Tehran Times

2026-01-20 20:51
By Faramarz Kouhpayeh

10 lies Western media is telling you about the unrest in Iran

TEHRAN – January marked Iran’s most eventful month since the nation came under direct U.S.-Zionist strikes in June of 2025. What began as harmless, peaceful protests by business owners demanding economic reforms—the fundamental source of the Iranian people’s hardship being years of crippling Western sanctions—devolved into what can essentially be characterized as systemic urban terrorism.
- Mossad hunting for blood in Iran's protests
- Public tip-offs aid arrest of 3,000+ in terror network crackdown

By Xavier Villar

Why Washington misunderstands power in Iran

An analysis of US rhetorical interference and the structural realities of Iranian power

MADRID - U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion in an interview with Politico, stating that "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran", could be interpreted as just another provocation in his usual repertoire of international rhetoric.
By Soheila Zarfam

Stabbed, burned, beheaded, and then sanctioned

A look at the January bloodshed the West and Israel fueled in Iran, and how they hope to do it again

TEHRAN- Qassem’s colleagues at the police force had been searching for him for several agonizing hours. They lost sight of him on the night of January 8th, shortly after they were dispatched to quell potential violence erupting from demonstrations over economic grievances. Until that point, most of the protests across the country had remained peaceful and orderly.
By staff writer

Serbian president’s invocation of a modern Operation Ajax and the 1953 script

TEHRAN – In a recent televised interview, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic issued a stark contention that the current unrest in Iran is not a purely organic domestic movement, but a calculated repetition of 20th-century regime-change tactics.
Foreign-backed terror cells across Iran crushed: Intelligence Ministry

TEHRAN — In a series of high-precision operations, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has announced it has successfully dismantled several foreign-backed terrorist cells tasked with orchestrating “kill-and-blame” plots and conducting high-casualty attacks on security centers.
By Ranjan Solomon

The Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ is Humpty Dumpty diplomacy — assembled for spectacle, not restoration

GOA — The idea of constituting a “Board of Peace” for Gaza may sound benevolent, even urgent, to those watching the carnage from a distance.

Politics

Top Iranian officials hail defeat of foreign-backed sedition in joint statement

TEHRAN — The heads of Iran’s three branches of government issued a rare joint statement on Monday commending the nation for crushing a sophisticated “terrorist war” and pledging an unrelenting, synchronized effort to resolve the country’s economic challenges.
Iran security forces repelled a mob of 200 raiding Palestinian diplomatic residence: report

TEHRAN — A mob of approximately 200 rioters reportedly launched a coordinated assault on the residence of Palestinian Authority Ambassador Salam al-Zawawi on January 8 during the riots and terror attacks in some cities in Iran that day.
Recent riots the Iranian version of Lebanon pager attacks, says Qalibaf

TEHRAN – Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, declared that the unrest experienced in Iran on January 8th and 9th was a highly coordinated, ISIS-like terrorist war, directly instigated by the U.S. President.

Sports

Iranian mountaineer Gozali goes missing after winter Makalu summit

TEHRAN - An Iranian mountaineer, Abolfazl Gozali, who had conquered Makalu, has gone missing on the way back.
Iran aims for the next stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: official

TEHRAN – The Secretary General of the Iran Football Federation, Hedayat Mombeini, stated that all efforts are aimed at reaching a point for a successful World Cup appearance and advancing to the later rounds.
Iran unchanged in FIFA ranking

TEHRAN - Iran maintained their 20th position in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Monday.

Culture

Documentary on Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna wins at France’s Lumière Awards

TEHRAN – The documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” directed by Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi about life in Gaza during the Israeli military actions, won the Best Documentary award at France’s 31st Lumière Awards in Paris on Sunday.
Fajr Theater Festival’s My Iran section to spotlight national resistance

TEHRAN- A new section titled My Iran has been added to the 44th edition of the Fajr International Theater Festival, the secretary of the festival has announced.
“The Old English Baron” comes to Iranian bookstores

TEHRAN- A Persian translation of English novelist Clara Reeve’s book “The Old English Baron” has recently been published by Qoqnus Publications in Tehran.

Economy

Daily gas supply to power plants reaches 170m cubic meters

TEHRAN - The head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) announced the daily delivery of over 170 million cubic meters of gas to power plants in the past three days.
Customs clearance of essential goods hits new record high

TEHRAN - The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced that a new record has been reached for the clearance of various essential goods from the country's customs in the past 24 hours.
Car production reaches 643,000 units in 9 months

TEHRAN - An analysis of production statistics for Iran’s three major automakers in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-December 21, 2025) shows that car production has reached 643,86 units, a decrease of 56,293 units compared to the same period last year.

Society

Iran, China, UNAIDS celebrate success of pathfinder HIV project

TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran, the People’s Republic of China, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recently celebrated the successful completion of a pathfinder HIV project, designed to bridge the HIV testing gap in Iran’s national HIV response and generate alternative solutions to ensure a resilient national HIV testing programme in the years to come.
DOE to develop pest management plan

TEHRAN – Given the importance of protecting biodiversity and genetic resources, the Department of Environment (DOE) is planning to develop a pest management plan to combat plant pests and pathogens as the main threat to the country’s unique ecosystem, particularly forests.
Iran ranks 1st in cognitive sciences among Islamic nations

TEHRAN – According to Web of Science (WoS) data, over a five-year period (from 2021 to 2025), Iran (with 32 documents) ranks first in cognitive sciences among Islamic countries.

Tourism

Karaftoo cave requires special measures for potential UNESCO nomination, governor says

TEHRAN - Karaftoo cave in Kordestan province requires targeted measures to support a potential nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status, the governor of Divan-Darreh said on Tuesday.
Technology, public participation key to protecting historical sites, researcher explains

TEHRAN – Technology can play an effective role in the preservation of historical monuments through documentation, conservation and restoration, Iranian historical heritage researcher Hossein Alizadeh said in an interview published on Sunday.
Massive nabkhas added to national list

TEHRAN – Iran has added nabkhas located near the city of Kashan in central Isfahan province to its national list of natural heritage sites, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said on Tuesday.

International

The Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ is Humpty Dumpty diplomacy — assembled for spectacle, not restoration

GOA — The idea of constituting a “Board of Peace” for Gaza may sound benevolent, even urgent, to those watching the carnage from a distance.
Hezbollah’s rational sovereignty in the face of imperial subjugation

BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem's speech on Saturday, addressed to Israel’s and America’s tools in Lebanon under the striking declaration, “We are the most rational,” was not a rhetorical flourish, but rather a political indictment.
Syria’s shifting northeast: A new step on ground long shaped by foreign powers

TEHRAN — The main Kurdish fighting force in northeast Syria — commonly known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — has reached a centralization agreement with the government under Ahmed al-Sharaa, reflecting a shift in how several key areas in the northeast will be managed following recent developments on the ground.

An analysis of US rhetorical interference and the structural realities of Iranian power

A look at the January bloodshed the West and Israel fueled in Iran, and how they hope to do it again