The Free Iran Scholars Network

Pahlavi-Style is Lumpenism

Pahlavi-Style is Lumpenism: A Tool of the Mullah Regime for Destroying the Real Opposition and Denying Iran’s Democratic Future By: Iraj Abedini,

Mashhad 2025: How the Regime Manufactured a “Monarchist” Crowd to Sabotage a Memorial

FISN Staff, December 15, 2025 On 12 December 2025, a seventh‑day memorial ceremony in Mashhad for human‑rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi turned into

چهره‌ای ماندگار در دانشگاه و آزادی؛ دکتر محمدعلی شیخی

ایران (FISN) شبکه پژوهشگران آزاد ایران با اندوهی عمیق، درگذشت استاد برجسته، روشنفکر متعهد و مبارز دیرپای راه آزادی، دکتر محمدعلی شیخی

Scholarship, Conscience, Resistance: Honoring Dr. Mohammad Ali Sheikhi

See the Farsi verssion here. The Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN) mourns with deep sorrow the passing of the distinguished academic, committed

بحران آب در ایران

خليل خانی آب یک ماده ضروری برای ادامه حیات است که زندگی بدون آن ممكن نیست. این ماده اساسي به دو شکل:

The Mashhad Masquerade: The Regime’s False Choice Between Tyranny and Corrupt Ineptitude

Professor Kazem Kazerounian December 13, 2025 On December 12, 2025, the streets of Mashhad, the spiritual capital of the Islamic Republic, witnessed

A Tribute to Sixty Years of Silent Bravery

Professor Kazem Kazerounian, Translation of the Farsi version: فدا: هدیهٔ تاریخ به بقای انسانیت This is a tribute, simple, unadorned, and from

فدا: هدیهٔ تاریخ به بقای انسانیت

این نوشته ادای احترام است؛ کوتاه، بی‌پیرایه، از دل، برای هوادارانِ سازمانِ مجاهدینِ خلق سطرهای یاغی / سطر۷ / کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه،

نظرسنجی؛ از ابزار سنجش تا ابزار سلطه (تثبیت هژمونی اقتدارگرایی) در مرداد ۱۴۰۴، گزارشی با عنوان «ترجیحات سیاسی ایرانیان در سال ۱۴۰۳»

Diagnosing Authoritarianism: A Clinical Model Applied to Iran and the Role of the MEK and NCRI

Ashraf Zadshir, MD; Clinical Assistant Professor; Scholar and Researcher on HIV/Hepatitis; 2006 California Woman of the Year. 1. Introduction: The Clinical Method

Clerics Ruling and Disastrous Environmental Degradation in Iran

Khalil Khani As the panel of experts in the Atlantic Council explicitly emphasized: Iran’s environmental challenges have reached a crisis point. Severe

مانیفست نسل نو مجاهد: از بودن تا زایش معنا

دکتر عزیز فولادوند (آبان ۱۴۰۴/ نوامبر ۲۰۲۵) Dr. Aziz Fooladvand (Nov. 2025) نسل امروز در جست‌وجوی معنایی تازه از «بودن» است؛ نسلی

A Manufactured Persona: Reza Pahlavi’s Illusion of Leadership: A Critical Review of His Appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations

Kazem Kazerounian, Ph.D., ProfessorHossein Saiedian, Ph.D., Professor We are dedicated to fostering informed, rigorous dialogue on the future of Iran. We hope

خودسانسوری – سکوتی از جنسِ ملاحظه

سطرهای یاغی / سطر۶ / کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه، آمریکا نقدی بر من، آنگاه که از بیمِ داوری و شیطان‌سازی، کلامم را نرم

علم و سازمان برای تغییر خردمدار

علم و سازمان برای تغییر خردمدار فرهنگ رجایی‌،‌ فیزیکدان،‌ مرکز ملی پژوهش علمی فرانسه پیشگفتار از رنه دکارت فیلسوف فرانسوی تا به

Science and Organization for Rational Change

Farhang RadjaiPhysicist, French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) This article is base on the original version in Farsi. Preface From the

Iran’s Water Insecurity: How Policy and Politics Deepened the National Crisis

Ali Bagheri, Ph.D., Senior Research Engineer, Brussels, Belgium Abstract Iran faces one of the most severe water crises in the Middle East.

