Buying Ecstasy Esfahan

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Buying Ecstasy Esfahan

Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. There is cultural support for opium in Iran, and also there is cultural tolerance for tobacco smoking, especially as water pipe smoking, in Iranian families. Alcohol, opium, and cannabis are the most frequently used illicit drugs, but there are new emerging problems with anabolic steroids, ecstasy, and stimulant substances, such as crystal methamphetamine. There is serious drug abuse problem among Iranian high school students. It could be due to role-modeling by parents — mainly fathers — and also cultural tolerance of some substances. Early onset of tobacco smoking, with a daily use rate between 4. Use of all types of drugs, except prescription drugs, is more prevalent among boys. Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance, with a lifetime rate of at least 9. Lifetime rates of opiate use — mostly opium — were between 1. As drug abuse is a frequent problem among Iranian high school students, it is necessary to design and implement drug prevention programs to protect them. Such programs, including life skills training and drug education, have been operating in recent years for Iranian students from kindergarten to the university level. There is a long history of opium use in Iran. Opium use as a recreational substance has been recorded for more than four centuries. One of the first scientific descriptions of opium use in Iran was written by Dr. Jacob Eduard Polak — , a Jewish Austrian physician who worked in Iran between and 1 among teachers of the first Iranian medical school. It is not forbidden and every Iranian who can afford its cost uses it daily. Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for initiation of drug use 2 , and younger age at first drug use significantly increases the likelihood of more serious drug problems 3. Iran has the highest rate of abuse of opiates in the world 6 , 7. In recent years, there has been increased use of heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and ecstasy. There is no direct standard survey for finding the prevalence of drug abuse in Iran. But there are surveys that help in estimating the drug use situation. The last nationwide survey of drug use in Iran, carried out in , was a rapid situational assessment RSA This study is based on interviews with drug abusers in treatment centers, the justice department system and prisons, as well as interviews with key informants. It is not a household survey and, therefore, interpretation of the data should consider their limitations. Unpublished data from this survey 8 showed that there are 1. Although traditional drugs of abuse in Iran are opium and cannabis, in recent years there has been more use of heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and ecstasy. In RSA , it is shown that The use of drugs by parents is a particular concern, as parental drug use is a risk factor for offspring Evidence has shown that family environment and mental health are inter-related in opiate addicts Spousal 13 and child abuse 14 are more frequent in drug abusers than the general population. Regarding age in this study, Main substances of use were opium all forms in Comparing these results with a previous RSA in , which found that the main substance was opium at This is the first time in the history of drug use in Iran that heroin use is more prevalent than opium use. Heroin is usually smoked, sniffed, or injected. In RSA , the usual way of drug use for Although the average Iranian drug-dependent person is likely to be married and employed, the average Iranian injection drug user is more likely to be unemployed and single or divorced RSA has shown that, compared with previous reports, there has been a decrease in cannabis use and an increase in crystal methamphetamine use as the main substance used among the total population of drug abusers. Crystal methamphetamine was the main substance in 3. In this article, we review published papers in international and domestic journals as well as existing unpublished data describing substance use by young people in Iran. There are four main studies on drug abuse in high school students in different parts of the country. Drug abuse in these studies is considered to be the use of any illicit substances, including alcohol, cannabis, opiates opium and heroin , ecstasy, and methamphetamine. Information about tobacco use is also included in these studies. In , Ziaaddini et al. This city is near the eastern border with Pakistan and Afghanistan and has a traditionally high rate of drug abuse. In this study Kerman Study , the rate for lifetime use of drugs in high school students was Also In another study, conducted in in Zanjan, a city in the northwest of the country Zanjan study , lifetime prevalence of drug abuse in high school students was The rate was significantly higher among boys than girls In this study, poor school performance, depression, and cigarette-smoking parents were associated with higher rates of drug abuse. Ahamdi and Hasani 21 in Shiraz — a large city located in the southern part of the country Shiraz study — have found rates of lifetime use