on the second day of my arrival in this land of America. The reason was to join a parade held by the initiation of LA Poverty Department (LAPD) celebrating the 27th anniversary of AA foundation in Los Angeles -Roya Monajem 5/21/13

Diplomat Says Tehran Approves Deal To Probe 1994 Argentinian Bombing - An Iranian diplomat says his government has approved a memorandum of understanding with Argentina on forming a "truth commission" to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people. 5/21/13

US Sees 'Climate of Intolerance' on Global Religious Freedom - The U.S. law on religious freedom calls for naming other countries it considers to be committing "particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Under the law, the State Department two years ago named eight nations as "countries of particular concern" - Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. 5/21/13

Satellite Images Show Five New Stealth F-22s On US Base Near Iran - Even if we have often reported the presence of the F-22 Raptors at Al Dhafra, satellite imagery showing five radar evading planes parked at the main airbase in the UAE has been made publicly available for the first time recently. -Business Insider 5/21/13

Iranian Political Prisoners Recalled In advance Of Election - Iranian judiciary is recalling political prisoners on furlough back to person in the lead up to the presidential elections on June 14. Massoud Bastani and Hossein Ronaghi were called back to Evin Prison on Saturday according to Kaleme opposition website. 5/20/13

Mahsa Mirtalebi is appointed "Global Swede" at the University of Gothenburg - The University of Gothenburg has appointed Mahsa Mirtalebi, student at the international BSc programme in Software Engineering and Management, as the "Global Swede" of 2013. Mahsa Mirtalebi is a very devoted and active student and also a very devoted student ambassador for the education at the IT Faculty. 5/20/13

Photos: Iran opens defense system with smart intercepting capability in low altitudes - Iran inaugurated a newly-developed aerial defense system capable of smart intercepting, tracking and hitting the intended targets in low altitudes in an automatic way. The system titled 'Herz IX' (Protector) has high movements is mobile. 5/20/13

Two executed in Iran after being convicted of spying for Israel, U.S. - Iranian judiciary announced the execution of two individuals convicted of espionage today Sunday May 19 in Tehran for "links to foreign intelligence services." Tehran Prosecutors office identified the two individuals as "Mohammad Heydari" and "Kourosh Ahmadi." 5/20/13

Assessment of presidential candidates by Iranian opposition leaders claimed false - The families of Iranian opposition leaders under house arrest announced today that statements attributed to their parents in the media is false and that MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have not made any assessments of the coming election. 5/20/13

Lawmaker Fires Back In 'Car Wars' Ahead Of Iranian Presidential Vote - Conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari has criticized recent comments by hard-line cleric Ahmad Jannati suggesting what kind of car Iran's next president should -- or shouldn't -- drive. Motahari described the remarks by Jannati, who chairs the powerful Guardians Council that's charged with vetting candidate applications -- as illogical, adding that the intent was "demagoguery." -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 5/20/13

Government newspaper accuses head of Iran's security forces of ordering murder of those in Ahmadinejad camp - In an editorial published by the government newspaper Iran News and republished by government news agency IRNA, the head of Iran's security forces, Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, has been accused of ordering murder of those in Ahmadinejad camp whom Ahmadi Moghaddam accuses of devianting from true Islam. 5/18/13

Photos: Iranian artifacts recovered in foreign auctions on display at Tehran exhibit - A collection of ancient Iranian artifacts, which had been recovered in foreign auctions, was showcased on Thursday in an exhibition at the National Museum of Iran. The collection comprises 50 Achaemenid tablets, bronze artifacts from the Lorestan regions, and some stone relics from the Jiroft civilization. 5/18/13

Iranian Wrestlers Abruptly Leave US Early - The U.S. State Department has denied Iranian media reports that the United States deported the Iranian wrestling team ahead of a Sunday meet in Los Angeles. A State Department official tells VOA's Persian News Network that U.S. authorities had nothing to do with their departure. 5/18/13

Congress Debates War, Sanctions, Diplomacy and MEK with Top Obama Officials - Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, the House and Senate held hearings on Iran policy with top administration officials Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of Political Affairs at the U.S. State Department, and David S. Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department. 5/18/13

