Reza H. Akbari
@rezahakbari.bsky.social
PhD Candidate AU History - Program Manager IWPR MENA - IMES at GWU Alumnus - Iranian-American - Suffering Buffalo Bills fan - [email protected]
Vahid Abedini, a respected academic & professor at the University of Oklahoma's Boren College of International Studies was arrested by ICE on Nov. 22 on his way to attend Middle East Studies Association's (@mesa1966.bsky.social) annual conference in Washington DC.
November 24, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Vahid Abedini, a respected academic & professor at the University of Oklahoma's Boren College of International Studies was arrested by ICE on Nov. 22 on his way to attend Middle East Studies Association's (@mesa1966.bsky.social) annual conference in Washington DC.
In the courtyard of the Ministry of Education, Reza Shah bids farewell to 110 Iranian students chosen to continue their education abroad. October 15, 1928.
Source: Rastakhiz Daily, Issue 279, April 4, 1976. #Iran
Source: Rastakhiz Daily, Issue 279, April 4, 1976. #Iran
November 14, 2025 at 7:34 PM
In the courtyard of the Ministry of Education, Reza Shah bids farewell to 110 Iranian students chosen to continue their education abroad. October 15, 1928.
Source: Rastakhiz Daily, Issue 279, April 4, 1976. #Iran
Source: Rastakhiz Daily, Issue 279, April 4, 1976. #Iran
The combined toll of war, famine, and widespread disease claimed at least one-fifth of the population. My own grandfather, pictured here in his 30s, lost his entire family as a result of #Iran's 1918-1920 influenza pandemic that followed the war and grew up as an orphan. 2/3
November 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
The combined toll of war, famine, and widespread disease claimed at least one-fifth of the population. My own grandfather, pictured here in his 30s, lost his entire family as a result of #Iran's 1918-1920 influenza pandemic that followed the war and grew up as an orphan. 2/3
Thread: Yesterday marked the anniversary of the end of the First World War in 1918. #Iran had become a major battleground where British, Russian, and Ottoman forces clashed. Foreign troops plundered towns & ravaged the countryside.
Pic: People in Bijar rushing for the entrails of a sheep. 1/3
Pic: People in Bijar rushing for the entrails of a sheep. 1/3
November 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Thread: Yesterday marked the anniversary of the end of the First World War in 1918. #Iran had become a major battleground where British, Russian, and Ottoman forces clashed. Foreign troops plundered towns & ravaged the countryside.
Pic: People in Bijar rushing for the entrails of a sheep. 1/3
Pic: People in Bijar rushing for the entrails of a sheep. 1/3
Homayoun Ershadi, a renowned Iranian actor, left us today. He was perhaps best known internationally for his debut role in Abbas Kiarostami’s 1997 Cannes Palme d’Or winning film Taste of Cherry. May he rest in peace. #Iran
November 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Homayoun Ershadi, a renowned Iranian actor, left us today. He was perhaps best known internationally for his debut role in Abbas Kiarostami’s 1997 Cannes Palme d’Or winning film Taste of Cherry. May he rest in peace. #Iran
One of my proud COVID-era creations. Qajar popsicle stick kings! A clever visual aid for teaching? A fun craft project? Bookmarks? Quarantine boredom? A sign that I was spiraling into madness? I am not sure either. #Iran #Qajar #QajarKings
October 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
One of my proud COVID-era creations. Qajar popsicle stick kings! A clever visual aid for teaching? A fun craft project? Bookmarks? Quarantine boredom? A sign that I was spiraling into madness? I am not sure either. #Iran #Qajar #QajarKings
Perils of relying on oral history: you spend hours finding the right source, track down an interview from 1986, spot the keywords, get your hopes up…only to find that one of the few people with first-hand knowledge was having a memory gap during the conversation. I am sure #historians can relate.
October 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Perils of relying on oral history: you spend hours finding the right source, track down an interview from 1986, spot the keywords, get your hopes up…only to find that one of the few people with first-hand knowledge was having a memory gap during the conversation. I am sure #historians can relate.
Happy Friday from the streets of Shiraz, #Iran.
Kokamz Band
Afif Abad Garden, Shiraz
📽️ Artaan: tinyurl.com/34unujw4
Kokamz Band
Afif Abad Garden, Shiraz
📽️ Artaan: tinyurl.com/34unujw4
October 24, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Happy Friday from the streets of Shiraz, #Iran.