and current use of drugs to be significantly higher among boys than among girls. In this study, pleasure seeking, modeling, and tension release were the most common reasons for drug use. In a study in Tabriz — another city in the northeast Tabriz study — among male high school students, There are two usual ways of using tobacco among Iranian adolescents: cigarette smoking and a water pipe. The latter has been a common practice for centuries, mostly in the Middle East, but its use appears to be widespread among high school students even in the United States 23 and European countries In the Zanjan study 20 , a history of water pipe tobacco smoking in high school students was twice that of cigarette smoking In Iran, like in most of the Middle Eastern and Islamic countries, there are traditional taboos and social behavioral limitations for girls. For example, in the Zanjan study 20 , lifetime history of cigarette smoking was more than three times higher for boys than for girls, but the sex difference for water pipe smoking was less see Table 1. It seems that smoking a water pipe is more tolerable in families compared with cigarettes, and its use does not bring the same degree of negative stigma for girls. One study in Lebanon has also shown a sex difference in cigarette smoking but not for water pipe smoking Smoking a water pipe is a socially acceptable practice for adolescents in Iran 20 , other Middle East countries 25 — 28 , and in western countries, even for athletes, who are traditionally considered at low risk for tobacco use 29 , and it appears acceptable for both boys and girls. Regular daily cigarette smoking was more prevalent than water pipe smoking The prevalence of daily smoking ranged from 4. There is also a study of middle school students grade 7 , with a mean age of 13 years, which shows 7. Although the purchasing of cigarettes is not allowed in Iran for people under the age of 18, clearly for many youth, the age of smoking onset is much younger. Age of smoking onset was Also there are studies that have shown an association between smoking and mental 35 and physical disorders In Iran, alcohol is considered an illicit drug and its use is banned for all age groups. Unfortunately this situation does not prevent its use among adolescents, and, in fact, alcohol is the most common illicit substance among Iranian high school students, especially among boys 20 — Two studies in Kerman have shown lifetime prevalences for alcohol between In RSA , in a cross-country study, the mean age of first alcohol use was In a study among high-risk grade 11students in Tehran, The rate of alcohol use was similar to the rate for tobacco smoking and much more than the rate for any other substance. In the Zanjan study, the lifetime history of alcohol use was 9. The rate was significantly lower in girls 3. In this study, 16 boys out of 6. Although alcohol consumption is illegal in Iran it is banned by Islam and unlike many other countries there is no alcohol advertising 39 to promote use by youth , it is customary to have alcohol at various parties and ceremonies. In the Kerman study, It seems that there is a tolerant atmosphere in these situations even for adolescents regarding alcohol use. In the Kerman study, among those students with lifetime experience of alcohol use, Whereas there is no comparative study between Muslims and other religious groups in Iran, some studies in Iran have shown that there is more tolerance for alcohol consumption among Christians than among Muslims Iran has a long border with Afghanistan, the biggest producer of opium in the world, and opium use has a centuries-old tradition in Iran Although there is negative stigma for heroin use, there is a traditional supporting culture for opium. In a household survey of people aged 15 and over, As Agahi and Spencer reported nearly three decades ago, the problem for Iranian adolescents is exposure to role models of drug abuse; such models are more likely to be an adult family member than an adolescent peer, a reversal of what is usually found in western countries Modeling is the second most common reason for drug use in the offspring of opium dependents Lifetime prevalence of opium and heroin use was 1. In this study, none of the high school students were current opiate users Ahmadi et al. In Kerman study, one fourth to one third of high school students who had lifetime experience of opiate use — opium or heroin — were daily users of it Although there is no cross-country study of youth drug use, it seems that the southeastern parts of the country, which border Pakistan and Afghanistan, show larger numbers of opioid users. In all studies, the rate of heroin use was far lower than the rate of opium use Table 2. Studies on the epidemiology of drug use in Iran show that all drugs are used more often by males than females 19 — 22 , The situation is the same for high school students. The Zanjan study reported that the lifetime prevalences of opium and heroin use in male students were 3. None of female students had a lifetime history of opium or heroin use. In the Kerman study, among high school students, lifetime history of opium use rates were The numbers for heroin use were 5. Cannabis is used in Iran in