Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 3hInside the Interior Ministry’s Election Headquarters during #Iran’s local elections on October 15, 1976. Voters chose members for 435 municipal councils, 162 city and town councils, and 238 regional education councils. Source: Rastakhiz Daily, October 16, 1976. 020
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 09/10/2026After the win, the players and staff took advantage of being in the Kingdom & traveled to Mecca to perform Umrah. Pictured, left to right: Nasrollah Abdollahi, Hassan Nazari, Nasser Hejazi, Mohammad Sadeghi, Iraj Danaeifard, & Esmaeil Haj Rahimipour. Source: Rastakhiz Daily, Jan. 10, 1977. #Iran 000
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 09/10/2026The #Iran national football team's 1977 pilgrimage to Mecca. During qualifying for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Team Melli traveled to Riyadh to face Saudi Arabia. Under head coach Heshmat Mohajerani, Iran won 3–0 on January 7, 1977. 121
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Also present were Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda; the presidents of the Senate & the National Consultative Assembly; the chairman of the National Iranian Oil Company; several ministers; the military chief of the Supreme Commander's Staff; & others. Source: Rastakhiz Daily, January 2, 1977. #Iran 020
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Mohammad Reza Pahlavi attends a mourning ceremony held by the Imperial Court at the Sepahsalar Mosque (Motahhari Mosque) to commemorate the month of Muharram and Imam Hussein's martyrdom. #Iran 120
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariAbu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 07/10/2026“to anyone watching the deployment of American power around the globe in the seven months since Mr. Trump decided to attack Iran, it was another glaring example of how..have been forced into retreat, pulling back military forces that had been deployed.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/u...nytimes.comFrom Iran to the U.K., Trump Is Being Forced Into Retreat (Gift Article)A war that was intended to demonstrate the reach of American power has now done the opposite. It is a lesson in unintended consequences. 11811
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 07/10/2026A scene from Bazarcheh Marvi, Tehran's historic market alley right across from the iconic Shams-ol-Emareh palace. October 4, 1976. #Iran 041
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Scathing criticism of Amnesty International from the Pahlavi state's official political party, Rastakhiz. The article accuses the organization of leading a Western-backed propaganda campaign meant to delegitimize Third World countries' efforts to defend their national independence: #Iran 000
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Iran's battle with imperialism, its desire for independence, ambition to be the guarantor of security in the Persian Gulf, and regional power projection did not begin today, and are not likely to end anytime soon. #Iran #IranWar Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1969: 030
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Reza Shah is seated on the Marble Throne at Golestan Palace, and a young Mohammad Reza Pahlavi can be seen standing to the left of the throne, wearing his crown-prince attire. Source: Rastakhiz Daily, April 25, 1976. 010
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The first Nowruz greeting ceremony in 1926. Reza Shah's first year as #Iran's king. The photo was taken only a few months after Reza Shah's reign began and one month before his coronation ceremony was held. 120
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The American warship USS Garcia docks at Abadan, #Iran. Its sailors tour the sights of Khuzestan, play a few sports matches against the Iranian Navy, and leave three days later. That's it. That's the whole story. Source: Ratsakhiz Daily, March 18, 1976. 270
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 23/09/2026The Color of Paradise. Majid Majidi. 1999. #Iran 120
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Worthy notes from #Iran. "An image that was once assumed widespread – that Iran is a nation kidnapped by our political establishment – is beginning to erode. In its place is another idea: that we're a nation at war w/ a hostile regional foe & its imperial backer." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comTrump still thinks Iranians will ‘rise up’ against the government. In Tehran I see a different story | Hossein HamdiehIf anything, the ongoing war is uniting a divided country against the foreign invaders. Washington seems a long way from grasping this point, says Hossein Hamdieh, a social researcher based in Tehran 022
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 03/09/2026The Sirik wedding tragedy will be etched into the collective memory of Iranians alongside the Minab school catastrophe. #Iran #IranWar www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/v...nytimes.comIn Small Iranian Town, a U.S. Attack Turns a Wedding Into a TragedyThe bomb that hit the residential area was American, according to a weapons expert and a visual analysis by The Times. It killed five people and wounded 67 others, the Iranian authorities said. 152
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 10/08/2026It was a privilege to attend the Association for Iranain Studies Conference in Utrecht. Meeting many new colleagues and catching up with old friends was a joy. 050
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 31/07/2026My interview with TRT World on Trump’s expletive-laden threats against #Iran and the heightened risk of regional escalation following Saudi Arabia’s overt entry into the war. youtu.be/REG3ZYCB5Gsyoutu.beTrump issues expletive-laden threat to Iran after Jordan attacksYouTube video by TRT World Now 000
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026May you rest in peace. Thank you for a lifetime of laughter. I hope your journey is gentle and full of light. 5/5 020