Iranian Candidate Appears To Offer Starkly Contrasting Accounts Of Crackdown - Is Iran's presidential hopeful Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf a hard-liner or a moderate? It depends on his audience, apparently. Recordings of two starkly different accounts given by Qalibaf of his role in the crackdown against protests have emerged online. 5/18/13

Pomegranates and Roses Shortlisted for Best Cookbook of the Year by Guild of Food Writers Awards 2013 - The Guild of Food Writers has announced the shortlists for its annual Awards. The most prestigious in food writing and broadcasting, the Awards are fiercely contested by the best in the field. Pomegranates and Roses: My Persian Family Recipes by Ariana Bundy is among the books competing for the Cookery Book of the Year Award. 5/18/13

Iranian trade stats well below last April's figures - Iranian customs says imports into the country were down sharply last month compared to the same period in 2012. According to the report, imports fell from $3.3 billion in April of 2012 to $1.3 billion in April of 2013. 5/18/13

Iranian firefighter saves lives, even after his death - According to Jalal Maleki, the spokesman of Iran's Firefighters Organization, body parts of firefighter Amir Abbasi will be offered to patients in need of transplants. Abbasi died during a mission in north Tehran after saving a girl from a fire in a residential complex. 5/17/13

What Has The Work of Heavens Come Down To? - Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidential nominee, has said, "I have received my approval to run for the post from the Heavens. Imam Al-ASR will force the Guardians Council to approve my qualifications." Following that someone wrote me that the heavens and the imam are the new names for fraud and the purchase of votes! -Nooshabeh Amiri 5/17/13

Photos: Iran joins US charity wrestling event in New York - Iranian wrestlers participated in a New York charity event dubbed "The Rumble on Rails" at Grand Central Station, facing off against their U.S. and Russian adversaries on May 15, with Iran defeating the U.S. 6 to 1. 5/16/13

Iranian students build flying robot capable of taking aerial photos - Iranian students at the prestigious Amirkabir University of Technology have built a flying robot carrying two cameras that is capable of taking precise photos from the different angles. 5/16/13

Iranian MPs call on council to disqualify candidates - One hundred Iranian MPs have written to the Guardian Council to call for the disqualification of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashai from the presidential race. The Fars news agency says the MPs have described the two presidential candidates as being in opposition to the Supreme Leader's principles. 5/16/13

EU's Ashton Has 'Useful' Discussion With Iran's Jalili - EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton says she had a "useful" discussion with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili but announced no plans for a new round of negotiations. Catherine Ashton, representing six world powers, said after the meeting May 15 in Istanbul that "we talked about the proposals we had put forward and we will now reflect on how to go on to the next stage of the process." 5/16/13

Iran gives green light to Asghar Farhadi's "Past" - Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has granted a screening license to "The Past", Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's first movie that was shot outside of his homeland. 5/16/13

Photos: Teams From U.S., Iran, Russia Back Olympic Wrestling - Wrestlers from the United States, Iran, and Russia have appeared jointly at the United Nations to promote the value of wrestling. The teams, which are in New York for a wrestling exhibition on May 15 at New York's Grand Central Station railway terminal, hope to apply pressure on the International Olympic Committee to keep their sport in the Olympics. 5/15/13

May 15: National Ferdowsi Day - May 15 is annually celebrated by Iranians as Fedowsi Day. Many art and cultural festivals are held across the country to commemorate the great Iranian epic poet. Ferdowsi, one of the greatest Iranian poets, was born in 935 CE in a small village named Paj near Tous in Khorasan which is situated in today's Razavi Khorasan province in Iran. -Firouzeh Mirrazavi 5/15/13

Responses to Rafsanjani's Candidacy: The Alignment of Political Groups Disrupted! - Some have called his decision to enter the race to be his turn into the last chapter of his life and have tied Iran's fate to this chapter. Others view him to be among the opposition that ruling circles call seditionists and call for his disqualification. Military leaders are issuing warnings, Majlis representatives are signing resolutions and some media issue secret bulletins against him. -Fereshteh Ghazi, Rooz 5/15/13