جنایت زیست محیطی دیگر، مرگ دریغ انگیز دریاچه ارومیه

دکتر خلیل خانی کارشناس محیط زیست و فعال حقوق بشر این روزها، خبر از مرگ کامل دریاچه ارومیه به گوش میرسد. درحالیکه،

از آتش گذر کرده‌ها

دکتر عزیز فولادوند مهر ۱۴۰۴ (سپتامبر ۲۰۲۵) تصاویری آشنا؛ چهره‌هایی روشن، خسته اما سرشار از نیرو۔ تبسم بر لب، آتش در دل۔

Nostalgia For Suppression: Reza Pahlavi’s Imperial Fantasies

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh* This article was originally published by EuraAsia Review on November 4, 2025 Reza Pahlavi’s latest political invention, the so-called “Imperial Guard,” rebranded as a

The Veil of Rebellion

Traslation of the original in Farsi. Professor Kazem Kazerounian They asked why she wore the headscarf; they never asked why she stood

حجابِ طغیان

سطرهای یاغی / سطر۵ / کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه، آمریکا Prof. Kazem Kazerounian گفتند چرا روسری دارد؛ نپرسیدند چرا ایستاده است۔ فروغ گفت:

غیبت به‌مثابه حضور۔ تحلیل روان‌شناختی و اگزیستانسیالیستی از عدم ظهور مسعود رجوی در انظار عمومی

روانشناس_ایرج_عابدینی Dr. Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden English Translation در پست‌های شبکه‌های اجتماعی و یا در جلسات زنده پرسشی از اینکه “چرا آقای مسعود

Absence as Presence: A Psychological and Existential Analysis of Massoud Rajavi’s Nonappearance in Public

Dr. Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden On social media and in live meetings, the question has often been raised: “Why has Mr. Massoud Rajavi,

The Snapback That May Finally Snap the Regime

Dr. Hossein Jahansouz, Biochemist and a Leading Scientist and Industry Executive in the United States for Over Three Decades When the

Gray: The Wound of Distance

Rebellious Lines / Line 4 / Kazem Kazerounian, University Professor, USA This is the English translation of the Farsi original A word

خاکستری: زخمِ فاصله

Kazem Kazerounian سطرهای یاغی / سطر۴ / کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه، آمریکا سخنی با آنان که قلبشان برای ایران می‌تپد، اما گام‌هایشان درنگ

Causes of Desertification in Iran

Khalil Khani, Ph.D.* Two major environmental hazards affecting the planet earth in the developing world including Iran in terms of nature and

چرا از مجاهدین و شورای ملی مقاومت حمایت می‌کنم

Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden ایرج عابدینی، روان‌شناس، سوئدمهر ۱۴۰۴ این نوشته در پاسخ به پرسشی است که بارها از من، به‌عنوان یک

The Night Has Been Long, But Dawn Approaches: The Season of Liberation in Iran

Hossein Jahansouz, Ph.D. The night in Iran has been long, stretching across decades, layered with fear, poverty, and sorrow. It is a

ایدئولوژی یا سیاست؟

سطرهای یاغی / سطر۳ / کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه، آمریکا می‌پرسند چرا مجاهدین با آن مرد «راست» حرف زدند، یا با آن

اعدام و بازماندگان: تجربه‌ای اگزیستنسیالیستی

دکتر عزیز فولادوند، جامعه‌شناس و پژوهشگر مطالعات اسلامی مهر ۱۴۰۴ ماشین سرکوب تیوکراسی حاکم مدام بی جان می‌ ستاند۔ سیاست اعدام به

Repression and Control: Iran’s War on Its Own Society

Dr. Hossein Jahansouz The Islamic Republic governs like a warden. It does not merely write rules. It turns streets, schools, factories, and

شیطان‌سازی: وقتی واژه انسان می‌کُشد

سطرهای یاغی | سطر۲| کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه ، آمریکا اینجا، سال‌هاست که گلوله و دار تنها نیستند؛ کلام هم قاتل است.

