http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gawker.com.png http://gawker.com/tag/iran http://gawker.com/tag/iran

Ooh boy. Here's a quote that speaks volumes, from Reuters' article about Iran's morality police "cracking down" on the sale of Barbie dolls, which is forbidden. Stores have been instructed to sell Iran's specially-designed, ultra-demure Sara and Dara dolls instead, to the disgust of the superficial girl tykes of Tehran: More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5877198&view=rss&microfeed=true

Another Iranian nuclear scientist was killed today by a magnetic bomb attached to his car. Iran blames the U.S. and/or Israel, but couldn't this have just been an accident? Who hasn't had a magnetic bomb attached to the underside of their car at one time or another? More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5875130&view=rss&microfeed=true

More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5875035&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's hard to imagine that Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum were hoping to be days away from the Iowa caucuses and spending most of their time attacking Ron Paul, who just so happens to be crushing them all. But here they are, and boy howdy are they spitting hot fire at this crabby old doctor-paleolibertarian! Here are some highlights. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5871645&view=rss&microfeed=true

It took Iranian authorities mere hours to blockade "Virtual Embassy Tehran," an American attempt to restore influence in an Islamic republic with which it ended formal relations in 1979. Apparently Hillary Clinton's website was a "cybercrime" and a "spy plot." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5865956&view=rss&microfeed=true

Iranian students stormed the British embassy compound today, possibly taking hostages (who may have later been freed), and, in a brutal blow to the British psyche, stealing those two great symbols of the United Kingdom: a picture of the Queen, and a Pulp Fiction poster. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5863375&view=rss&microfeed=true

Earlier this week we learned that Iran and its pal Hezbollah had caught dozens of CIA spies who always met at a super-secret Pizza Hut in Beirut (using the super-secret code word "PIZZA" to communicate meeting times). Now an Iranian parliamentary leader says that 12 of the spies have been arrested and jailed in cells where they're fed nothing but bread sticks and water. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5862501&view=rss&microfeed=true

The CIA has basically lost its network of spies in Lebanon and suffered a major setback in its efforts to infiltrate Iran, all because it screwed up basic tradecraft—including communicating with spies on trackable cell phones and using the indecipherable code word "PIZZA" to denote planned meetings at a Beirut Pizza Hut. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5861484&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Iranian football federation has scrutinized controversial footage of Persepolis defender Mohammed Nosrati (below, left) squeezing teammate Sheis Rezaei's (right) firm buttocks following a goal during the Persian Gulf Cup, and ruled that the two players be fined $40,000 each and "banned indefinitely from all football activities for committing immoral acts." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5855487&view=rss&microfeed=true

You know how on Wednesday the the Obama administration accused Iran of planning the assassination of the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil, leading to a renewed call for sanctions against the country? Turns out that "hard evidence" of the Iranian government's involvement in the plot "is scant." But don't worry! U.S. officials have analyzed the situation and think it's "more than likely" that at least a couple important people knew about the conspiracy. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849381&view=rss&microfeed=true

If there's one guy in the world who knows something about populist protests, it's Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Today he said the Occupy Wall Street protests will bring American capitalism to its knees. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849051&view=rss&microfeed=true

In a scenario that sounds like a right-wing fever dream, the Justice Department today filed a criminal complaint against two Iranian men—one a member of the nations ultra-secret Quds force, another who has dual Iranian-American citizenship—of trying to hire a Mexican drug gang to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5848790&view=rss&microfeed=true

"A verdict has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr," the declaration went. "Sentence is a year in jail and 90 lashes." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5848146&view=rss&microfeed=true

Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, American travelers who spent two years of an eight-year sentence in Iran's notorious Evin prison for hiking near the wrong border at the wrong time, were back on U.S. soil on Sunday. The two men, both 29, emerged from their plane on the JFK tarmac at 11 a.m. surrounded by loved ones, including Sarah Shourd, the third hiker arrested with them (and Bauer's fiancee), who was released in September 2010. Bauer and Fattal later delivered statements at a press conference, but took no questions. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5843708&view=rss&microfeed=true