both the form of grass marijuana and hashish. Studies have reported lifetime history of cannabis use at 0. The Zanjan study showed a 2. The rate was 5. In the Kerman study, lifetime history of cannabis use was 8. Prevalence of daily cannabis use in this study was reported as 3. There is a lack of studies on methamphetamine or cocaine. Although the four most common substances used by high school students in Iran are tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and opium 19 — 22 , there have been some studies in recent years about other substances. Rates of lifetime and daily use of prescription sedatives mostly benzodiazepines were 2. In the Zanjan study, lifetime use rates for prescription narcotic drugs, including codeine and tramadol, were 9. Codeine is usually supplied and consumed as codeine-containing pain-killer tablets that mostly also contain acetaminophen. Both acetaminophen-codeine tablets and tramadol tablets are prescription drugs, but some pharmacies sell them without a prescription. Actually there are reports that acetaminophen-codeine tablets are one of the best selling drugs in Iran. Significant rates of use of prescription drugs by girls, who report very low rates of illicit drug use, suggest that prescription drug use is less stigmatized than illicit drug use. It is also an important concern that, like in other countries 47 , many users of these tablets are also abusing other substances. In the Zanjan study, the rate of lifetime and daily use of anabolic steroids was 6. Lifetime anabolic use was Shakeri et al. Sepehri et al. The prevalence of ecstasy use among 15—year-old people in Tehran was In another study on ecstasy use among high school students in Lahijan in the north of Iran, 2. The rate in boys 3. There is also one study that has shown that a large number of ecstasy users were high school or university students There are a large number of studies that have shown that various mental health disorders can be concordant with drug abuse problems. Zanganeh 53 stated that social isolation and lower socio-economic status can be associated with psychiatric disorders, including drug abuse. Emami et al. The frequency of such problems was higher in girls than in boys. Alcohol and drug use can be associated with high risk sexual behavior 55 and other risk-taking behaviors in Iranian adolescents 56 and can be a risk factor for HIV transmission. There is evidence that substance-using adolescents in Iran 19 and other countries 57 have greater psychological dysfunction. Childhood and family adverse events are also associated with more drug abuse problems in Iran and other countries 58 — Drug abuse is also reported in association with impulsivity 30 and delinquent antisocial behaviors in Iran 22 as well as other countries 61 — Adolescent drug use in Iran shows co-morbidity with mental disorders, especially depression and anxiety disorders. The Zanjan study, using the Beck depression inventory, found that Pathological anxiety was also more prevalent in high school students with a history of drug abuse, but it did not reach the significance threshold. Drug abuse also has been shown to be associated with academic problems There are very important drug problems among youth in Iran. As drug abuse and addiction are biopsychosocial problems, we should keep in mind relevant cultural factors and co-morbidities. It seems that parents and schools fail to play a significant role in primary prevention in Iran, and families in which the father is a drug user pose a very significant risk factor. Nearly half of drug-using university students in one study had been familiar with drugs since their adolescence Considering this fact and also the rule that earlier first drug use leads to more drug problems later in life, it is necessary to initiate preventive programs as early as possible. Adaptive motivational structure is important 67 , and it has been shown that behavioral control can help Iranian adolescents to resist drugs There are youth and family counseling programs in Iran that can be effective for behavior problems and, as DeJong et al. Although in Iran there are not yet comprehensive family-based or school-based drug prevention programs as in developed countries, some recent programs appear promising. Such programs include drug related life-skills training in kindergartens and primary schools, life skills training and drug education packages in high schools and universities, and parenting skills training programs promoting family bonding. Papers of particular interest, published within the annual period of review, have been highlighted as:. As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Curr Opin Psychiatry. Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Psychiatry. Find articles by Saeed Momtazi. Find articles by Richard A Rawson. PMC Copyright notice. The publisher's version of this article is available at Curr Opin Psychiatry. Cigarette Water pipe Girls Open in a new tab. Similar articles. Add to Collections. Create a new collection. Add to an existing collection. Choose a collection Unable to load your collection due to an error Please try again. Add Cancel. Ziaaddini et al. Mohammadpoorasl et al. Nakhaee et al. Momtazi et al.