The Mirage of an “Unholy Solidarity”: Reza Pahlavi, María Corina Machado, and the Misreading of Democratic Struggle

By Dr. Sofey Saidi Scholar of International Relations & Latin American Politics When Venezuela’s opposition leader and recent Nobel laureate María Corina Machado

From Iran To Gaza, When Executions Become Governance

Jila Andalib, IT Specialist & Iran Political and Human Rights Analyst In Gaza, even after the signing of a peace accord, executions

Iran’s Water Crisis- A Factual Analysis of Recent Developments and the Role of the Iranian Regime

An FISN Research Report by Dr. Khalil Khani, Professor Emeritus, Tehran University August 21, 2025 Iran, a nation historically admired for its ingenious

Beyond the Forced Hejab: Iran’s War for Freedom

Kazem Kazerounian, Professor, University of Connecticut The old fear no longer rules Iran’s streets. In Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad, women walk unveiled.

فراتر از حجاب اجباری: نبرد ایران برای آزادی

سطرهای یاغی | سطر ۱ | کاظم کازرونیان، استاد دانشگاه، آمریکا دیگر آن ترس قدیمی در خیابان‌ها نیست. در تهران، اصفهان، مشهد…

Reza Pahlavi's AI-generated fake royalist base

Hossein Saiedian, Ph.D.,Kazem Kazerounian, Ph.D. The October 3, 2025, investigative report by the Israeli daily Haaretz revealed that Israel had indirectly funded

From 1982 to Today: Bearing Witness to Iran’s Women and the Resistance

Dr. Sofey Saidi (PhD International Relations), Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations Reflecting on “Women Often Martyrs in Fight Against Khomeini”

The Snapback Verdict: The Iranian Regime Sacrificed Diplomacy, Economic Recovery, and its People to Cling to Power

Hossein Saiedian, Ph.D., ProfessorThe University of Kansas Background: The JCPOA and the Road to Isolation The reactivation of United Nations sanctions on

Snapback Sanctions on Iran: A Turning Point Toward Democratic Change

Dr. Sofey Saidi (PhD International Relations), Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations Last week marked a watershed moment in international politics:

Pathways to A Free Iran: Academic Voices on Change and Accountability

On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN) held its first external panel, “Pathways to a Free Iran,” The

Sport Under the Shadow of Ideology: A Multidimensional Analysis of Youth Inclination Toward Sport in Iran

Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, SwedenBahram Mavadat*, Psychologist, Germany * Bahram Mavadat was the goalkeeper of the Iranian national football (soccer) team in the

Pathways to A Free Iran: Academic Voices on Change and Accountability

Join distinguished academics for an in-depth conversation on the future of Iran, exploring the role of a democratic alternative and the international

Execution in Iran: A Political-Psychological Tool, Consequences of Collective Trauma, and the Role of Resistance

Dr. Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden Introduction Execution, as the most severe form of criminal punishment, in Iran is not merely a judicial tool

FISN Analysis of Snapback and Iran’s Nuclear Crisis: Beyond War and Appeasement

Note: FISN research reports and papers may be used freely with proper referencing and credit to the authors and the Free Iran

Why Monarchy Cannot be Revived in Iran

By: Jila Andalib, IT Specialist & Iran Political and Human Rights Analyst Published in CT Examiner, Sep 1st, 2026 For communities here

Open Letter to Global Leaders and Parliament Speakers

FISN Editorial Board: This open letter, signed by former world leaders, ministers, ambassadors, international jurists, and lawmakers from across the globe, expresses

Expelling the Iranian Ambassador from Australia: Historical Lessons and International Relations Implications

Dr. Sofey Saidi (PhD International Relations), Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations Introduction The expulsion of Iran’s ambassador from Australia represents

Reza Pahlavi at USC Casden Institute: An Insult to the Iranian People

Press ReleaseFree Iran Scholars Network (FISN)September 1st, 2025 Contact: Info@FreeIranSN.com The Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN) strongly rejects the attempt to present

