Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received a letter from the revolutionary figurehead Ayatollah Khamenei on Monday, urging him to unblock resources that fund gas supplies to isolated villages in Iran. This public disavowal could add to Ahmadinejad's worsening reputation concerning economic policy, which has already come under criticism from the largely dissatisfied population. While Iranians battle through a particularly harsh winter, rising gas and oil prices are a hotter topic of conversation than nuclear power. One of our Iran Observers, Reza Moini, explains why the conflict between the two Islamic leaders flared up this week. Read more...

‘Iranian Economic Growth' (20.01.08) by the Iranian cartoonist Nikahang, currently exiled in Canada. His blog.

Since being posted just over a year ago, this video has been viewed almost 200,000 times. The song is an altered version of an Iranian nursery rhyme that's usually sung as part of a popular children's game. Our young Observer, Delazad, has translated and sub-titled it. See the video...

This speech was delivered at a Nov. 11 gathering of Revolutionary Guards, or Pasdaran, as the dreaded security force is known across Iran. The meeting was in the Iranian capital of Tehran. We've simply added the sub-titles. At the end of the video, Ahmadinejad mentions his recent visit to New York, "where everyone knows me". See the video...