Want to send a dozen red roses to someone in Esfahan? See the latest scores from your favorite Iranian soccer team? Or maybe you'd just like to get your news about Iran straight from the source, unfiltered by Western correspondents?
If so, then check out the Web sites listed below, where you can get news and lifestyle notes straight from Iranian reporters, bloggers and analysts. If you have suggestions for other good sites on Iran, please submit links in the comments section. This is by no means a comprehensive list -- just a good starting point.
Unfortunately, some of the boldest, semi-independent papers in Tehran have been shut down or persecuted into self-censorship, so what's on offer from inside Iran is pretty much the official government line. There are also news services dedicated to sports and some sites that offer online shopping, such as the flower delivery company that promises it can get your bouquet "to any city in Iran within 24 hours." (Don't call me if the FBI rounds you up for suspicious credit-card transactions!)
The sites below don't offer much in the way of fashion or entertainment news; young, upwardly mobile Iranians tell me they'd much rather read Perez Hilton, anyway. They just have to use a "proxy unblocker" (at least that's what they called it) to circumvent the government bans on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, most opposition Web sites, celebrity gossip sites, almost anything related to Israel, many homegrown blogs, and so on.
How effective are the bans? Well, as of today, there were 6,634 members of the "Iran" network on Facebook. Two of the most recent posts are "Tehran 4 Life baby" and "Hello anyone from Shiraz?"
On the news front, the sites offer some fascinating reading. The topics are the same as you'll find in the West -- Iraq war, Iran nuclear program, Mideast conflict -- but the language and tone are starkly different.
I also like to see how Iran covers the West. Today, a photo and news story about the San Diego wildfires ran right below a nuclear negotiations update on the front page of Iran Newspaper, which is in Persian so I didn't link to it. (Incidentally, the fires burned down a castle belonging to the super-wealthy daughter of a former Iranian oil minister. She was unharmed, and even managed to escape with her prized Elvis memorabilia.)
Other notable headlines from one Iranian government news site today: "Israeli brutality shocks the world," "Iran designs Persepolis video game," "The U.S. is no angel of peace."
Without further ado, here are some Iranian official and independent English-language sites for you to peruse:
IRNA: Islamic Republic News Agency
(also available in Turkish, Arabic, Spanish and French, among other languages) http://www2.irna.com/en/
Iranian Students News Agency
http://www.isna.ir/Main/Default.aspx?Lang=E
Payvand Iran News
http://www.netnative.com/news/
Iran Daily
http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2973/html/index.htm
IranMania http://www.iranmania.com
PressTV, Iran's new 24-hour English-language TV station
THANK YOU!
Posted by: Laura | October 24, 2007 at 12:54 PM
You say:
"Or maybe you'd just like to get your news about Iran straight from the source, unfiltered by Western correspondents?"
And then:
"what's on offer from inside Iran is pretty much the official government line."
Think about that.
Posted by: m | October 25, 2007 at 09:56 AM