Kayhan Valadbaygi

Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History

About the author

Kayhan Valadbaygi is a Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam and CEO of Middle East Risk & Reform Advisory.

Latest Posts

Putting all the blame on the Iranian president covers up tensions between competing factions in Tehran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signs the document of U.S. Memorandum of Understanding in Tehran, Iran, June 18, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL. NO ACCESS FOR ISRAELI MEDIA. NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. DIGITAL: NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

His father, Ali Khamenei, built the supreme leader’s office into an institution that does not depend on a single leader.

TOPSHOT - A woman holds a picture of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (R), next to his late father Ali Khamenei, during a rally in support of him at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026.

Two decades of economic changes have eroded the bazaar’s economic power and political sway in Tehran.

Shops are closed in a bazaar.

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