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Tehran Is Fighting Over Power. Iran’s Opposition Just Transferred It.

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  Ivan Sascha Sheehan Iran is facing two very different leadership stories. Inside the Islamic Republic, the question of who can lead the country, and whether the system can maintain cohesion around that leadership, has become increasingly difficult to answer. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly for roughly six months, leaving much of his political role to speculation. President Masoud Pezeshkian has meanwhile faced growing criticism from different factions as Iran confronts the consequences of war, economic collapse, and deepening social pressure. On September 6, as Iran’s ruling system struggled to project unity at the top, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) marked the start of its 62 nd year of founding by choosing a new secretary-general. The contrast is striking. According to the organization, Mahnaz Maimanat was elected through a three-stage internal voting process involving members in seven countries. She received 56 percent of the ...
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The Second Tanker War: Why the U.S. Is Targeting the IRGC's Floating Economy Instead of Iran's Cities

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  By: Reza Hoseani Introduction: From a City-Centered Doctrine to a Maritime Strategy The six-month war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has entered a phase that is strategically distinct from all previous conflicts in the Middle East. It is no longer a campaign focused on bombing cities and urban infrastructure, but a precise economic war at sea. In the largest wave of retaliatory actions since the war began, Tehran announced it had targeted ten vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after the United States sank five Iranian tankers. The development suggests Washington is deliberately avoiding strikes on urban areas to avoid alienating the Iranian public, and is instead targeting what is described as the IRGC’s economic lifeline: the shadow tanker fleet used to move billions of dollars in oil to circumvent sanctions.[1] Historical Context: A Different Kind of Tanker War This is not the first tanker war in the Gulf. During the 1984-1988 Tanker War, as part of t...
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Iran’s opposition elects its tenth female secretary-general

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  By EU Reporter Correspondent The election of Mahnaz Maimanat (pictured) to lead the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran highlights more than three decades of continuous female leadership within one of Iran’s principal organised opposition movements. An important development has taken place within the Iranian democratic opposition. On 6 September, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the principal organized component of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), elected Mahnaz Maimanat as its new Secretary-General, at the beginning of the organisation’s 62nd year. The election took place through three successive rounds involving PMOI members in seven countries — France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Albania. In the first round, Maimanat received 56% of the votes, ahead of Badri Pourtabbakh and Narges Azdanlou. The position is for a two-year term and may be renewed by the PMOI’s Central Council. Born in Tehran ...
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These two women are the most serious challenge to Ayatollah's brutal regime in Iran

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  By Paul Baldwin Women accused of adultery are routinely stoned to death in Iran. Neither domestic violence nor marital rape are crimes. Women face punishment for refusing to wear the veil, and they can be forced into marriage at the age of nine. Female court testimony carries only half the weight of a male’s, they are banned from many vocations, cannot ride motorcycles and the state dictates the way they must dress. Almost every credible human rights group agrees women in Iran are very much second-class citizens, and effectively the property of men. Which makes it all the more astonishing that the biggest and most serious challenge to both the mullahs’ religious dictatorship and the medieval-style male hegemony comes from two women. Dissident Iranians in the UK on Sunday helped voice support for 67-year-old woman Mahnaz Maimanat in her role in the fight against both the Ayatollah and his brutal attack dogs, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Maimanat joins Maryam Rajav...
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Why is Tehran so hostile to a woman leading its organized opposition?

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  Arranged by: Reza Hoseani Former PMOI Secretary General Zahra Merrikhi (left) raises the hand of newly elected Secretary General Mahnaz Maimanat (right) during the final voting session, Ashraf 3, September 6, 2026. On September 6, 2026, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) elected Mahnaz Maimanat as its new Secretary General. The PMOI selects its Secretary General through a three-stage election process, which involves progressively broader participation within the organization. In the first round, the members of the Central Council participate in the selection; in the second round, the heads and managers of the organization’s various sections vote. Both phases are conducted by secret ballot. The process concludes with a third and final round, in which all available members participate in an open vote by show of hands. The assembly to elect the new Secretary General was convened by Zohreh Akhyani, president of the PMOI Central Council. In the first round of votin...
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Why Iran’s Future Matters for Armenia and the South Caucasus

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  Shahrokh Tavakoli  Iran’s domestic crisis is no longer an issue confined within its borders. For Armenia and the wider South Caucasus, the question is not only what happens inside Iran, but what kind of country Iran may become and what that change could mean for its neighbors. Armenia’s geographic and economic links with Iran make this question particularly important. Iran is an important southern neighbor, a trading partner and an overland route connecting Armenia to the wider region. Prolonged political instability in Iran could therefore affect transportation, trade and economic security beyond Iran itself. The deeper problem, however, is domestic. Inflation, declining purchasing power, unemployment and widespread social dissatisfaction have developed alongside intensified arrests, severe sentences and executions. Instead of addressing the underlying causes of public discontent through structural reform, the authorities have increasingly relied on security measures and po...
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