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S. Rouzbeh examines a government that, faced with political deadlock, resorts to naked violence and cuts off communications. The central argument is that extreme brutality signals not strength but the failure of political solutions.
Stories · S. Rouzbeh · 12 January 2026A police officer comes home from the protests carrying the smell of smoke. His daughter's questions force him to confront his orders and decide where he will stand the next day.
Iran’s 1405 military and security budget appears to prioritise regime survival and domestic control over national defence, with the army left behind despite its larger personnel strength. Questions remain about opaque budget figures, defence spending and the consequences of this political choice.
When does a political system move from governance to emergency survival? This article examines how, as the softer tools of persuasion, law and media fail, a government may turn to coercion, prioritising the preservation of its power over managing the country.
S. Rouzbeh examines how to turn discontent into collective action, resist the regime’s efforts to divide society, build unity around shared principles, and encourage members of the security forces and armed forces not to take part in repression.
Amid shattered windows and the smoke of an explosion, a frightened girl asks her father why people wage war, and whether life could ever be free of it.
The proposed National Migration Organisation would make marriage to an Iranian woman a route to residency for foreign men, while narrowing paths to identity and citizenship for their children. The article examines the legal and social consequences, with a focus on Qom, and asks who bears the cost of these policies.
This article outlines the legal and professional procedures for investigating deaths outside hospital, and asks how the cause of Khosrow Alikordi’s death was established before the investigation process was made clear.
In drought-stricken Khuzestan, Raha leaves a cracked plastic cup by her bed and waits for angels to fill it. Her hope lives alongside her parents' struggle to find safe water.
The import of Russian Spartak armoured vehicles, amid Iran’s economic crisis, raises questions about the government’s priorities and whether the vehicles are intended for border security, protecting security officials or suppressing domestic dissent.
Stories · S. Rouzbeh · 11 December 2025In drought-stricken Khuzestan, Raha leaves a cracked plastic cup by her bed and waits for angels to fill it. Her hope lives alongside her parents' struggle to find safe water.
How structural corruption, patronage and a politicised banking system in the Islamic Republic protect the powerful while protesters are imprisoned.
A mother and her five-year-old son encounter a public hanging. Afterwards, the family confronts the fear and nightmares that remain.
S. Rouzbeh reflects on 16 Azar, its history as Student Day and what it means for students today, amid political repression, economic hardship and pressure on universities.
S. Rouzbeh examines the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, from the successful coinages of its early years to the political identity, public mistrust and awkward, belated word-making associated with the institution today.
The absence of reliable technical reporting and full IAEA access after the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites raises questions about safety, casualties and the risks posed by uranium hexafluoride (UF6).
The appearance of two people in army uniforms carrying the Lion and Sun flag in a Tehran metro station raises a broader question: when a crisis comes, will Iran’s military and police stand with the people or the regime? The article examines ideological surveillance, internal purges and the pressures facing the forces.
The story of 74 bodies allegedly found in the Karaj Dam quickly disappeared from the headlines, but it exposed a deeper crisis of public trust. S. Rouzbeh argues that years of violence, unanswered questions and official denials have made people more likely to believe accounts of unexplained deaths, whether or not this particular story is true.