Iran's Elections Body Can Now Ask Would-Be Presidents For Plans - Iran's Guardian Council, the powerful body that determines the eligibility of political candidates, announced that it has approved a policy to require concrete administrative plans from presidential candidates when it is deemed necessary. 5/15/13

Iran's Intelligence Ministry summons independent candidate after meeting - Independent presidential candidate Ghassem Sholeh Saadi was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence after he met with a number of reporters and reformist youth. No details have been released about the reason for his summons. 5/15/13

Carnegie International exhibit to screen documentaries by Kamran Shirdel - "Tehran Is the Capital of Iran", "Dubai: Pearls of the Persian Gulf", "Women's Prison", and "The Night It Rained" and five other of his documentaries are scheduled to be screened during the event, which will be held from October 5, 2013 to March 16, 2014. 5/15/13

Surprise Candidacy Challenges Plans Of Iranian Establishment - The surprise decision by former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to enter Iran's presidential race poses a challenge to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's plans to bring a loyalist to power, analysts say. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 5/14/13

Iran Elections A Farce: Zahra, A Fictional Character, Enters Race - Ahead of Iran's presidential elections scheduled for June 14, an author and a human rights non-governmental organization are registering their protest by nominating for president a fictional mourning mother whose son was killed by authorities in 2009. 5/14/13

Rafsanjani Candidacy Draws Fire From Iran's Hard-Liners - Influential former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has drawn sharp criticism from Iran's ruling establishment after he filed a last-minute application for candidacy in the country's June 14 presidential election. After months of speculation, Rafsanjani signed up at the end of a five-day registration period on May 11, stunning rivals who had written off the 78-year-old moderate. -Frud Bezhan, RFE 5/14/13

Iranian Student Film needs the support of the Iranian Community - 1979 "is an NYU undergraduate thesis film that will begin principal photography in late June 2013. The film centers on three Iranian immigrants in small town America during the time of the Iranian Hostage Crisis. We follow Reza and witness the comedic culture clash that follows him and his friends, Masoud and Ata, as they try their hardest to assimilate. 5/14/13

10th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial kicks off - The 10th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial, displaying over 500 works by Iranian and foreign cartoonists, was inaugurated during a ceremony at Tehran's Saba Art and Cultural Institute on Monday. This year the biennial is focusing on the themes of "Persian Cat", "Dilemma" and "Superstition". 5/14/13

Iran transplants aortic valve in sheep's heart - Iran has embarked on conducting several important research plans on different medical and veterinary domains since last year, one of which is transplanting human's aortic valve to several sheep, said Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution Mokhber Dezfouli. 5/14/13

Iran: 203 city council elections candidates disqualified - Two hundred and three hopefuls have not been approved as candidates for the fourth city council elections, which will be held simultaneously with the 11th presidential election on June 14. 5/14/13

Recent Iranian government projects: election advertising or environmental threats? - The Iranian government has proposed new projects such as building infrastructure in Shahrood's Abr Forest and opening up oil development in Kavir National Park by issuing exploration permits, and the government's national development plan promises to donate 2,000 square metres of public land to Iranian families. -Bijan Rohani 5/13/13

Former President, Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Ahmadinejad's top aid, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, to run in Iran's June 14 presidential election - Just minutes before the deadline on March 11 to register as a presidential candidate, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani made it official that he wants to be the next Iranian president. Meanwhile, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's top aide, also entered the race during the final minutes of the registration period. 5/11/13

Iran Unveils Most Advanced Home-Made Drone called Hemaseh - Iran displayed its most advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed and manufactured by the country's engineers.The stealth drone, named Hemaseh (Epic), was unveiled on Thursday evening in a special ceremony in the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi. 5/10/13

Newly Appointed Iranian-American Judge Makes History - On Thursday, May 2, 2013, Susan Amini was appointed to King County Superior Court judge position 20 in Washington State. Ms. Amini is the second Iranian American to serve as a Superior Court judge in the country, and the first of Middle Eastern descent in Washington state history. -Solmaz Elmi-Sarabi, NIAC 5/10/13

