Iran's government has declared a national holiday Wednesday and Thursday as the country smolders under ever-higher temperatures. The situation in the south is especially dire and compounded by pollution and sandstorms.

With its ban on alcohol, Iran is treading a path that the United States tried and later abandoned as a failure. Is it worth the cost?

Iran has resumed patrols by the so-called "morality police" to enforce its hijab law, which requires women to cover their hair and wear loose clothing in public.

A renowned Iranian filmmaker who's now based in France says it's very important for her to make films that tell the truth about her childhood and life inside Iran. Sepideh Farsi says she is able to give an independent view as to what happens in the country, unlike filmmakers who still live there. She spoke to us on Perspective about her latest film "La Sirène", or "The Siren". The animated feature tells the story of a teenage boy named Omid at the start of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, during the siege of the city of Abadan.

Food prices have almost doubled within a year, and increasing numbers of retired people are falling below the poverty line. Meanwhile, the government continues to invest heavily in the arms industry.

  Iran and Afghanistan are locked in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of water from the Helmand River. Clashes broke out recently along the border.

The Swiss embassy has sparked anger by decrying executions of Iranian protesters on Twitter. Tehran said the tweet also showed "a fake flag" of pre-revolutionary Iran.

Iran has been chosen to chair the UN Human Rights Council 2023 Social Forum despite the massive repression of its citizens. Iranian activists note unprecedented pressure on civil society.

Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan are on their way back to France after being released from an Iranian jail. Several other foreign nationals are still being held.

The two defendants were found guilty of conducting online activities insulting Islam. Executions in Iran have significantly increased since last year, with nationwide protests in the country.

The UN human rights commissioner has slammed the Iranian regime's 'abominable' record on capital punishment.

Iran's actions come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US over a nuclear program which have led to a series of attacks on shipping since 2019. The US called on Tehran to release the ship "immediately."