News from Iran

Why I wore a headscarf in Iran

"The Daily Mail and the Spectator are appalled that I have compromised my feminist principles. I feel a full confession is in order," writes Lindsey Hilsum in this week's New Statesman.

"I cannot tell a lie, not least because those who watch Channel 4 News saw my infraction. I wore a headscarf, live on air, while reporting from Iran."

"Let me tell you about the dirty business of covering the news, as opposed to commenting from afar. First, the facts. Yes, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a law saying women must cover their heads, so if female correspondents refuse to do so, only men will report from Iran. Oh dear, it's already getting complex - you compromise one principle to defend another."

Read the full article here

See also: I predict Iranian cloned sheep

Who runs Iran?

Lindsey Hilsum: So who’s in charge round here? I wish it were so simple. Iran has the most arcane and complex system of government I have ever tried to decipher.

It works on any number of levels. Some bodies are elected and some are not. Some are conservative and some reformist. Those who are political enemies may be family friends or have business interests in common. Any foreigner who thinks they understand the power structure is  seriously deluded.

Two broad strands of political thought – reformist and conservative – run through everything. This means that Iran frequently has more than one policy on the same issue, because one seat of power may follow one line while another espouses a different, even opposing, view. 

'I’ve come here to defend Iran to my last drop of blood'

Lindsey Hilsum: To Ayatollah Khomeini’s shrine for a rally ahead of the IAEA meeting in Vienna tomorrow.

The shrine, just south of Tehran, is an enormous complex and building site. Blue domes and golden minarets emerge from scaffolding (see: Picture Gallery) and half constructed dormitories for pilgrims.

The ceremony begins with a revolutionary song and uniformed guards laying a wreath at Khomeini’s tomb. (10 minutes later the wreath has been whisked away.) A few thousand people have turned up, bussed in from different parts of Tehran.

Relentless inertia of Iranian bureaucracy

Lindsey Hilsum: We are sitting in the offices of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance waiting for our letters of permission.

These are crucial documents. If you're caught filming without them, then the Basij - volunteer police who operate outside the uniformed security forces - may arrest you. (In my experience, they may do so anyway, but with a letter you have some chance of talking them out of it.)