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Every role felt inhabited and unmistakably his. Whether making us laugh until we cried or revealing the quiet sadness beneath the humor, he possessed a rare gift. He could make every performance feel deeply human. 4/5 120
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026From the nostalgic coming-of-age series I'm Late for School Again to his iconic roles in Dariush Mehrjui's The Tenants, Ali Hatami's Delshodegan (Love-Stricken), Davood Mir-Bagheri's Snowman, Naser Taghvai's O Iran, and Reza Attaran's I Feel Sleepy. The list could go on and on. 3/5 120
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I grew up with his work. Like millions of Iranians, I laughed endlessly at his iconic comedic roles and was moved to tears by his performances in dramas like Ali Hatami's Mother. 2/5 120
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Devastated to hear the news of Akbar Abdi's passing. A legend. A king of comedy. A master of drama. A true actor. For nearly 50 years, he entertained an entire nation. 1/5 #Iran 150
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026As Fox News commentators and others like them debate which sites America should hit next, even salivating over civilian infrastructures like power plants as potential targets, millions across the country and the broader region are living in an anxious limbo, wondering what horrors may come next. 3/3 0136
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Maybe I was just naive, or my innate optimism created blind spots, but I did not imagine I would witness anything to this extent in my lifetime. 2/3 174
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I am going to leave this here to preserve this moment. Some horrors also need to be preserved. A dark, unsettling, and dispiriting moment for #Iran, the Middle East, and the United States. A disaster in the making. And yes, an even bigger disaster than it already has been. 1/3 179
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Dior's latest campaign was meant to be a tribute to timeless elegance. Iranians, however, immediately noticed something else: the latest vogue looked remarkably like what their dads, uncles, and teachers wore in the 1960s. The rest is meme history... #Iran 1114
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariReza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 13/07/2026ICYMI: In my latest, I translate the testimony of a Bushehr resident who remained in the city during the initial weeks of the #IranWar, walking its streets, talking to people, & bearing witness to the fear, humor, & resilience of everyday life under fire. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w...guardeddomains.substack.comWhen the War Came to BushehrPages from a War – Part 9 153
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 13/07/2026ICYMI: In my latest, I translate the testimony of a Bushehr resident who remained in the city during the initial weeks of the #IranWar, walking its streets, talking to people, & bearing witness to the fear, humor, & resilience of everyday life under fire. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w...guardeddomains.substack.comWhen the War Came to BushehrPages from a War – Part 9 153
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariReza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 12/07/2026What does it mean to “hold on to life” in the middle of a war? In Bushehr, it meant fleeing w/ a fishbowl or a pair of lovebirds. Saving 2 flowerpots from a shattered shop. Tightening bolts on a construction site while warplanes circled overhead. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w... 1/3 #Iranguardeddomains.substack.comWhen the War Came to BushehrPages from a War – Part 9 176
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariChris Osieck @chrisosieck.bsky.social · 12/07/2026“But what struck me was this: in the middle of all that chaos, what mattered to him were his flowerpots. The fact that in such conditions he was paying attention to his flowerpots. Those [things], those [moments], were signs of people clinging to life or clawing at it, refusing to let it go.” 061
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 12/07/2026With the latest round of strikes and clashes between #Iran and the United States unfolding along the Persian Gulf coastline, it may be more important than ever to look beyond the headlines and geopolitical calculations and see the war through the eyes of those most affected by it. 3/3 063
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 12/07/2026In my latest, I translate the testimony of a resident of Bushehr who remained in the city through weeks of bombardment, walking its streets, talking to people, and bearing witness to the fear, uncertainty, humor, and resilience of everyday life under fire. 2/3 #Iran 1125
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 12/07/2026What does it mean to “hold on to life” in the middle of a war? In Bushehr, it meant fleeing w/ a fishbowl or a pair of lovebirds. Saving 2 flowerpots from a shattered shop. Tightening bolts on a construction site while warplanes circled overhead. guardeddomains.substack.com/p/when-the-w... 1/3 #Iranguardeddomains.substack.comWhen the War Came to BushehrPages from a War – Part 9 176
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariDr. Rachel Schine @rachelschine.bsky.social · 10/07/2026underrated poast 0598
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 09/07/2026A U.S. official says #Iran has downed roughly 30 American Reaper drones since the war began. They cost around $30 million each, so that’s close to $1 billion in losses. abcnews.com/Politics/ira...abcnews.comIran has shot down 30 US Reaper drones, US official saysIran claimed to have shot one Reaper down during U.S. strikes on Tuesday. 41413
Reposted by Reza H. AkbariReza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 07/07/2026An ongoing thread of the most memorable movie shots from Iranian cinema: #IranianCinema #Iran 2152
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 08/07/2026The Glass Agency. Ebrahim Hatamikia. 1998. #Iran 100
Reza H. Akbari @rezahakbari.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Under the Skin of the City. Rakhshan Banietemad. 2001. #Iran 100