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Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 6 November 2025Following the death of Omid Sarlak, a young man from Aligudarz, after a video was published showing him setting fire to Ali Khamenei’s image, a wave of anger and grief swept through the public. Reports said he was found hours later in his car with a gunshot wound. Local officials raised the possibility of suicide, but direct chants against the Islamic Republic’s leader were heard at his funeral, and new videos of people burning the leader’s image circulated widely. This event raises a central question: why do people burn a leader’s image, and what does this act signify?
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 4 November 2025A metaphorical portrait of Elaheh Boghrat, editor-in-chief of Kayhan London, and a symbol of the enduring Iranian spirit that will rise from its ashes after every defeat and devastation.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 2 November 2025An analysis of the regime’s ‘securitisation’ tactic and its efforts to equate the civil opposition with the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran. The article examines how the ‘terror cells’ narrative legitimises repression, sows fear and undermines civil organising, while warning of the danger of deliberately provoking violence.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 29 October 2025Generation Z moving towards Generation V: a depiction of generational transformation among those who will no longer accept oppression.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 23 October 20257 Aban has become a broad civic tradition, as Iranians at home and abroad invoke Cyrus the Great in speaking of national identity, the rule of law and human dignity. The article traces the Pahlavi-era celebration of Cyrus and the subsequent threats to and neglect of ancient heritage, alongside restrictions on public gatherings and the repression of those who commemorate the day.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 16 October 2025The Islamic Republic invokes love of country while speaking of trust-building and the return of Iranians abroad. This article examines the legal contradictions, coerced expressions of regret and political use of patriotic feeling behind those claims, and distinguishes love of Iran from loyalty to the state.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 14 October 2025A depiction of failures in water management and the damage done to the environment.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 11 October 2025On International Children’s Day, S. Rouzbeh examines the gap between Iran’s symbolic celebrations and the realities facing children, including poverty, child marriage, child labour, barriers to education and violence.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 6 October 2025S. Rouzbeh examines the Lion and Sun as a longstanding symbol of Iranian identity, its removal after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the ideological emblem that replaced it.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 5 October 2025A coloured-pencil drawing about reclaiming Iran.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 2 October 2025The article argues that corruption, mismanagement and public hardship at home pose a greater threat to the Islamic Republic than the return of international sanctions, warning that the domestic trigger could lead to social upheaval.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 29 September 2025Drawing on Marquez’s novel about Simón Bolívar’s final months, S. Rouzbeh compares the leader’s lonely decline with Ali Khamenei’s decades in a labyrinth of power, fear and repeated political retreats.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 25 September 2025‘Nuclear energy is our inalienable right’ — but at what cost?
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 23 September 2025More than seventy Iranian MPs have called for a revision of the country’s nuclear doctrine and for building and stockpiling an atomic bomb. The letter reflects political divisions at home and appears aimed at strengthening Tehran’s bargaining position, but it risks deepening Iran’s international isolation and increasing the danger of sanctions and conflict.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 20 September 2025On the Islamic Republic's conduct and the activation of the sanctions snapback mechanism.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 19 September 2025S. Rouzbeh reflects on the deaths of Jabbar and Saminé Baghcheban, their work in children’s literature and deaf education, and the marginalisation of Persian language and literature after the 1979 Revolution.
Visual works · S. Rouzbeh · 17 September 2025The Islamic Republic's double-dealing and deception in its dealings with Qatar.
Articles · S. Rouzbeh · 16 September 2025An account of civil disobedience as a non-violent means of challenging authoritarian rule and building democracy, drawing on historical examples and Prince Reza Pahlavi’s emphasis on strikes and organised non-cooperation.
