English

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-6 September 2025-No30 During a military parade in China, Iranian president Pezeshkian refused to shake hands with the wife of the Chinese president. He appeared accompanied by his daughter, shrouded in a chador. This man is a cardiologist. By the nature of his profession, touching or shaking hands with women should be routine. But Pezeshkian is trained in Islam, where in appearance he must avoid physical contact with unrelated women. We say ‘in …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-6  September 2025-No30 Reports and images emerging from various cities, especially Tehran, show that after the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement, young people are acting more freely in their clothing and leisure. If someone says, “See, even the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising could not topple the Islamic Republic,” we can answer with just one example of its profound impact: this movement has torn such a rift in the regime’s structure that no cement can …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, said at a launch event for his party’s plan for mass deportations of undocumented migrants: “Let me be clear. No young Iranian who arrives by boat should be walking freely on the streets of our country.” Once again, Reform UK under Farage’s leadership exploits xenophobic and fascistic rhetoric to pin Britain’s deep structural crises on refugees. By focusing on so-called “illegal” …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 In Kazeroon, protesters shouted: “Water, electricity, life—our legitimate rights.” The slogan flooded social media on Thursday, lifting many spirits. Not because these rights had been won, but because the chant carried a fresh breeze of hope from the south, one that revolutionary weather forecasts predict will spread nationwide. The people are not demanding merely that electricity return or dried rivers flow again, to restore the past. They are not asking …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 This slogan, chanted rhythmically at a rally three days ago in Shiraz, speaks volumes about the mood of Iranian society. The protest was against water and electricity shortages. In other countries, protests over such issues would stay limited to those grievances. In Iran, it is different. Demonstrations against blackouts, water shortages, inflation, pitiful wages, environmental destruction—each becomes a pretext for something larger: revolution. These immediate problems are urgent, but over …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 The spokesperson for the parliamentary National Security Commission, Ebrahim Rezaei, said regarding the possibility of another Israeli attack that nothing is certain, but the country must be prepared for war. He added: “No one should send a message of weakness abroad, because if the enemy thinks we are weak, it may attack us.” The crucial point here is not the claim that “we must be ready for war”, but the …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 Ahmad Alamolhoda, Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, said: “They want to turn Mashhad into a centre of entertainment and revenue, which is against the dignity of Imam Reza*.” He added that all cultural programmes in the city, including film and music, must be carried out with special approval and supervision. This billionaire cleric forgot to add that the lucrative one-hour temporary marriage centres** are surely in keeping with his Imam’s …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-30 August 2025-No29 On Tuesday 26 August, the Australian government announced the expulsion of Ahmad Sadeghi, Iran’s ambassador, along with three other regime diplomats—terrorists in all but name. Reports confirm that Islamic Republic operatives were directly involved in at least two terrorist attacks last year: the arson of a Jewish café in Sydney and an attack on a synagogue in Melbourne in December. Canberra also stated it would designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 Nineteen of August marks World Humanitarian Day. 2024 was the deadliest year ever, with 383 aid workers killed and the UN calling it ‘a shameful testament’ to the indifference of the international community, and warning that the toll of humanitarian workers killed this year is equally alarming. This news item refers to only one atrocity against humanity. More than eight billion people inhabit this beautiful planet, yet it is no …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-23 August 2025-No28 Mohammad Najafi, a lawyer and political prisoner in Evin, has sent a message to Khamenei declaring that only one path remains to save Iran: ‘Resign, or die.’ This message is a testament to Najafi’s courage and defiance – a free-minded lawyer who, even from behind the bars of the Islamic Republic, dares to confront its criminal leader. Such bold dissent from inside Iran’s prisons reflects the depth of discontent and …