Following a bitter struggle during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tenure culminating in its closure, Iran’s House of Cinema reopened today in Tehran, with hundreds of jubilant cinema folks in attendance. The reopening was welcomed by many who see it as delivery on one of the many promises Hassan Rouhani made during his presidential election campaign. “Starting […]
Tag: Rohani
Iranian President To Meet With Putin, Xi
Iranian President Hassan Rohani is expected to hold separate talks September 12 in Bishkek with his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The talks come a day before a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said the presidents of SCO member states China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, […]
Rohani Says ‘Win-Win’ Deal Possible
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has said his country is ready to strike a deal with world powers over its nuclear program, but that time is limited. Rohani said Iran is “ready for the win-win game,” and suggested fresh talks could take place when he travels to New York later this month to address the […]
UN Special Rapporteur Hopes New President Will Allow Visits, Officials Reticent
Although the United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran remains hopeful that Iran’s new administration will take a different tactic from its predecessor and allow him to visit the country, last week’s statements by Iranian Judiciary and Foreign Ministry officials indicated that the refusal will likely continue. In an August 24 interview […]
Iranian Foreign Ministry To Lead Nuclear Talks
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has announced the Foreign Ministry will lead nuclear talks with world powers. The announcement was made on September 5 on the president’s website. No further details were provided, but the arrangement suggests Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will either lead future negotiations or appoint another ministry official. Zarif, a former […]
Rohani Wishes Jews A Happy New Year
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has wished all Jews, “especially Iranian Jews,” a happy Jewish new year, or Rosh Hashanah, in a message on his English-language Twitter feed late on September 4. Rohani came to office last month, replacing Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who was known for his anti-Semitic remarks and for describing the Holocaust as a “myth.” […]
Rohani To Address UN General Assembly
President Hassan Rohani is to address the yearly United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month on his first official trip to the United States. The semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying on September 4 that meetings are also planned for Rohani with U.S. media. Zarif […]
Should We Believe What We Hear?
It is the first time that an official of the Islamic republic of Iran has expressly used language that criticizes the earlier foreign policy of the country. At the ceremony introducing Mohammad Javad Zarif (Zarif in Persian means delicate) as the new foreign minister to the staff of the foreign ministry, president Hassan Rowhani […]
In A First, Top Iranian Government Official Admits To Being On Facebook
It was a small step for Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, but it could be a giant leap for Internet users in the Islamic republic, who have long fought against online censorship. The U.S.-educated Zarif acknowledged on August 14 that he and his family maintain a fan page on Facebook, the social-media site […]
Iran’s ‘Olive Branch’ Foreign Minister Nominee Makes His Case In Parliament
When Iran’s new president nominated Mohammad Javad Zarif, a U.S.-educated former United Nations diplomat, to be foreign minister, some observers described the move as a possible “olive branch” to the West. But within Iran, it appears that’s not necessarily a good thing. At an August 13 parliamentary hearing convened to consider President Hassan Rohani’s […]