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Buying Ecstasy Esfahan

For more than 30 years, the Islamic Republic has been obsessively battling against sex, but as with anything that is suppressed or banned, people have learned to sidestep the punitive regulations. An Iranian woman adjusts her headscarf in central Tehran. Photo: Getty. Like most girls in her neighbourhood in Tehran, Tahmineh is a virgin. In her world, virginity is still revered. Virginity is seen as a marker of decency, of good family stock and morals. In the narrow, twisting clutch of roads where Tahmineh lives, revealing your hair even to an uncle or a male cousin is not acceptable. Women live under constant risk of being branded loose for behaviour as anodyne as laughing too raucously or wearing the colour red. Tahmineh wears the all-encompassing, black chador because her parents insist on it, and because neighbours in her conservative community gossip about women who choose to wear the headscarf and manteau, the overcoat that is meant to keep curves concealed. But in Tehran, being a virgin does not mean that Tahmineh has not had sex. Tahmineh believes there are rising numbers of girls like her, who are from religious or traditional families but prepared to experiment sexually before marriage. For more than 30 years, the Islamic Republic has been obsessively battling against sex. It is preoccupied by how and with whom its people are having it. Lawmakers and scholars devote hours to discussing sex, condemning sex and sentencing people for having sex. Mullahs on television and radio philosophise and advise about it, sometimes in surprisingly lascivious detail. Government posters warn of the link between immodest dress and dubious morals; find-a-fatwa websites warn of the perils of self-love everything from psychological damage to wreaking havoc on the nervous system and offer cures to masturbators lots of prayer and fasting. As with anything that is suppressed or banned — such as alcohol, which flows through homes the length and breadth of the city — people have learned to sidestep the restrictions. And they are hungrier than ever for that which is not allowed. There is a sexual awakening in Tehran, and it is spreading beyond the rich, northern foothills of the city, where the more liberal and secular families live. Graphic photos are bluetoothed and texted across the city; internet chat rooms and social sites are full of hook-ups. Click here for the rest of this article. Cheap, widely available and used by students and housewives alike, crystal meth is taking the Iranian capital by storm. The author of a new book about the country reports on an addiction that even the repressive regime is struggling to control. Women at a crystal meth rehab centre on the western outskirts of Tehran. Photograph: Maryam Rahmanian. Ramita Navai. Business is good,' Bijan winks as he flashes his big, gap-toothed smile. Bijan is a cook and dealer of sheesheh — crystal meth — which has exploded on the Iranian drug market and, for the first time, overtaken heroin to become the country's second most popular drug opium still tops the list. Meth production in the country has been expanding at an astonishing rate. According to a study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Iranian government first reported manufacture of the drug just six years ago , when four production facilities were seized. By , though, Iran was the world's fourth highest importer of pseudoephedrine , the main precursor chemical used in the production of crystal meth. Research carried out by the Centre for Preventative Welfare shows that over half a million Tehranis between the ages of 15 and 45 have used it at least once. The country's drug problem is not new; Iran has one of the highest rates of addiction in the world and the interior minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, announced recently that some six million Iranians are affected by problems related to drug addiction. In Tehran, drugs are everywhere. At one popular spot north of the city, queues of cars pull up to be served under a motorway flyover. Dealers trade on a layby with lookouts and security dotted around them. The peak time is 2am and all are catered for. Cocaine has become a regular feature at parties among Tehran's richer residents; young people throughout the city smoke marijuana and pop ecstasy pills; opium — viewed as an older person's drug — is still widely considered to be culturally acceptable. In seedy corners of south Tehran, addicts gather to inject heroin, as they always have done. But when crystal meth hit the streets it managed to transcend social divides, and could be found everywhere in the city. In a graffiti-daubed side street in the centre of Tehran, a teenager with an emo haircut and a leather jacket pulled over a grey hoodie stands in a doorway, his pockets stuffed with small plastic bags of crystal meth. He has been caught countless times by the police but has always paid his way out of prison. Most of my customers are regular kids like me, students, or they've got office jobs. But rich kids use it too — I either deliver it to their houses, or they turn up in their flash cars,' he says. One of Peyvand's friends, who is also a regular customer, smokes sheesheh once every couple of days. It's much stronger than heroin, much more intense. And it's safer; there's no risk of overdosing. Sheesheh is just a great high. Peyvand says he sells crystal meth at his local gym to bodybuilders and athletes who use it to give them energy while they train, and to a growing number of young women who buy it to lose weight. A few miles north of where Peyvand deals, a queue of women sit on white plastic chairs in a beauty salon set up in a marble-clad apartment block. Drawn by the salon's reputation as a purveyor of the finest Hollywood bikini waxes, they flick through hairstyle magazines and a few outdated copies of Hello! There are housewives, students, a women with her black chador hanging open