نهاد سلطنت: ساختاری غیرعقلانی و تحقیرکنندۀ شأن انسان

عزیز فولادوند، ژولای ۲۰۲۵ (تیر ۱۴۰۴) این مقاله به بررسی انتقادی سلطنت به مثابه نظامی سیاسی-اجتماعی می‌پردازد که بر مبنای وراثت، تبار

The Iranian Regime’s Cyber Army: AI, Propaganda, and the Struggle for Truth

Dr. Ela Zabihi, University Lecturer in London, UK 1 Introduction Disinformation has become one of the most pressing global security challenges of

Iran’s Water and Electricity Crisis: A Regime-Made Catastrophe with Far-Reaching Consequences

Dr. Ali Bagheri. Senior Research Engineer, Belgium Overview and Context Iran faces a severe water and electricity crisis. Power outages are no

The Betrayal of Truth: GAMAAN Polling Under Dictatorship in Iran

Professor Hossein Saiedian, The University of KansasProfessor Kazem Kazerounian, The University of Connecticut Abstract. This article examines the use of political polling

Echoes of the 1980s: A Warning From a Former Political Prisoner

Shirin Nariman is a former political prisoner in Iran during the 1980s and a former director at Freddie Mac. As a former

Testimony of Surviving Political Prisoners from “Black Saturday of Ghazal Hesar”

Note: Introduction is by the FISN editorial team. On July 26 and 27, 2025, Ghazal Hesar Prison in Iran became the scene

The Footsteps of Fascism in the Guise of Democracy: An Analysis of Reza Pahlavi’s Discourse and the Role of Genuine Secular-Democratic Forces

Dr. Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden Abstract. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s theory of modern totalitarianism, Freud and Jung’s concept of the father complex,

گزینهٔ سوم مریم رجوی برای ایران: همسویی با پارادایم‌های روابط بین‌الملل

دکتر صوفی سعیدی، روابط بین‌الملل، مدرسهٔ دیپلماسی و روابط بین‌الملل ژنو چکیده. خانم مریم رجوی، رئیس‌جمهور برگزیدهٔ شورای ملی مقاومت ایران، راهبردی

Maryam Rajavi’s “Third Option” for Iran: A Theoretical Alignment with International Relations Paradigms

Dr. Sofey Saidi, International Relations, Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations Abstract. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance

Steel Without Strength: Corruption and Decline in Iran’s Steel Industry

Dr. Hossein Jahansouz, Biochemist and a Leading Scientist and Industry Executive in the United States for Over Three Decades Abstract. Iran’s

The Political Theology of Kingship: From the Son of Ra to the Supreme Jurist

March 11, 2022 (Esfand 20, 1400) — Germany Dr. Aziz Fooladvand Sociologist and Scholar of Islamic Studies Translation from Farsi version: https://freeiransn.com/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%db%8c%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b3%db%8c%d8%a7%d8%b3%db%8c-%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%b7%d9%86%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%b2-%d9%be%d8%b3%d8%b1%d9%90-%d8%b1%d9%8e%d8%b9-%d8%aa%d8%a7-%d9%88%d9%84%db%8c-%d9%81%d9%82/

We buried them without a grave. Now more Iranians are disappearing

By Jila Andalib, IT Specialist & Iran Political and Human Rights Analyst Published in CT Mirror, August 7, 2025 Here in Connecticut,

New Article Exposes Authoritarian Blueprint Behind Reza Pahlavi’s Transition Plan for Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dr. Majid RafizadehEmail: dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu Or: Free Iran Scholars Network Email: Info@FreeIranSN.com Note: FISN research reports and papers may

برنامه رضا پهلوی — نقشه مسیر برای حاکمیت نئوفاشیستی

دکتر مجید رفیع‌زاده، دانش‌آموخته علوم سیاسی از هاروارد و دارای دکترای حکومت و امور بین‌الملل است اول اوت دو هزار و بیست

مشروع رضا بهلوي— خارطة طريق نحو استبداد جديد

يرجى مشاركتها مع شبكتك!بقلم الدكتور مجید رفیع زاده، أغسطس 2025 النُسخة الإنجليزية الدكتور مجید رفیع زاده هو عالم سياسي خریج من جامعة

La Piattaforma di Reza Pahlavi — Una Tabella di Marcia verso un Regime Neo-fascista

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh , Agosto 2025 La versione inglese Il Dr. Majid Rafizadeh è un politologo con formazione a Harvard e suo

Reza Pahlavi’s Platform — A Roadmap to Neo-fascist Rule

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, Harvard-educated political scientist and Advisory Boarrd Member of Harvard International Review, a International Relations Council publication. August 2025

Which Is Deadlier to Iran: Climate or Corruption?

