US, Iranian teams could return to Islamabad for peace talks this week, five sources say Pakistan was communicating with the two sides about the timing of the next round.

US, Iranian teams could return to Islamabad for peace talks this week, five sources say

Credit to @arashtehran.bsky.social who had this scoop, far in advance of any news outlet.

www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

U.S. begins naval blockade of Iran in Strait of Hormuz The U.S. has begun its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. MS NOW White House Reporter Laura Barrón-López, MS NOW Contributor Inzamam Rashid, former Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Rick...

The U.S. has begun its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Laura Barrón-López, Inzamam Rashid, @rickstengel.bsky.social and @arashtehran.bsky.social join @anacabrera.bsky.social with more updates and analysis on the war with Iran.
www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...

Reasons to Be Hopeful in Iran How a deal could change the country for the better.

Warum die Verhandlungen Erfolg haben können. Lesenswert von @arashtehran.bsky.social über die Rollen von Qalibaf und Vance und das Machtgefüge in Teheran.

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

“Hassan Asadi Zeydabadi, a human-rights lawyer & a former political prisoner, hopes the talks help curb anti-Western hostility. “Iranians want to live normal lives,” he said. “If the Islamic Republic continues its past international policies, we’d go back to conflict abroad and protests at home.””

I wrote about the coming Iranian-American talks in Pakistan, the role of Vance and Ghalibaf; and how the talks could change Iran.

Let me know what you think!

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

btw this is textbook power play by Vance; the one person in Trump's circle who cannot be fired 😎

@arashtehran.bsky.social on the other site reported that Vance's direct talks with Iran's speaker of parliament Ghalibaf today facilitated the ceasefire

👁️👁️ Non-monarchist Iranian diaspora gathers in London: interesting and informative free article. 👇

TONIGHT - Trump celebrates Easter by threatening to unleash "hell" on Iran. Plus, the Democrat who thinks he can flip Marjorie Taylor Greene's old seat blue, and the extremely cursed AI renderings of Trump's future presidential "library."

JOINING US - @MarkHertling, @mpolymer1.bsky.social, @rebeccafelliott.bsky.social, @anneapplebaum.bsky.social, @arashtehran.bsky.social, @maxboot.bsky.social, @pkrugman.bsky.social

The Iran Freedom Congress has the potential to be the most significant achievement of the Iranian opposition in the past 47 years of the Islamic Republic.

I recommend this read to anyone interested.

“But obstacles remain. As if to remind us of this, as the meeting wrapped up, Pahlavi supporters surrounded the building to protest the congress. Fearful of a violent confrontation, the London police escorted us out a back door.”

The Iranian Opposition’s Urgent Task A fractious movement is coming to recognize the need for common ground.

Last week I was in London to attend the launch of Iran Freedom Congress.

I wrote about it and about the broader tasks facing the Iranian opposition.

Let me know what you think!

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Should Rich New Yorkers Get Free Stuff, Too? Mamdani Says Yes.

Boy, what a terrible headline.

We *need* the wealthy to participate in public services. If only poor people ride the bus, then rich people won't wield their power in support of public transit or, worse, will wield their power *against* it.

Photo credit @cortado82

Tehran today. “Because Tehran lives on. Because Iran wasn’t born in a day”

Via fellow Tehrani @arashtehran.bsky.social

Sign letter on ‘The voice of Hind Rajab’ ban The full text is available here.

India has banned ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’, citing foreign relations with Israel. Diplomacy must not be a blank cheque for censorship.

Stand up for freedom of expression in Israel and India: join Israelis, Indians and allies against the ban. Sign and share: joshualoo.net/censorship

Thanks to @arashtehran.bsky.social, @yairwallach.bsky.social and @annaziel.bsky.social (apologies if I’ve missed anyone here) for signing.

This is a harrowing report on what life is like in Iran right now, from @arashtehran.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

From our webinar with @arashtehran.bsky.social : “If we want democratic transformation in Iran we need to have an organized democratic movement with a united leadership — so that we can use it to come to power.”

‘You Want to Leave Us Alone With Mojtaba?’ I’ve spoken with more than a dozen Iranians since the start of the war. Most are terrified, and some are losing faith in America.

'“I am shit-scared,” Shaghayeh, a 32-year-old living in Tehran, told me last week. “But I won’t cheer if the war ends now. You want to leave us alone with Mojtaba?”'
By @arashtehran.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

🚨 WATCH: Donald Trump criticises Keir Starmer's leadership style

"He told me 'I'm meeting with my team to make a determination'. I said, 'You don't need to meet with a team. You're the PM... Why do you need to meet with your team to find out whether or not to send some boats?"

Arash.aziziii@gmail.com

Reposting this 🧵 from X, which—despite its enshitification by Elon—is still the best social media hub for quality Iran War analysis.

Some of the scholars & analysts whom I’ve recommended here (see the final post here for those recommendations) are on this platform. But most aren’t/post there more.

You can find more limited commentary from some of them here. @glcarlstrom.bsky.social @ibishblog.bsky.social @kdiwan.bsky.social @arashtehran.bsky.social @valinasr.bsky.social @kristianulrichsen.bsky.social @drhahellyer.bsky.social @andreaskrieg.bsky.social @giorgiocafiero.bsky.social etc

JOINING US - @arashtehran.bsky.social, @edwardfishman.bsky.social, @wesjbryant.bsky.social, @janainelson.bsky.social, Ret. Major Gen. Randy Manner, @repwalkinshaw.bsky.social, @goangelo.bsky.social,

👇

Compromise with the West or Resistance? Marie Curie Fellow Arash Azizi Examines the Conflict and Crisis in Iran Dr Arash Azizi - writer, historian and expert on Iranian socio-political dynamics - helped us decipher what is happening in Tehran. Azizi will be arriving at Ca' Foscari in the coming months to&hellip...

ARTICLE | Compromise with the West or Resistance?

Marie Curie Fellow winner Arash Azizi @arashtehran.bsky.social writer, historian and expert on Iranian socio-political dynamics, examines what's happening in Tehran and what the consequences of this "point of no return"
www.unive.it/web/en/15205...

Brilliant from @qjurecic.bsky.social

Meet the Nepo-tollah Iran’s new supreme leader has little to recommend him and a lot to overcome.

Meet the Nepo-tollah

Iran’s new supreme leader has little to recommend him and a lot to overcome.
@arashtehran.bsky.social

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...