around her shoulders and a group in their mids with Botox-smooth foreheads clutching Louis Vuitton handbags. The place fizzes with gossip. A fortune-teller works her way up the line, dispensing advice with the flick of a card and extracting generous tips. Also a hit with some of these women are the under-the-counter methamphetamine pills. A couple of years ago, meth was widely available at beauty salons, until a member of parliament called for a clampdown. Even though many places stopped stocking it, demand is still high. It's not like smoking bags of it, which is bad for you. For me, it's like medicine, it's not for enjoyment. Bijan, who is from a family of gangsters, ditched selling more conventional drugs like heroin and opium in favour of crystal meth three years ago. And unlike heroin, you don't have to deal with Afghanistan and all the middle-men along the way, so there's less chance of being caught and fewer people to deal with,' he says. Crystal meth … slowly becoming taboo. Photograph: Alamy. He runs his operation out of a ragged, industrial town just outside the capital. It is a poor, forgotten place surrounded by factories. Here grocery stores still sell blocks of pungent black opium alongside staples such as milk and slabs of white ewe's cheese. Most of the residents are either unemployed or work as day labourers and in recent years it has become home to many paperless Afghan migrants. Even though this is not Bijan's patch — he only sells to dealers in Tehran — the changing face of drug use in the town is emblematic of what is happening in the rest of the country. Ironically, the rapid growth in sheesheh is partly due to the falsely held belief that it is less addictive than heroin. While the country's economy is flailing in the wake of stricter sanctions and the damage wreaked by the populist policies of the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that sent the Rial tumbling and the inflation rate soaring, the illegal drugs trade is booming. Iran has long been one of the busiest transit countries for drugs traffickers moving heroin from Afghanistan to the West and it has the highest rate of opium and heroin seizures in the world. Punishments for people caught are severe. There have been extensive public awareness campaigns, with adverts on the television and radio warning of the dangers of crystal meth. These appear to have had some impact, as unlike opium, sheesheh use is becoming increasingly taboo, especially in the more affluent parts of the city. The government, predictably, says it is stemming the surge in crystal meth production, with Fazli announcing the seizure of 3,kg of crystal meth last year and that meth labs had been discovered — more than double the number in They are definitely putting more resources into fighting it. But for every meth lab they destroy, another lot spring up,' says Bjijan. To keep one step ahead of the authorities, Bijan says he bribes police officers. In return for a small cut of his profits and 'hush' money, the policemen tip him off about raids and investigations that may involve him, and they promise to destroy any files on him, should they materialise. As long as you know a few powerful heavyweights, you'll be fine. It's one rule for the rich and one rule for everyone else. I'm lucky in that I've got money and I know people. That way, you stay out of the noose,' he says, dragging on a cigarette as he makes a hanging gesture with his free hand. In south Tehran there seems to be little indication that the crystal meth craze is abating. Outside a charity for sex workers, two women are slumped on the pavement, their faces scratched and covered in sores and their eyes sunken; the tell-tale signs of crystal meth addiction. One of the women cries as she explains that she is now hooked on sheesheh as well as heroin. Outreach workers here say that the area's most vulnerable and severe addicts have little access to services and are unaware of public campaigns; they complain bitterly that sanctions have halted funding for their rehabilitation programmes. Bijan does not live far from the community of sex workers who are struggling to feed their habits. He has no moral conscience about what he does and blames the selling and buying of drugs on being forced to live in a repressive country. But he prides himself on making pure, safe crystal meth and he is now considering expanding his operation to Malaysia and Thailand, where he says associates are making even more money — the average price of meth pills in Malaysia is at least five times that in Iran. And for those of us who sell it, well, there are no jobs, and if you're not from a rich family, you will never have opportunities in this country. At least making crystal meth has given me the chance to look after my family. Click here for the original article. They helped bring down the shah — and 30 years on they refuse to be cowed by Iran's Islamic regime. Fired at, beaten with clubs, bloodied and screaming — the shocking footage of protesters in Iran is not remarkable just for its brutality and sheer scale, but also because so many of the frontline victims are women. For those who have been following the complex and twisted world of Iranian politics, the massive presence of women comes as no surprise, as for several years women's groups have been the major voice of dissent and a thorn in the Islamic regime's side. Their rise began in the reformist era, when President Khatami loosened social strictures and gave more leeway to charities and non-governmental organisations, which had been heavily restricted. At the same time, the student movement began to crumble, its collapse triggered by the riots that ended in police and rightwing vigilantes storming Tehran University dormitories. With labour unions impotent and no real opposition, the women's movement began to gain momentum — especially after the election of President Ahmadinejad, who sought to roll back rights won under Khatami. Universities capped the number of