After sentencing them to eight years just last month, Iranian authorities have supposedly released Americans Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer from prison today. At least that's what "a U.S. official" told CNN, to which CNN texted back, "pix or GTFO." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5842423&view=rss&microfeed=true

Iranian short person Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Ann Curry today that Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal will be set free "in two days," after spending over two years in jail for illegally crossing into Iran and for "spying." [NBC] More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5839629&view=rss&microfeed=true

You know how you know you're probably a miserable, murderous, Middle East tyrant? When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls you up and says, "Bashie? Mahmoud here. Oh, good, good. Azam and the kids are terrific! Thanks for asking. Listen, Bash, I absolutely adore your work. You know that. Great stuff. There's no one who can brutally put down an uprising like you can. Oh, stop, you flatter me. That? That was barely an uprising! That was, like, two undergrads with a Tweeter machine and a little tear gas. No, but you. You're the man. You can't see this, but I'm high-fiving you right now! Ha ha ha! No, but listen hear me out for a second here. Maybe you should think about turning down the dial a bit on this whole 'mass-murdering of your own people' thing? What? No! Not too much! Never too much. But you know how the Westerners are. They're all 'barbaric' this, 'unarmed protesters mowed down with gunboats' that. Oh crap! I'm late for my two o'clock gay hanging. Can we pick this up tomorrow? You got it. Send my love to Asma. Saw the Vogue spread. Fabulous." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5838614&view=rss&microfeed=true

It was an old-fashioned gay lynching in Iran on Sunday morning, as the state executed six inmates by hanging at the Karound prison in Ahvaz, in the country's southwest region. According to Iran Human Rights, three of the six were sentenced to death for "'unlawful' acts and acts against Sharia," based on "the articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code." Articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code are the ones dealing with gay sex. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5837835&view=rss&microfeed=true

Without presenting any evidence whatsoever to back up their claim, Iranian authorities have sentenced American hikers Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer to five years in prison for spying for the United States. And you thought American justice was bad! More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5832845&view=rss&microfeed=true

Iranian government officials are loving the riots in Britain. In a flurry of statements over the last couple of days, lawmakers have attacked the police response and said they'd like to send human rights observers to London to keep an eye on events there. Iran's Majlis are even thinking about closing the British embassy in Tehran. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5829444&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Iranian government, which last year banned the mullet, calling it a "decadent western [hair]cut," is reportedly deploying some 70,000 literal fashion police to enforce the newest style Dos and Don'ts of the "moral security plan." For women, this means no more loose-fitting headscarves, tight jackets or exposed leg skin; for men, no necklaces and no shorts. (Also, no "glamorous hairstyles.") Last year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced his disapproval of the recent crackdown; earlier this year, the Iranian parliament attempted to ban dog ownership. [The Guardian; image via AP] More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5812011&view=rss&microfeed=true

Vertically-challenged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad either has some pretty bad luck when it comes to being near oddly-timed explosions, or someone doesn't like him. Last August, someone tossed a grenade set off celebratory fireworks next to Ahmadinejad's motorcade. And today, at the inauguration of an oil refinery, an explosion killed two people right before Ahmadinejad was to give a speech. State-run media says it's no big deal. And, it turns out, someone should have listened to the damn Germans: More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5804949&view=rss&microfeed=true

Why has Iran suffered through so many droughts over the last few years? Many people would say "weather patterns, or whatever." But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows the truth! "Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world," he said in a speech in the Iranian city of Arak. And not only that! "European countries are using special equipment to force clouds to dump" rain on their own countries. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5804295&view=rss&microfeed=true

An influential former supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, told the Iranian magazine Shoma that the president has been acting "unnaturally" due to a spell that was cast by his main adviser, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5802106&view=rss&microfeed=true

The "unprecedented" power struggle in Iran between its supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could lead to the latter's imminent resignation. Here's a great briefing on the dirty politics behind all of this, including yesterday's witchcraft arrests. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5799504&view=rss&microfeed=true

An ongoing fight between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has taken a turn for the weird, as several of the president's closest advisers have been arrested and charged with being "magicians" and invoking djinns, or spirits. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5799169&view=rss&microfeed=true

