Islamic Republic - The Atlantic

Islamic Republic

Trump’s Fundamental Misunderstanding in Iran

Karim Sadjadpour

April 7, 2026

Illustration showing Trump, Iran imagery, and an optical illusion

Trump’s Stone Age Threat Will Lead to Tragedy

April 3, 2026

Someday in Tehran

a woman in a headscarf walks in front of a mural showing Ruhollah Khomeini and toward a group of women in black chadors

The Strategic Follies of the Islamic Republic

March 23, 2026

Photograph of a man holding up an Iranian flag atop the wreckage of a bombed building

Trump May Not Be Able to End This War

Pegah Banihashemi and Paul Poast

March 18, 2026

A color photo showing portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei displayed alongside Iranian flags at a rally.

One War, Two Mistakes

March 17, 2026

An explosion in Tehran

The Iranian Regime Doubles Down

Karim Sadjadpour

March 10, 2026

Collage of red and black maps of Iran with arrows and Mojtaba Khamenei's face

‘Our Resources Are Done’

March 1, 2026

A collage shows Ali Larijani and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on either side of a map of Iran.

Why Khamenei Is Dead

March 1, 2026

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei

Trump Has No Plan for the Iranian People

February 28, 2026

Iranians walking in downtown Tehran

The Epic Miscalculations of Trump and Khamenei

Karim Sadjadpour

February 28, 2026

A collage of two photographs of Donald Trump and Ali Khamanei oriented towards each other with hands raised.

The ‘Existential Anxiety’ of the Islamic Republic

February 20, 2026

At a political gathering in Iran, a woman holds up a phone showing photos of the reformist leaders Mohammad Khatami and Mirhossein Mousavi.

The Islamic Republic’s Predatory Contract With Its People

Karim Sadjadpour

January 27, 2026

A collage showing Iranians during an uprising and a photograph of a poster of Ayatollah Khomeini on the streets of Tehran

The Online World Where Iranians Were Free

Nahid Siamdoust

January 23, 2026

Photograph of a one green and one red handprint on a concrete wall above a bystander with a white-painted hand leaving a third imprint. The photo is surrounded by a thick black border.

What Iranians Want From Trump

January 20, 2026

Protesters in New York City carry Iranian royalist flags and placards.

Trump’s Fateful Choice in Iran

Karim Sadjadpour

January 16, 2026

A frame grab from footage circulating on social media showing protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire in Tehran, Iran

The Silence of the Left on Iran

January 16, 2026

People in shadow hold up three-colored flags in front of a stately building.

How Doubt Became a Weapon in Iran

Mahsa Alimardani

January 14, 2026

Heavily pixelated and distorted photograph of protestors surrounding a huge Iranian flag

The Islamic Republic Will Not Last

January 13, 2026

Black-and-white photograph of protesters in Iran gathering in the streets with a fire in the foreground

Is the Iranian Regime About to Collapse?

Karim Sadjadpour and Jack A. Goldstone

January 10, 2026

A photo of the protests in Iran

The Star Who Represents Iran’s Golden Age—And Its Future

December 10, 2025

A collage with two images of a young woman with dark hair.

The Battle Iranian Women Are Winning

November 7, 2025

Two young Iranian women walk together along a shore of the Chitgar Lake in the recreational Chitgar complex in northwestern Tehran, Iran, on September 11, 2025.

‘This War Is Not Helping Us’

June 16, 2025

Women raise their hands in protest in front of a burning dumpster during the 2022 demonstrations in Tehran

The Collapse of the Khamenei Doctrine

October 14, 2024

On a street in Tehran, anti-Israel banners cover the side of a high rise building.