female students, and Ahmadinejad proposed laws to ease restrictions on polygamy. He also changed the name and function of the government's 'Centre for Women's Participation', calling it the 'Centre for Women and Family Affairs', shred all research literature published under its previous incarnation, and halted funding to women's groups. It was then that the One Million Signature Campaign was conceived. What began as a grassroots movement to mark the anniversary of a violent police raid snowballed into one of the most formidable civil-society forces to hit the Islamic regime. The network of activists collecting signatures to petition for a revision of discriminatory laws has spread to over half Iran's provinces. The government has made concessions in a bid to pacify it — allowing women to register as presidential candidates for the first time although the Guardian Council barred all those who put their names down. However, peaceful sit-ins by women old and young, holding placards demanding equal divorce rights, have ended in bloody beatings by the police and the Basij militia. Scores of members have spent the last couple of years in and out of prison. They have become accustomed to violent raids, sporadic arrests and detention, interrogation and intimidation. The group formed a pre-election coalition with other women's organisations to back the reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi. He had promised to appoint women to high posts, break up the morality police and enact legal reform. But the coalition was forced to disband amid fears of a crackdown. While the unrest has been a spontaneous outpouring of rage and frustration, these established networks of women mean that people who would not usually play a role in politics have also taken to the streets. During the past week, many members have been seen with their old placards in hand. These bloody street scenes mirror the revolution when women played a crucial role in bringing down the monarchy. Paradoxically, it was one of the pillars of the revolution's socialist values — education of the masses — that created a wave of women more aware of their rights than ever. The revolution sowed the seed of its own problem: for many of these women, there is no turning back. Conservatives in Iran celebrated winning a near-landslide victory in parliamentary elections, gaining an expected 70 per cent majority in the seat assembly and retaining the control that they have held over parliament since The win does not, however, herald a triumph for the hardline President Ahmadinejad. The growing divide between the conservative factions means that the new parliament could cause trouble for the President. Martin Fletcher and Ramita Navai in Tehran. Suddenly he grows animated. He voted enthusiastically for Mr Ahmadinejad in because he had pledged to help the poor, he says. Now he feels so disillusioned that he will never vote again. His family is suffering, Mokhtar explains. Work is scarce. Food prices are soaring. He has no health insurance, cannot afford a car and may soon have to move somewhere even cheaper. Tomorrow Iran elects a new Majlis parliament and although the hardline President is not a candidate the results will be scrutinised to assess his chances of re-election next year. The reformists will contest barely half the seats. March 31, It is not yet clear who ordered the arrest of 15 British sailors in the Persian Gulf, or what their motives were. But Tehran has shown it does not fear raising the stakes in its war of nerves with the West, writes Ramita Navai. As Iran judders towards confrontation with the West, at a time when it is already embroiled in an escalating nuclear crisis, there seems to be confusion behind the scenes. On Thursday, Tehran withdrew an earlier offer to release leading seaman Faye Turney, the only woman of the 15 sailors and marines captured on a routine patrol in the Persian Gulf. And while Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki recently said, 'Iran welcomes any constructive suggestions to solve the issue bilaterally', he has also been quoted as saying Britain was 'trying to politicise and make propaganda out of the issue, and such behaviour is not acceptable'. August 9, Ramita Navai in Tehran. IRAN: Iran has resumed nuclear fuel work at a uranium conversion plant near the central city of Esfahan, putting it on a collision course with the West. The move is likely to result in Iran being hauled in front of the UN security council and face possible sanctions. The announcement came after UN inspectors finished installing surveillance equipment at the plant. The EU, represented by Britain, France and Germany, had already called an emergency meeting of the IAEA board for today, during which an ultimatum demanding a suspension of nuclear fuel work is expected. Click here for the rest of the article. August 4, Ramita Navai Tehran. Iran: Ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president yesterday, taking power as Iran edged closer to an international crisis over its nuclear ambitions. In his first address as president, the former mayor and revolutionary guard pledged to fight for justice and prosperity for Iranians and also called for an end to weapons of mass destruction. After officially appointing Mr Ahmadinejad president, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered a strong anti- western speech ordering the new government not to give up 'the rights of the nation'. It was welcomed with chants of 'Death to America! Death to Israel! Within hours of Mr Ahmadinejad's appointment, Tehran announced it would start work at a uranium conversion plant near the central city of Esfahan, defying yet another appeal from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran does not resume its nuclear activities until next week. IRAN: The apprehension is beginning to show. As news of the landslide victory of Iran's new president, ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over moderate cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani broke, Iran's fledgling stock market saw its shares plummet. It is not just investors and rich high society who are feeling nervous. The major players in world politics are also distinctly uneasy. Who can blame them? His revolutionary credentials are glowing. He trained Basij Islamic militia, was a member of the prestigious Special Forces unit of the Revolutionary Guard, where he was rumoured to have carried out covert operations in Iraq during the war, and he was part of the US embassy siege in June 27, Ramita Navai in Tehran. Iran: Iran's hardline president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not give up his country's nuclear programme, but will continue negotiations with European countries to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, he said yesterday. The Tehran mayor won a landslide victory in Friday's second round poll against former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. We shall carry on with it,' he said in his first press conference since winning the election. The diminutive politician, who coasted to an unexpected victory promising to redress social injustice and fight corruption, said he would not prioritise relations with the US. He is close to death after 56 days of a hunger strike. Mr Ganji was rushed from the Evin prison in Tehran to Milad Hospital last week as his health deteriorated. Massoumeh Shafiie, his wife, said doctors have tried to feed him intravenously but he has pulled out the feeding tubes. He was temporarily released in May for medical treatment, when he came to the end of a day hunger strike. Since returning to prison in June, he has resumed his hunger strike. His fiery language shows that he has not lost the revolutionary ardour that propelled him into politics as a young Basij Islamic militia volunteer who had fought in the Iran-Iraq war. It is also reminiscent of the rhetoric of Ayatollah Khomenei, the architect of the Islamic Revolution, and is likely to sound alarm bells in the West, afraid that his victory could signal a return to post-revolutionary fundamentalism. He closed several cultural centres, turning them into prayer houses, he shut down fast-food restaurants and he made city employees grow beards and wear long sleeves. Such measures angered the departing reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who eventually barred Mr Ahmadinejad from attending Cabinet meetings. He became mayor after winning the municipal elections when turnout plunged to just 12 per cent. His victory marked the beginning of a conservative resurgence and the decline of the reform movement, whose leader, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, he trounced by a spectacular margin in the presidential election on Friday. But despite his hardline stance, Mr Ahmadinejad is also seen as a populist man of the people. His supporters and those close to him say that he is a humble man with a modest lifestyle. His campaign film contrasted the glittering mansions of his predecessor with his own small suburban house in east Tehran, where he lives with his wife. Since President Bush's axis-of-evil speech in February , Washington hawks have been vocal about the issue of Iran, culminating in charges last week that American special forces are covertly operating in the country and Condoleezza Rice's public commitment to get tough on its nuclear programme, which the US says is a cover for developing the bomb. British Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw was dispatched to Washington, producing a substantial dossier arguing a peaceful solution led by Britain, France and Germany 'in the best interests of Iran and the international community'. Wafting out of chai houses from the slums of south Tehran to the glamorous restaurants nestled in the hills of north Tehran, the heady, rich aroma of the hubble bubble hangs like a cloud in the hot summer air. This is cafe culture Iranian style - soon to banned by hardline conservatives. Obligatory with a glass of black, bitter tea and a requisite way of ending a meal, smoking the hubble bubble, or the qalyoun as it is known in Iran, is serious business, entrenched in Iranian culture for centuries. Travel guide Lonely Planet advises its readers that smoking the pipe is 'the greatest act of cultural integration that a foreigner can make in Iran, short of converting to Shi'ite Islam'. A boycott by richer citizens contrasts with voting zeal in the hub of the revolution. POLLING stations across Iran were ordered to remain open yesterday to give voters three more hours to take part in parliamentary elections blighted by controversy after hundreds of reformist candidates were disqualified. The Interior Ministry demanded an extension to voting hours in an apparent effort to achieve a higher turnout among a disaffected electorate. Early indications suggested a reduced but respectable turnout of between 47 and 52 per cent, according to an Interior Ministry source. That compares with 67 per cent in when reformers swept two thirds of the parliament seats. Disillusioned students see little point in voting when reformist candidates are barred. SHAHRAM and his student friends used to meet every week after their lectures to discuss politics in their local coffee shop. By not standing, I am showing my support for them and showing that I reject all the things the council has said about them. THE international aid workers are a conspicuous sight as they traipse through the ruined city of Bam. Laden with sophisticated equipment, they are received with cries of joy wherever they go. Destitute survivors offer them their bread and water. Fifty aid teams from around the world have been to Bam. Most have now left, believing that their job is done. But grinding on in the background is the Iranian aid effort. It has been huge. Donation points throughout Iran bulge with food and gifts, and millions of dollars have flooded in — this from a country with an unemployment rate of more than 15 