Kokamz Band
Afif Abad Garden, Shiraz
📽️ Artaan: tinyurl.com/34unujw4
Kokamz Band
Afif Abad Garden, Shiraz
📽️ Artaan: tinyurl.com/34unujw4
For those keeping tabs, #Islamophobia is still alive and well in America!
October 21, 2025 at 8:52 PM
For those keeping tabs, #Islamophobia is still alive and well in America!
Cross-dressing in Iranian cinema is ripe for academic exploration in fields like queer studies, film, performance art, & cultural studies. From Akbar Abdi (and other men) playing women to Elnaz Shakerdoost playing a man, there’s a lot of gender-bending to challenge norms and censors. #Iran
October 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Cross-dressing in Iranian cinema is ripe for academic exploration in fields like queer studies, film, performance art, & cultural studies. From Akbar Abdi (and other men) playing women to Elnaz Shakerdoost playing a man, there’s a lot of gender-bending to challenge norms and censors. #Iran
To celebrate 63 years of diplomatic ties, the South Korean ambassador to Tehran sang the iconic Persian folk song "Jan-e Maryam." Who needs nuclear sanctions or nonproliferation summits when you can disarm Iran with...your...voice? #Iran
October 11, 2025 at 7:44 PM
To celebrate 63 years of diplomatic ties, the South Korean ambassador to Tehran sang the iconic Persian folk song "Jan-e Maryam." Who needs nuclear sanctions or nonproliferation summits when you can disarm Iran with...your...voice? #Iran
My latest on sanctions, fatigue, and politics of exhaustion in #Iran. open.substack.com/pub/guardedd...
October 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM
My latest on sanctions, fatigue, and politics of exhaustion in #Iran. open.substack.com/pub/guardedd...
For a limited time, I’m removing the paywall on these pieces. If you're interested, I invite you to read them and share your thoughts. As always, I welcome and appreciate your feedback. guardeddomains.substack.com/archive 3/7 #Iran
September 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
For a limited time, I’m removing the paywall on these pieces. If you're interested, I invite you to read them and share your thoughts. As always, I welcome and appreciate your feedback. guardeddomains.substack.com/archive 3/7 #Iran
For the first time in history, #Iran is crowned team champions of both Freestyle and Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championships. This is an awe-inspiring achievement. Huge congratulations to the team, the coaches, and the Iranian people across the globe!
September 20, 2025 at 3:32 PM
For the first time in history, #Iran is crowned team champions of both Freestyle and Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championships. This is an awe-inspiring achievement. Huge congratulations to the team, the coaches, and the Iranian people across the globe!
There is a lot more wagging in our lives these days and much less sleep. Say hello to Walnut (Gerdoo)!
September 16, 2025 at 7:34 PM
There is a lot more wagging in our lives these days and much less sleep. Say hello to Walnut (Gerdoo)!
A series of Iranian propaganda postcards based on one of the plots of the famous Persian epic Shahnameh (Book of Kings) in support of the Allied Powers during World War II. #Iran
August 8, 2025 at 6:40 PM
A series of Iranian propaganda postcards based on one of the plots of the famous Persian epic Shahnameh (Book of Kings) in support of the Allied Powers during World War II. #Iran
There may be some confusion about Netanyahu’s recent occupation plan since #Israel already occupies #Gaza. It essentially means taking complete military control over Gaza city, Deir al-Bala, Nusairat—the only last 3 areas Israel hasn’t fully wiped out and where most Gazans are sheltering. 1/2
August 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Today’s moment of zen…
August 6, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Today’s moment of zen…
It has been confirmed that the moderate conservative Ali Larijani will be the next head of #Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). I wrote about the role of SNSC for The Iran Primer if you'd like to learn more about the important body. iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2021/oc...
August 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
It has been confirmed that the moderate conservative Ali Larijani will be the next head of #Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). I wrote about the role of SNSC for The Iran Primer if you'd like to learn more about the important body. iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2021/oc...
Sha’ban Ja’fari better known by his street name "Brainless Sha’ban" (top left) and his gang shaving the head of a voter suspected of supporting pro-Mosaddeq candidates. Khandaniha Magazine, February 9, 1954. #Iran
August 1, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Sha’ban Ja’fari better known by his street name "Brainless Sha’ban" (top left) and his gang shaving the head of a voter suspected of supporting pro-Mosaddeq candidates. Khandaniha Magazine, February 9, 1954. #Iran