Author: Ershad Alijani

Left: An Iranian dancer practises pole-dancing in a private underground venue. Right: Another Iranian woman performs aerial dance in a women-only gym. In a country where women are banned from riding motorbikes, singing or dancing in public and appearing in public without a hijab, both aerial and pole dance are acts of defiance and, for many, forms of resistance.

‘It’s feminist and it’s badass’: the Iranian women taking up pole dancing and aerial dance

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Hanging from a rope, a harness or a hoop, Iranian women are flocking to gyms to perform aerial dance and sharing videos of their routines on social media. Others are quietly practising another form of self-expression – pole-dancing – in underground venues hidden from Iran’s security forces. In a theocracy where women are banned from riding motorbikes, singing in public or appearing outside without a hijab, aerial dance and pole dancing are revolutionary acts. Nearly three years after the death of Mahsa Amini kicked off the “Woman Life Freedom” protests, women’s gyms across Iran are offering a new sport: aerial dancing, or “aerial” for short. The demand is so high that, as one coach puts it, “you can’t find a gym without an aerial class”. Aerial dance is a form of acrobatic performance that has gained popularity around the world since the 1970s. It involves dancers executing athletic and artistic movements while suspended in the air, hanging from an apparatus such as a rope, a hoop, or a horizontal bar. In order to avoid repression by Iran’s Islamic regime, promoters of aerial dance …

“From now on, we will shoot the thugs,” promised Iran's notorious police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan. Since then, state media have regularly shown videos of police officers arresting alleged “thugs” who have been shot, usually in one or both legs.

‘We will shoot the thugs’: Iranian police crack down on crime

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“From now on, we will shoot the thugs,” promised Iran’s notorious police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, in an interview with the media in April 2025. Since then, state media have regularly shown videos of police officers posing with alleged “thugs” they have arrested, saying they have been shot, usually in one or both legs. The Iranian police are responding to growing criticism of the increase in crime and violence, which some Iranian sociologists believe is due to poverty, trauma and daily stress caused by political unrest and mistrust of institutions. Images of violent attacks and robberies have become ubiquitous in Iran, with multiple videos recorded by CCTV cameras or mobile phones posted daily on social media.   Some of the attacks result in the victim’s death, such as an incident on February 12, when two thieves attacked a Tehran University student, stabbing him in the neck while stealing his backpack. The student, Amir Khaleghi, died in hospital. CCTV footage of the attack triggered several days of protests and strikes at Tehran University. Some days later, Tehran police claimed …

Elon Musk’s tweets: Investigating the billionaire’s anti-European rhetoric

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The FRANCE 24 Observers -including me- collaborated with France Info and Belgium’s RTBF to analyse the rhetoric of Elon Musk, one of Trump’s closest advisers. This two-part investigation, conducted by the Médias Francophones Publics, examines the X owner’s social media posts, documenting how the billionaire is propagating anti-Ukraine sentiment and posting tweets in support of the European far right.“I use my tweets to express myself,” Musk said in 2018. Seven years later, and three years after he bought Twitter, Musk uses his own platform, now known as X, to express himself more freely than ever. With his criticism of Europe and its institutions, attacks on Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky in recent months, Musk has become a vocal supporter of the US presidential camp’s line. Journalists from Belgium’s RTBF, the FRANCE 24 Observers, and France Info, collaborating under the umbrella of the French-speaking public media association MFP (Médias Francophones Publics), looked at the 15,485 posts published or shared by Musk between November 4, 2024, the day before Trump’s election, and April 4, 2025. This report …

Propaganda slip-up: Iran accidentally exposes sensitive missile data

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On May 4, 2025, Tehran announced it had tested a new ballistic missile system. Iranian state television swiftly began broadcasting propaganda videos showcasing the test. However, there was a minor oversight: one of the propaganda videos posted on social media inadvertently revealed on-screen data showing the missile’s drag coefficient, a sensitive piece of information that could make it easier for Iran’s enemies to block the missiles. The new ballistic missile, named “Qasem Basir”, is the latest addition to Tehran’s extensive family of ballistic missiles. It has a range of 1,300km, a lightweight carbon fibre body along with a 500kg warhead, and a camera to ensure precise targeting. Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defence minister, who appeared prominently in the propaganda footage, claimed that the new missile system was developed based on experiences gained during two recent Iranian missile attacks against Israel in April and October 2024. “No defence system, neither THAAD nor Patriot, is capable of intercepting Qasem Basir missiles,” Nasirzadeh asserted. In the version aired on television by state broadcasters, the image from the missile’s camera …

