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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG
The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.
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Exclusive videos: Iranian attacks on Kurdish opposition groups in Iran
On November 14 Iran carried out drone and missile attacks on Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq. MECRA co-director Jonathan Spyer...
MECRA
Nov 15, 20221 min read
Interview from Iran about the protests
Interview with 'R,' 33, from a religious family in Isfahan, participant in protests. - What do people think in religious cities such as...
MECRA
Sep 29, 20223 min read
Iran tensions September 2022 and onward
Our daily updates of Iran tensions in the region. IranThe daily updates are compiled by Seth J. Frantzman, Executive Director of MECRA....
MECRA
Sep 9, 202231 min read
Iranian TV Platform and Prisons Hacked by Opposition Group
On February 1, the regular programming of the Iranian state TV channel, Islamic Republic Broadcasting, was interrupted. The ‘Edaalate...
MECRA
Feb 7, 20224 min read
A closer look at BBC Persian's full interview with Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali
Translation by: MECRA. Introduction Qais al-Khazali, 47, is the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq organization - one of the Iraqi Shia...
MECRA
Jan 23, 202213 min read
Farmers’ Protest in Isfahan: Latest News and Background
By: MECRA Iran Correspondent. Large-scale protests by farmers in Iran’s Isfahan Province began on the morning of Friday, November 26th...
MECRA
Nov 28, 20215 min read
Iran’s Soft Power Campaign in Syria’s Deir al Zur Province: Advances and Limitations
By Omar Abu Layla When Islamists led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took power in Iran in 1979, their intention was to establish a...
MECRA
Oct 12, 20215 min read
Iran tensions July 2021 and onwards
IranThe daily updates are compiled by Seth J. Frantzman, Executive Director of MECRA. For the previous installment which covers March...
MECRA
Aug 18, 202130 min read
From a selection of Farsi-language Twitter feeds, commenting on the Khouzestan situation:
As part of our coverage of Iran we have assembled a list of recent and relevant social media accounts covering the recent protests and...
MECRA
Aug 4, 20212 min read
Protests over Water Shortages in Iran’s Khouzestan Province Intensify
The following article is from MECRA's correspondent who covers Iran. A new round of protests against the background of the water crisis...
MECRA
Aug 4, 20214 min read
Salafi attacks in Kordestan Province, Iran
By MECRA Iran correspondent Dozens of Salafis, (ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims), many with faces covered and riding motorbikes attacked...
MECRA
May 26, 20212 min read
Iran tensions in the Middle East March 2021
IranThe daily updates are compiled by Seth J. Frantzman, Executive Director of MECRA. For the previous installment which covers December...
MECRA
Mar 9, 202121 min read
Iran’s Cyber Campaign, and Coercive Recruitment Methods
Regime recruits hackers by coercion A number of Iranian IRGC-related computer hackers are currently on the FBI wanted list. Evidence is...
MECRA
Jan 16, 20217 min read
Severe, wide-reaching Israeli airstrikes against Iranian militias in Syria bear a message for Iran
By OMAR ABU LAYLA Summary: Israeli airstrikes on January 13 struck hard at Iranian militias outposts and Assad’s forces in Deir Ezzor....
MECRA
Jan 16, 20215 min read
Iran’s soft power project in Syria, targeting of youth in Deir Ezzor
By OMAR ABU LAYLA Introduction Since emerging as a regional power and embracing the notion of exporting the revolution adopted by the...
MECRA
Dec 30, 20207 min read
Profile of IRGC general and current Iranian presidential candidate Hossein Dehghan
Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, former defense minister, fourth commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Lebanon,...
MECRA
Dec 12, 20208 min read
US-Iran and Israel-Iran tensions December 2020 to March 2021
For the previous installment of our daily Iran-US tensions blog, click here. For the next installment click here. December 1 Brodsky: Al...
MECRA
Dec 5, 202017 min read
Iranian responses to assassination of Fakhrizadeh, the Father of Iranian nuclear bomb program
Father of Iranian Bomb, head of Iran’s nuclear weapon program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, assassinated November 27, 2020 in Absard, East of...
MECRA
Nov 30, 20205 min read
Rab’ Allah: A New Shia Militia Group in Iraq Threatens Americans
By HOGR TARKHANI Designating several Shia militia groups by the State Department as a terrorist group and killing Qasem Soleimani and...
MECRA
Nov 20, 20205 min read
Iran’s efforts at consolidation in Syria’s Deir Ezzor area
OMAR ABU LAYLA *The author is a Syrian expert who focuses on security and governance dynamics in northeast Syria. CEO @DeirEzzor24, which...
MECRA
Oct 16, 20208 min read
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