Iranian press review: Mamdani's New York victory stirs debate
Political figures use Mamdani’s win to question authorities
While Tehran has welcomed the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York and presented the rise of a Muslim Shia politician in the US as its own success, other voices online and outside political circles used the event to criticise the ruling system.
Hossein Derakhshan, a former political prisoner, compared Mamdani’s election to a hypothetical situation in Iran to highlight racism and sexism there.
He wrote on X: “When a young Sunni Afghan woman becomes mayor of Tehran, that will be like electing Mamdani.”
Some conservative figures also used the New York election results to point to the closed nature of Iran’s political structure. Ali Bahadori Jahromi, spokesman for the government of late former president Ebrahim Raisi, used the event to criticise the dominance of the same individuals in power for more than four decades.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
He wrote: “A person from the Millennial generation can become mayor of New York. How much do our politicians allow Iran’s Millennials to run the country?”
Some others mocked the outcome and US President Donald Trump’s threats to cut New York’s budget. Former member of parliament Ahmad Mazani was quoted as saying: “It’s as if Washington’s sanctions policy has expanded from abroad into the country itself. Isn’t it funny?”
Executions continue despite widespread criticism
Despite growing domestic and international anger over the rising number of executions in Iran, the trend shows no sign of slowing.
On 4 November, at least 12 people were executed in the cities of Yazd, Shiraz, Jiroft, Mashhad, and Sari. According to the Iran Human Rights Organisation, this number only reflects cases reported by groups opposing the death penalty.
Reports indicate that seven people, including one woman, were hanged in Yazd alone. Two were convicted of murder, while five others faced drug trafficking charges. Those executed in other cities faced similar accusations.
Since the beginning of this year, executions in Iran have sharply increased. Judicial authorities have reportedly carried out more than 1,100 executions so far.
Although most death sentences in Iran relate to drug and murder cases, the establishment also uses capital punishment to silence political opponents.
Last week, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a warning on the issue.
“If executions form part of a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population, as a matter of policy, then those responsible – including the judges who impose capital punishment – may be held accountable for crimes against humanity,” said Max du Plessis, an expert with the mission.
Security forces target humanities researchers
Security officials last week summoned or detained four researchers and professors working in the humanities.
On Monday, security agents arrested economist Parviz Sedaghat, sociologist Mahsa Asadollahnejad, and translator of sociological and political works, Shirin Karimi, at their homes. Reports say that during the arrests, agents also confiscated their electronic devices and books.
'These arrests show that the government is trying to silence further independent and critical academics'
- National Iranian American Council
Economic researcher Mohammad Maljoo was also summoned for questioning by security forces and has not been released since.
The Iranian Sociological Association expressed concern over these arrests and called for the release of the detained researchers.
In a statement, the association said: “At a time when Iranian society faces serious economic and social challenges, as well as external threats, news of the arrest or summoning of sociologists and social science researchers is deeply troubling for the country’s academic community.”
While critical researchers and academics in Iran have long faced pressure from security forces, this pressure has intensified since Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, as the government seeks to silence dissenting voices.
On Tuesday, the National Iranian American Council also commented on the arrests, writing: “These arrests show that the government is trying to silence further independent and critical academics, many of whom are known for their justice-oriented and leftist views.”
Low energy costs drive illegal crypto mining
Iran ranks as the world’s fourth largest country for cryptocurrency mining, according to a local media report, with nearly 13 million residents active in the market. Although this ranking has been disputed, most international sources list Iran among the top 10 countries for crypto mining.
The economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that rising digital currency prices and low electricity costs are the main reasons for the surge in unauthorised cryptocurrency mining. The paper noted that this has also worsened the country’s electricity shortages.
The daily quoted Akbar Hassan Baklo, an official at Iran’s National Electricity Company, who estimated that about 427,000 mining devices are currently active nationwide.
According to Baklo, miners use various methods to access subsidised electricity, including digging tunnels or burying mining devices to hide them.
He added that between March and September, authorities discovered and seized 80 unauthorised mining farms with 1,300 devices in Tehran and nearby cities.
*Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