'Iran's Lech Walesa' Says He Left Country After Death Threats - Prominent Iranian union leader Mansur Osanlu, who recently fled that country, has told RFE/RL that death threats from inside government security circles drove him out of Iran. He warned that the atmosphere in the Islamic republic is becoming more repressive "day by day." -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE 5/10/13

Inhumanity and Illegality of Sanctions Justify Iran's Response - Sanctions against Iran have negatively impacted the lives of the Iranian people, and they continue to do so despite lacking a legal foundation. If we recognize the inhumanity and illegality of sanctions, we can better understand the Iranian government's response to them. -Mahmoud Reza Golshanpazhooh 5/9/13

NORPAC: The Mission and the Message - Today (May 8, 2013) hundreds of buses packed with what organizers claim are about a thousand citizen advocates departed from various pick-up points in and around New York and New Jersey for Washington, DC. They represent NORPAC (not an acronym for anything), a much smaller, localized grassroots version of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) -Marsha B. Cohen 5/9/13

Variations on a Persian Theme: maps as messages - May 22nd in London: Welcome by Paul Webley, SOAS with an introduction by Peter Barber OBE, FSA, FRHistS followed by a talk by Francis Herbert Hon. FRGS FBCart.S on Variations on a Persian Theme: maps as messages. 5/9/13

Conflict Kitchen: Changing Americans' Perception Of U.S. Adversaries, One Dish At A Time - In the United States, Iran is better known for its nuclear ambitions than for its "fesenjan," the traditional Persian stew of chicken, pomegranates, and walnuts. Jon Rubin would like to change that. Rubin is the co-founder of Conflict Kitchen, a carry-out restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that only serves food from countries with which the United States is in conflict. -Heather Maher, RFE 5/8/13

Inflation rate hits 29.8%: Statistics Center of Iran - Iran's inflation rate reached 29.8 percent in the first month of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-April 20), the Mehr News Agency reported, citing the Statistics Center of Iran. The figure decreased by 1.5 percent compared to the previous month. 5/6/13

Internet proxies no longer effective in Iran - ITIran reports that the Siphon proxy as well as Kerio and open VPN are no longer effective against the Iranian state's efforts to block websites. The report also adds that internet speed has fallen sharply, restricting user access to most sites. 5/6/13

Esteqlal wins Iran's Premier League title a week before end of tourney - Esteqlal has won the championship of Iran's Premier League (IPL) for the third time after beating Foulad one week before the end of the tournament. The Blues blanked host Foulad 1-0 in a match in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on Sunday. 5/6/13

Three Iranian-Americans among the 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech - Women are (relatively) few and far between in the tech industry. So it is quite an achievement for three Iranian-American women (Soraya Darabi, Parisa Tabriz and Roxanne Varza), to have made it to the list of the most important women 30 years old or under in tech compiled by the Business Insider. 5/5/13

Photos: Fifth Tehran International Sculpture Symposium - Seven sculptors from different countries are participating in the Fifth Tehran International Sculpture Symposium, which opened at Tehran's Noruz Park on Saturday. Among the Iranian sculptors are Mohammad Marvasti, Mehdi Rangchi, Ali Vaziri, Shahriar Rezaii, Samaneh Reihani and Fatemeh Majidi. 5/5/13

Photos: Festival of Turkoman Horses - The Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia, now extinct. They influenced many other horse breeds, including the Thoroughbred horse. Some horses bred in Turkmenistan today are still referred to as Turkoman, and have similar characteristics. 5/3/13

Congressman Urges U.S. to Foment Ethnic Tension in Iran - The idea of fomenting ethnic tensions in Iran as a means to destabilize the country is not a new one. Rohrabacher, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, has never been shy about promoting ethnic separatism and supporting violent groups as a way to pressure Iran. In addition to his support for groups like Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), he has championed resolutions promoting Azeri andBalochi ethnic separatism in Iran. -Solmaz Elmi-Sarabi, NIAC 5/3/13

Photos: Morality Police In Tehran Play Good Cop by Handing Out Flowers to Women - The morality police in Tehran are playing the good cop these days. They are out in the streets handing flowers to women to promote "good hijab." But the bad cops may be out soon detaining the women with "bad hijab," as they have been doing so in the past months and years. 5/1/13

