Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told a Gulf newspaper that Iran had signalled it had decided to suspend enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent in the wake of last week's presidential election.   "For the first time in many years, hopeful signs have appeared in this process," Mr Lavrov said. "The Iranians are confirming the main thing – w ... Continue reading »

By Zahra Hosseinian and Marcus George DUBAI | Tue Jun 18, 2013 10:06pm IST   (Reuters) - Tehran's streets were filled with young revellers for the second time in four days on Tuesday after the Iranian national soccer team qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with a win over South Korea.   "I feel like God is answering all of our prayer ... Continue reading »

by Shiva Balaghi   Do not just look at the pictures of Iranians celebrating late into the night in Tehran’s streets. Listen, they are singing Yar-e Dabestani-ye Man [My Grade School Friend]. This old Iranian protest song has become the unofficial anthem of the student movement.   Tyranny’s welt on our flesh Has not faded with time The fields of our ... Continue reading »

Tehran Bureau correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 June 2013 05.55 EDT   Ghorban Ali lived in the shantytowns of Shahr-e Rey, just south of the Tehran city line. He was a metal worker and a staunch supporter of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the very end. He felt a close bond with this president who was the son of an ironsmith, who seemed to live a lif ... Continue reading »

Say goodbye to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president who has taunted America for eight years. Over the weekend, Iranians elected a new kind of president.   By the time he cast his own ballot, Hassan Rowhani knew he was on a roll. During the final days of his campaign, his rallies were drawing vast crowds of young people, convinced he could bri ... Continue reading »

Until three days ago, many among the scholars and experts of Iran argued that the presidential elections in the country had become an uninteresting matter. The crisis in 2009, caused by the suspicions of electoral fraud to favor President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection, played down the observers' enthusiasm about the possibility of an electoral c ... Continue reading »

The stunning election victory for reform and moderation in Iran this weekend takes me back 16 years to the mind-boggling election upset I covered in 1997, when the moderate cleric Mohammad Khatami won. I covered him on the campaign trail and dubbed him the Mullah with the smiling face, and in fact his was a new and different face of Iran. He was th ... Continue reading »

TEHRAN, Iran - President-elect Hassan Rowhani struck a markedly conciliatory tone Monday, and held out the prospect of improved relations with the United States.   When asked by NBC News what he thought of the American congratulations to him and the Iranian people, as well as an offer to hold direct talks with Iran, Rowhani smiled and answered that ... Continue reading »

An editorial in Mardom Salari (pro-reform daily) titled, “The Messages of the Election of Dr. Hassan Rouhani” maintained that the 11th presidential elections carried several important messages, which if not ignored, can provide us with an analysis of what has happened in Iran over the past 8 years and even a glimpse into the years to come:   Genera ... Continue reading »

The pragmatism of young Iranians who voted for a cleric and bureaucrat with whom they have hardly anything in common is astonishing.   They likely voted for him to avoid a dangerous confrontation with the West and perhaps remove America’s crippling sanctions.   They also voted for him because they want democracy.   We believe this because last year ... Continue reading »