No Necklaces for Men in Iran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared necklaces for men as “un-Islamic.”

Iran’s “Daily Show”

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A new television show is changing the way many Iranians watch news. Some call it the Iranian version of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Its name in Persian is Parazit (Static) – a reference to what happens when the Iranian government blocks the satellite airwaves that illegally broadcast the program into Iranian homes. Mitra Taj reports on its rising popularity both in Iran and abroad. Download MP3
Parazit video in Persian

Ayatollah vs. Ahmadinejad

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Could conservative Iranian clerics help bring about the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Iran? It sounds unlikely. But some of the country’s top clerics believe President Ahmadinejad is bringing Islam into disrepute – and they want him out. In our latest ‘Best of the BBC’ selection we feature an e-mail interview with Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri (pictured), one of Iran’s most respected clerics and an outspoken critic of Ahmadinejad. Download MP3

• BBC Radio Four’s ‘Analysis’ program
• More ‘Best of the BBC’ on The World