Tehran Times

2025-08-02 21:43
By Soheila Zarfam

‘Partners in shaping a shared future’

Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan marks new era of cooperation and unity

TEHRAN – As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian commenced his two-day official visit to Pakistan on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Tehran and Islamabad as “partners in shaping a shared future” in an article published ahead of the trip.
- Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to Tehran: A step toward regional stability
- Joint Iran-Pakistan efforts needed to halt Israeli crimes in Gaza: Leader

New Defense Council in works as Iran's officials affirm readiness against Israel: reports

TEHRAN – Tehran is set to activate a new "Supreme Defense Council" as part of significant structural changes within the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), according to reports from Iran's Fars and Tasnim news agencies published Friday and Saturday.
By Xavier Villar

Realism, power, and tragedy: Mearsheimer dissects Tel Aviv’s dead end

MADRID – John J. Mearsheimer is, without question, the most influential voice in contemporary realist theory in international relations. A professor at the University of Chicago and architect of the so-called “offensive realism” theory, he argues that the international system – lacking any effective supranational authority—pushes states into an inevitable and brutal competition for power.
By Shahrokh Saei

Witkoff’s Gaza visit: A ‘photo-op’ meant to whitewash US-Israeli ‘bloodbaths’

TEHRAN — The visit of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy to Gaza, framed as a humanitarian mission, appears to be a calculated effort to whitewash a humanitarian catastrophe widely seen as fueled by American support for Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave.
By Sondoss Al Asaad

Will Morgan Ortagus return to Beirut?

BEIRUT—As Lebanon awaits the repercussions of the threat by US envoy Thomas Barrack, information has leaked suggesting the end of his mission in Lebanon amid the talk of the possible return of Morgan Ortagus.
By Wesam Bahrani

Anti-Israeli protests in Syria

TEHRAN – Protests took place in several parts of Syria, denouncing the Israeli occupation regime and affirming the country’s unity.

Politics

‘His path will continue with strength:’ Iran vows on Haniyeh’s assassination anniversary

TEHRAN – Iran marked the first anniversary of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh's assassination with resolute declarations that his path of resistance “will continue with strength,” describing his killing as an Israeli crime that only strengthened the resolve to liberate Palestine.
Iran and Japan should lead global disarmament movement, says Araghchi

TEHRAN – As the world prepares to mark 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Iran is calling on Japan to join forces in a new push to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) once and for all.
Iranian embassy in Denmark denies Western interference allegations

TEHRAN – The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Denmark has strongly refuted accusations leveled by a number of Western governments concerning alleged extraterritorial interference targeting dissidents, journalists, and officials.

Sports

Former Iran football president Mostafavi laid to rest

TEHRAN – Dariush Mostafavi, former president of the Iran Football Federation, was laid to rest on Sunday at Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran. He passed away on Friday night at the age of 81 in Tehran due to pancreatic cancer.
Young guns, big dreams: Iran’s risky Asia Cup journey

TEHRAN - The Iran national basketball team are set to compete for the 18th time in the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup, which will be held from Aug. 5 to August 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Historically, Iran rank as the third most successful team in the competition’s history, boasting three championship titles (2007, 2009, and 2013), one runners-up finish, and one bronze medal — trailing only China and the Philippines in Asia’s basketball hierarchy.
Iran come fourth in 2025 FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship

TEHRAN – Spain defeated Iran 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-21, 15-10) in the third-place match of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship on Sunday.

Culture

Art against erasure: witnessing Gaza’s unseen pain

TEHRAN- A mother—whether in Norway or Nigeria—switches off the television, refusing the unbearable sight: a grieving mother in Gaza holding her child, starved to death. The image pierces too deep, shattering fragile calm. In that moment, denial shields her heart; the world’s pain presses too close. Yet the silence carries its own weight—a quiet witness to sorrow too vast to hold.
Tehran cultural center to screen “Mothers' Instinct”

TEHRAN- “Mothers' Instinct”, a 2024 American film directed by Benoît Delhomme, will be reviewed at the Arasbaran Cultural Center in Tehran on Sunday evening.
Georgian theater festival honors Iran’s “Confusion”

TEHRAN- The Iranian theater group Amitis received an honorable mention for their production “Confusion” at International Festival of Regional Theaters in Poti, Georgia on Friday.

Economy

Tehran, Islamabad ink 12 co-op documents in various fields

TEHRAN- Iran and Pakistan signed 12 documents for cooperation in different areas, in Islamabad on Sunday, during the visit of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pakistan.
Iran, Iraq push to resolve gas export disputes, outstanding payments

TEHRAN - Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Saturday that Tehran and Baghdad are moving toward settling disputes over gas export volumes and unpaid dues, expressing optimism that both issues would soon be resolved.
SATBA ramps up solar drive with over 5,000 MW under construction

TEHRAN - Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) has launched the installation of over 5,000 megawatts of solar power capacity at more than 850 sites across the country, as part of its push to expand renewable energy and improve electricity efficiency, the head of the organization said on Saturday.

Society

Red crescent societies approve of IRCS call to address crisis in Gaza

TEHRAN – Red crescent societies of Russia, Norway, Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar have supported the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s call for taking immediate actions to help address the catastrophic human crisis in Gaza.
Iranian, Chinese universities ink MOU to expand scientific ties

TEHRAN – Tarbiat Modarres University and Shanghai University have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to broaden scientific interactions and international cooperation.
Tehran to host 1st Intl. Nanotechnology Olympiad for students

TEHRAN – The first International Nanotechnology Olympiad (INO 2025) for high-school students aged 16-19 will be held in Tehran.

Tourism

Gaza’s cultural heritage under threat: experts warn of systematic erasure of Palestinian memory

TEHRAN – The Gaza Strip, a land steeped in millennia of history, is facing what experts describe as an unprecedented assault on its cultural heritage, with archaeologists warning that the destruction of ancient sites, museums, and archives risks erasing Palestinian historical memory entirely.
Muharram mourning rituals to be performed at Chazabeh border during Arbaeen

TEHRAN—Deputy head of Khuzestan Cultural Heritage Department gave news of implementing the registered mourning rituals of Muharram in border city of Chazabeh in southwest of Iran.
Water shortage a threat to Isfahan's historical houses

TEHRAN--Isfahan, a magnificent city of thousand-year-old architecture, is today on the verge of a crisis that quietly and silently but destructively threatens the life of its historical body: land subsidence, a phenomenon that has become one of the most dangerous challenges facing the city due to the water crisis, excessive extraction of groundwater, and the collapse of the traditional irrigation system.

International

Witkoff’s Gaza visit: A ‘photo-op’ meant to whitewash US-Israeli ‘bloodbaths’

TEHRAN — The visit of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy to Gaza, framed as a humanitarian mission, appears to be a calculated effort to whitewash a humanitarian catastrophe widely seen as fueled by American support for Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave.
Will Morgan Ortagus return to Beirut?

BEIRUT—As Lebanon awaits the repercussions of the threat by US envoy Thomas Barrack, information has leaked suggesting the end of his mission in Lebanon amid the talk of the possible return of Morgan Ortagus.
Anti-Israeli protests in Syria

TEHRAN – Protests took place in several parts of Syria, denouncing the Israeli occupation regime and affirming the country’s unity.

Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan marks new era of cooperation and unity