How Elon Musk boosts Europe’s far right on X

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To mark the 100th day of US President Donald Trump’s second term, the FRANCE 24 Observers collaborated with France Info and Belgium’s RTBF to analyse the rhetoric of Elon Musk, one of Trump’s closest advisers. This two-part investigation, conducted by the Médias Francophones Publics, examines the X owner’s social media posts, documenting how the billionaire is propagating anti-Ukraine sentiment and posting tweets in support of the European far right. I was lucky to be part of the team. If you are interested, you can find our investigation here: Elon Musk’s tweets (1/2): A conduit for pro-Russian anti-Ukraine rhetoric Elon Musk’s tweets (2/2): Raising the profile of Europe’s far right

Iranian female singers face arrests and police summons

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In Iran, at least seven women have recently been arrested or summoned for questioning by police. The Iranian regime does not allow women to sing in public. However, more and more Iranian women are defying the ban, particularly since the “Woman Life Freedom” movement began. In recent weeks, they have been the target of a crackdown. This report aired and was published first here at France 24.

Vanishing reservoirs, empty taps: how Iran’s water crisis became a national emergency

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In recent days, images of vast, dried-up reservoirs near Tehran have circulated on social media. These dams supply water to more than nine million people in the Iranian capital, and their depletion has sparked widespread concern. A combination of decades of drought, mismanagement, and crumbling infrastructure is driving Iran towards an unprecedented water crisis as the Middle East enters its warm season, experts warn. A video of the Amir Kabir Dam, 30 km northwest of Tehran, taken in August 2024 shows clear blue water reaching up into the hills. In a video from the same vantage point in March 2025, the water has disappeared, replaced by a cracked, desolate lake bed. Another video being widely shared by Iranians shows a group of motorcyclists driving on the muddy bed of the Latyan Dam reservoir, 15 km northeast of the capital. “You’d be shocked if you knew this was the bed of the Latyan reservoir,” the caption reads. Tehran is on the brink of running out of water. Authorities are preparing to introduce rationing, with daily supply …

“It will be our execution order”: US deportations leave asylum seekers in limbo

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An Iranian woman who was among 299 migrants deported by the United States to Panama has appealed to President Donald Trump for a reprieve so she can avoid being sent back to Iran. As a Christian convert, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, 27, could face execution or life in prison under Iran’s Sharia law if she is forced to return. UPDATE: On Thursday night, all the asylum seekers, including Artemis, were transferred to a camp in the jungle of Darién, near the Panama-Colombia border. Since then, we have lost contact with her. Speaking to me from the hotel in Panama City where the migrants are being held, Artemis Ghasemzadeh said: “Our first request is a reprieve from President Trump – just for our cases to be reviewed.” Ghasemzadeh said US officials had confiscated many of the deportees’ phones and that she was the only one talking to the media: “Everyone, really everyone, has asked me to say please do not deport us to our country of origin.” The Iranians were among the first group of 119 people flown to Panama on a US Army …

Macron-Modi Meeting: Debunking Viral Misleading Claims

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After the international AI summit in Paris, media outlets and social media accounts linked to the Russian government circulated a video claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron had snubbed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ignoring him and refusing to shake his hand. However, this claim is misleading. A longer version of the same footage shows that the two leaders had already met outside the venue and entered together. Additional photos and videos confirm that they had shaken hands beforehand. The claim first surfaced on 11 February on Sputnik, Russia’s state news agency, which is widely regarded as a mouthpiece for Russian government propaganda. The outlet Russian-langage service reported: “Macron defiantly ignored Indian PM Modi and did not shake his hand at the AI summit in Paris.”The allegation was accompanied by a video appearing to show Macron disregarding Modi’s extended hand. The French president was then seen greeting other world leaders at the closing ceremony of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris on February 11, including US Vice President JD Vance and European Commission President Ursula von der …