https://www.voanews.com/z/8556 VOA Persian content in English. https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/8556 en 2026 - VOA 60 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:22:22 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA In its annual Freedom on the Net 2026 report, U.S.-based nonprofit Freedom House gave Iran just 9 points out of 100, placing it alongside China and Myanmar among the world’s worst countries for internet freedom. https://www.voanews.com/a/mobile-internet-tariffs-in-iran-rise-by-40/8214639.html https://www.voanews.com/a/mobile-internet-tariffs-in-iran-rise-by-40/8214639.html Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:33:21 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Emtedad said Branch 2 initially sentenced Fallah to death on the charge of “destruction with the intent of confronting the Islamic government” for causing about $180 in damage to the door of the Rasht judiciary building. https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-based-news-site-says-supreme-court-upholds-death-sentence-for-political-prisoner-months-after-granting-him-reprieve/8214185.html https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-based-news-site-says-supreme-court-upholds-death-sentence-for-political-prisoner-months-after-granting-him-reprieve/8214185.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 16:44:58 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) The Israeli leader went on to describe the issue as “a matter of our very existence, because if this regime acquires nuclear bombs, we will no longer exist. If we do not overthrow this regime, it will destroy us,” he said. https://www.voanews.com/a/israeli-prime-minister-tells-mossad-idf-military-intelligence-to-overthrow-islamic-republic/8213353.html https://www.voanews.com/a/israeli-prime-minister-tells-mossad-idf-military-intelligence-to-overthrow-islamic-republic/8213353.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:25:24 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Iran's intelligence forces are continuing their crackdown on people who took part in the late December 2025 to January 2026 anti-regime protests.     https://www.voanews.com/a/iranian-security-forces-continue-crackdown-on-protestors-38-detained-in-qazvin/8212942.html https://www.voanews.com/a/iranian-security-forces-continue-crackdown-on-protestors-38-detained-in-qazvin/8212942.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:18:01 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) In many of its human rights reports on Iran, the U.S. State Department has cited the arrest and conviction of lawyers who defend political prisoners or support protesters as examples of the pressure exerted by the Islamic Republic on attorneys and human rights defenders. https://www.voanews.com/a/paris-city-hall-unveils-banner-honoring-iranian-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi/8211674.html https://www.voanews.com/a/paris-city-hall-unveils-banner-honoring-iranian-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi/8211674.html Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:04:05 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Popular Iranian fusion music band Pallett says it has cancelled a national tour because authorities in the Islamic republic barred its female musician from performing on stage. https://www.voanews.com/a/popular-iranian-band-cancels-national-tour-citing-islamist-ban-on-its-female-musician-performing-on-stage/8211279.html https://www.voanews.com/a/popular-iranian-band-cancels-national-tour-citing-islamist-ban-on-its-female-musician-performing-on-stage/8211279.html Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:17:17 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) An Iranian government spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed a slowdown of internet connectivity in the country, saying "certain government agencies are occasionally compelled to reduce internet connectivity speed." https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-government-spokesperson-confirms-internet-slowdown-in-the-country/8210846.html https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-government-spokesperson-confirms-internet-slowdown-in-the-country/8210846.html Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:32:30 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) In light of the free-fall of Iran's national currency, the regime's security crackdown on traders has intensified. https://www.voanews.com/a/irans-security-crackdown-on-currency-market-intensifies/8210531.html https://www.voanews.com/a/irans-security-crackdown-on-currency-market-intensifies/8210531.html Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:48:29 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Iranian regime agents have used OpenAI’s super intelligence tool to create fake articles criticizing the U.S. war against the terror regime and succeeded in getting them published in international news outlets, the U.S. tech company reported on Thursday, October 8.  https://www.voanews.com/a/open-ai-says-iranian-regime-used-chatgpt-to-create-fake-articles/8209826.html https://www.voanews.com/a/open-ai-says-iranian-regime-used-chatgpt-to-create-fake-articles/8209826.html Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:57:18 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) The U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran says the consequences of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic are not limited to the person executed, as families face pressure and punishment, as well as restrictions on mourning the dead. https://www.voanews.com/a/un-special-rapporteur-says-families-of-executed-protesters-in-iran-subject-to-regime-pressure/8208807.html https://www.voanews.com/a/un-special-rapporteur-says-families-of-executed-protesters-in-iran-subject-to-regime-pressure/8208807.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:11:20 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Bessent said the U.S. economic campaign against Iran is delivering results. He pointed to the free-fall of the value of the Iran's national currency, the rial, and the disruption in the transfer of crude oil over the past month. https://www.voanews.com/a/secretary-bessent-weighs-in-after-iran-oil-minister-resigns/8208782.html https://www.voanews.com/a/secretary-bessent-weighs-in-after-iran-oil-minister-resigns/8208782.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:50:34 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian) Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article. Human rights activists are warning about the deteriorating health an Iranian doctor jailed for his participation in the 2022 anti-government protests. Voice of Iran’s Detainees and Tavana reported on that Dr. Hamid Ghareh-Hassanlou, a physician and political prisoner held at Yazd Friday Central Prison, has been diagnosed by doctors with serious lung damage. The human rights groups say given his current... https://www.voanews.com/a/iranian-doctor-and-political-prisoner-ghareh-hassanlou-in-critical-condition/8207190.html https://www.voanews.com/a/iranian-doctor-and-political-prisoner-ghareh-hassanlou-in-critical-condition/8207190.html Sun, 04 Oct 2026 20:55:10 -0400 VOA Persianwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA Persian)