The mysterious Stuxnet worm may have kicked the crap out of Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor last August. Now, Iranian's commander of civil defense says they have discovered a new virus called "Stars." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5795411&view=rss&microfeed=true

Lawmakers in Iran have proposed a bill that would make it illegal to own dogs because they're filthy and gross, according to a new report in Time. A leading cleric in the past has publicly denounced "short-legged" and "holdable" canines, and, if the law passes, the government could soon begin confiscating dogs from their owners. But there's more to it than just trying to keep the country's streets clean: More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5793419&view=rss&microfeed=true

On tonight's Factor, brand new birther Donald Trump chatted with Bill O'Reilly about Iraq, Iran, Libya, and that dirty socialist Barack Obama. Trump's solution for the Middle East? 1) Stay there, 2) hoard the oil, 3) ???????, 4) profit! More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5787881&view=rss&microfeed=true

In the four years since its unveiling, the graffiti-inspired logo for the 2012 London Olympics has been accused of looking like many thing: The Waffen SS insignia, for instance, or Lisa Simpson giving head. And now, because why not, the Iranian Olympic committee has gotten into the game and accused the logo of spelling out "Zion." The organizers must be huge Bob Marley fans! Or, if you listen to the Iranians, it's a secret pro-Israel message. How surprising, that the Iranian government is making noise about something bizarre and tenuously related to Jews! We still think it looks more like the Lisa Simpson blowjob thing. [NYDN] More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5772927&view=rss&microfeed=true Two ships from the Iranian navy passed through the Suez Canal today en route to the Mediterranean. Quick — someone check John Bolton's blood pressure! More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5766915&view=rss&microfeed=true

After killing protesters in their sleep, Bahrain's ruling monarchy says demonstrators can stay in Pearl roundabout and they've offered to hold talks with all opposition members. Yemen is still going off, and Human Rights Watch says 84 people have been killed in Libya over the last three days. Here's a look at what's happening across the Middle East and North Africa. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5764978&view=rss&microfeed=true

Around 50 members of Iran's parliament today called for the execution of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi for being "corrupt on earth" — a charge that carries the death penalty — after the two men urged their supporters to protest in support of the revolution in Egypt. Tehran's police chief claims that "some police and security personnel were shot by [protesters] and nine security forces men and some other people were wounded in this incident." More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5760760&view=rss&microfeed=true

Whatever coalition remains from the defeated Iranian uprisings of 2009 hit the streets again today for demonstrations, hoping to build on momentum from the 2011 Tunisia-Egypt Wave of Freedom Everywhere. After all, the Iranian regime had been encouraging the demonstrations in Egypt; why shouldn't it allow such protests in its own streets? Because then the Iranian regime might get overthrown, duh. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5760311&view=rss&microfeed=true

Following the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, countries all across the Middle East and North Africa are seeing small but growing anti-government protests, proving that the status quo is no longer sustainable. Here's a quick look at what's happening today in the region: More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5759731&view=rss&microfeed=true

Iran's grandmaster of chess, 28-year-old Ehsan Ghaem Maghami, claims to have broken the Guinness world record for simultaneous games yesterday in Tehran, according to AFP. Maghami faced 614 opponents in just over 25 hours — winning 590, or 96 percent of the games. He also paced around the tables for a total of 34 miles. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5756765&view=rss&microfeed=true Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal go on trial tomorrow in Iran for spying and trespassing, but aren't allowed to see their lawyer beforehand. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5752805&view=rss&microfeed=true

Any single event that happens on Earth is, to former U.N. Ambassador and possible presidential candidate John Bolton, another reason to bomb Iran immediately. So what's his rationale for bombing Iran immediately in the case of, say, Egyptian protests? More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5748911&view=rss&microfeed=true

Two Iranians have been sentenced to death for running porn sites. One man was convicted of "designing and moderating adult content websites" and "insulting the sanctity of Islam." Hugh Hefner should send a squad of Playboy bunnies to rescue them. More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5747261&view=rss&microfeed=true

To stop the spread of Western culture, Iranian officials have banned the sale or production of any goods related to Valentine's Day, which has become increasingly popular with Iranian youth. Would it be possible to introduce a similar moratorium here? More »
]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5737057&view=rss&microfeed=true