An FISN Research Report by Dr. Khalil Khani, Professor Emeritus, Tehran University Dr. Khalil Khani is an Environmental Specialist and a Human Rights activist. He

Iran’s Hostage Statecraft

By Professor Matthew Tasooji, Ph.D., California State University San Marcos — Scholar of Economics, Management, and Iranian Political Affairs Abstract Since the

Night Doctors: Heroes of Iran’s Underground Resistance

Firouz Daneshgari, MD, MBA, FRCS, FPMRS During the 2023–2024 nationwide uprising in Iran, one of the movement’s most tragic and heroic figures

الهیات سیاسی سلطنت از پسرِ رَع تا ولی فقیه

دکتر عزیز فولادوند “بخواست اهورا مزدا من شاه هستم. اهورا مزدا، شاهی را به من عطا فرمود”. “اهورا مزدا این شاهی را

Fueling Failure: How the IRGC Hijacked Iran’s Energy Sector

By Hossain Jahansouz, Ph.D., Biochemist and a Leading Scientist and Industry Executive in the United States for Over Three Decades Abstract. Iran’s vast

A Homeland for Some: Refugees and Minorities in Iran’s Apartheid State

By Jila Andalib, IT Specialist & Iran Political and Human Rights Analys Published in Hartford Courant (7/28/2025) While global headlines fixate on Iran’s

Religion in Iran: Critics Don’t Get It, MEK Does

Credible global surveys by Pew and the World Values Survey show that Iranians, despite broad rejection of religious and fundementalist dictatorship, remain

From Rally to Ruin: Diversionary Conflict and Regime Survival in the Islamic Republic of Iran

An FISN Research Report by: By Professor Matthew Tasooji, Ph.D., California State University San Marcos — Scholar of Economics, Management, and Iranian Political Affairs

Tiered Internet in Iran: Class-Based Access and State Repression in the Digital Realm

Dr. Hossein Saiedian, Professor Computer Science, The University of Kansas Definition of Tiered Internet and Importance of the Issue “Tiered Internet” in

HIV: A Global Pandemic and the Critical Role of Resources With a Focus on Iran

An FISN Research Repor By: Ashraf Zadshir, MD; Clinical Assistant Professor; Scholar and Researcher on HIV/Hepatitis; 2006 California Woman of the Year. In

Massoud Rajavi’s July 22 (2025) Message: On the Ethics of Focus and the Discipline of Struggle

Dr. Kazem Kazerounian, Professor and Scholar of Iranian Politics July 23, 2025 Massoud Rajavi’s latest message, issued on the anniversary of the

Aquifers Depletion and Land Subsidence in Iran

An FISN Research Report by Dr. Khalil Khani, Professor Emeritus, Tehran University Groundwater is a major part of global water available to mankind, found underground

Youth Culture in Iran: A Generation on the Move

By Dr. Aziz Fooladvand, Sociologist and Scholar of Islamic Studies This is a translation of the original article in German. Iran’s younger generation is

Jugendkultur im Iran: Eine Generation im Aufbruch

Dr. Aziz Fooladvand. Soziologe und Islamwissenschaftler. Eine englische Übersetzung dieses Artikels wurde ebenfalls veröffentlicht. Die junge Generation im Iran befindet sich im

FISN Open Letter to the UN Secretary-General Honorable, António Guterres on Protecting Political Prisoners in Iran and Preventing a Repeat of the 1988 Massacre

We write on behalf of the Free Iran Scholars Network (FISN), a coalition of academics and researchers committed to human rights, secular