Photos: Qasr Prison Museum in Tehran - Qasr Prison in Tehran was one of the oldest prisons housing political prisoners. In 2008, Qasr was closed and turned into a museum. Qasr was originally a palace built in 1790 at the time of Qajar king, Fath-ali Shah by the Russian architect Markov. The palace was converted into a prison and inaugurated by Reza Shah on December 2, 1929. 5/1/13

Exhibition in London by Iranian Artists: Peace from the bottom of my art - Beyond the artworks presented, the exhibition 'Peace from the bottom of my art' is an expression of everyone's dream of peace. Opera Gallery is proud to host this inspiring collection of all that Iran has to offer, and to guide you in the exploration of those 58 visions of peace. 4/30/13

Iran Unveiled: Photos by Adam Jones - What is the visual image that most of us have of Iran? Probably, it's a black-and-white vision of some medieval-looking back alley, with a dark-shrouded woman walking down it. Perhaps there is no other country where propaganda has succeeded in creating such a misleading and impoverished mental portrait. 4/26/13

Time for Humanitarian Fix to Iran Sanctions - In the past week, Iran has been struck by two earthquakes that have killed dozens of people and leveled hundreds of homes. And because of the political standoff with Iran's government, Americans--including Iranian Americans with family in the affected regions--are largely unable to provide any help. -Jamal Abdi, NIAC 4/22/13

U.S. figures call for direct talks with Iran - Thirty-five prominent former U.S. diplomats and military officials have urged the U.S. administration to make a strong effort to initiate direct talks with Iran. 4/19/13

Senate Brings US Closer to War With Iran - The National Iranian American Council strongly opposes today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee adoption of S.Res.65, a resolution conveying U.S. support for potential Israeli military strikes on Iran. NIAC urges the Senate to delay any further action on this resolution and to instead work to advance a serious diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute. 4/18/13

Cyrus and Jefferson: Did they speak the same language? - Even as the Middle East grapples with Jeffersonian ideals of freedom and democracy, Americans are learning that Thomas Jefferson may have been inspired by an ancient Middle East ruler, Cyrus "the Great" of Persia. -Wm. Scott Harrop 4/16/13

Photos: Innovative UAV Design Competitions in Qazvin, Iran - The competitions are organized by the Shahid Rezaei Research Center of Sharif University of Technology. The goal of the research center is to develop expertise in the following areas for UAV design: Configuration, Structure, Propulsion, Navigation, Control System, Breaking & Code Making and Real Time Data Transfer 4/13/13

Mapping the Iranian Genome - Since PARSA Community Foundation granted $250,000 to Stanford University's Iranian Genome Project in 2010, the project has grown significantly. The Iranian Genome Project aims to provide knowledge to both the scientific and Iranian community by studying and understanding the genetic background of Iranians... 4/10/13

The Atlantic Council's Report: Time to Move from Tactics to Strategy on Iran - The Atlantic Council's Iran Task Force has launched a new report, Time to Move from Tactics to Strategy on Iran, reflecting more than two years of research on a wide range of issues related to this pivotal country. The Task Force, led by Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, recommends a long-term strategy that offers the Iranian government a face-saving exit from the nuclear crisis and seeks to lay the groundwork for better relations with the Iranian people. 4/5/13

Book: In Iran: Text and Photos by Adam Jones - What is it like to travel in the Islamic Republic of Iran? In June 2012, Canadian scholar Adam Jones and his companion Griselda Ramirez made a 26-day, 7,000-kilometer private tour through the western half of the country, accompanied only by their guide, Mahmood, and driver Samad. They visited most of Iran's major cities along with many smaller towns, and travelled to remote frontier areas of Iranian Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. 4/1/13

Shahzadeh Garden in Mahan, Kerman: A Corner In Heaven - The magnificent Shahzadeh garden, located in Kerman desert, and known as "a corner in heaven" has been registered on UNESCO's World Heritage List as one of the masterpieces of traditional gardens. 4/1/13