per cent. The Iranian Red Crescent Society, an immense legion of volunteers, doggedly labours away. With their discreet white bibs, they are omnipresent: mullahs in combat trousers, Basij militiamen, scout groups, students, doctors, teachers. Eight bakers from Mashad have set up a bakery to feed the hungry. As many as 9, volunteers have come to Bam. They shovel the ruins with the locals, distribute food and water, bury the dead and register the living. THE Stars and Stripes emblazoned on the top of a cream state-of-the-art tent has drawn a large crowd of Iranians. There is a buzz in the air. Two bright red trucks gleam beside the tent, not a splash of mud or dust on them. Tanned, brawny firefighters hurry about. They look slick. Their crisp, dark-blue combat trousers and fitted military-style jumpers are an incongruous sight amid the baggy fluorescent boiler suits. Everybody wants to talk to the boys in blue. They have enjoyed a rapturous welcome: no other aid team was given a singlered rose for each worker. The feeling is mutual. From Ramita Navai in Bam. Under it the survivors shiver with cold. The rescue phase of the aid effort is winding down. Up to 50, people are thought to have died since the earthquake on Friday devastated the 2,year-old city in Iran. Now the emphasis is on shelter. Bam is a city of the dispossessed. They keep giving us water, but all we want is a tent. Last night it was their chairs, tonight it will be their table and shelves. The cold weather is good for disease control, although now the main concern is not epidemics but hypothermia. Click here to read the rest of this article. Survivors drive their loved ones to the mass grave on the backseat of cars, tied on to roofracks, stacked on the back of pick-up trucks and packed into the boots of cars. From a distance, it looks like a vast construction site. But through the haze of a sandstorm, the apocalyptic scene unfolds — endless rows of trenches tightly crammed with thousands of corpses spill out into the barren desert. The smell of death clings to the air and sticks to the lungs: not even the strong desert wind can shift it. At least 22, people are believed to have died last Friday, in the worst earthquake in more than a decade, according to the Iranian Government. Some estimates put the casualties as high as 30, As helicopters buzz overhead, a forklift truck roars with age as it picks up bodies and kicks up dust. All around them men with shovels dig furiously at the earth, while mechanical diggers plough into the horizon. The desert is endless, but so is the incessant stream of new arrivals. A woman on her knees beats her head and wails, throwing dust in her face. As she claws at the mound of earth at her feet her remaining family members desperately try to drag her away, crying and pleading. Around her people are on their knees praying. Relatives cluster around the graves. They have been here for hours — most have no one and nothing to go back for. The Guardian Breaking bad in Tehran: how Iran got a taste for crystal meth Cheap, widely available and used by students and housewives alike, crystal meth is taking the Iranian capital by storm. View fullsize. Photograph: Alamy He runs his operation out of a ragged, industrial town just outside the capital. The Guardian A women's rebellion They helped bring down the shah — and 30 years on they refuse to be cowed by Iran's Islamic regime Ramita Navai The Guardian, Tuesday 23 June Fired at, beaten with clubs, bloodied and screaming — the shocking footage of protesters in Iran is not remarkable just for its brutality and sheer scale, but also because so many of the frontline victims are women. The Irish Times Who's calling the shots in Iran? But Tehran has shown it does not fear raising the stakes in its war of nerves with the West, writes Ramita Navai As Iran judders towards confrontation with the West, at a time when it is already embroiled in an escalating nuclear crisis, there seems to be confusion behind the scenes. The Irish Times Iran appoints new president as West fears future nuclear policy The Irish Times August 4, Ramita Navai Tehran Iran: Ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president yesterday, taking power as Iran edged closer to an international crisis over its nuclear ambitions. The Irish Times Nuclear plan to stay, says Iran's new president June 27, Ramita Navai in Tehran Iran: Iran's hardline president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not give up his country's nuclear programme, but will continue negotiations with European countries to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, he said yesterday. The Irish Times Bush policy aids Iranian hardliners IRAN: US pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme is reinforcing hardliners rather than encouraging reformers, Ramita Navai reports from Tehran January 26, Since President Bush's axis-of-evil speech in February , Washington hawks have been vocal about the issue of Iran, culminating in charges last week that American special forces are covertly operating in the country and Condoleezza Rice's public commitment to get tough on its nuclear programme, which the US says is a cover for developing the bomb. The Irish Times Banning of the hookah keeps social life under tight control Letter from Tehran Ramita Navai July 1, Wafting out of chai houses from the slums of south Tehran to the glamorous restaurants nestled in the hills of north Tehran, the heady, rich aroma of the hubble bubble hangs like a cloud in the hot summer air. The Times Iran election divides rich and poor By Ramita Navai February 21 A boycott by richer citizens contrasts with voting zeal in the hub of the revolution POLLING stations across Iran were ordered to remain open yesterday to give voters three more hours to take part in parliamentary elections blighted by controversy after hundreds of reformist candidates were disqualified. The Times Calls for Iran poll boycott grow Ramita Navai in Tehran February 20 Disillusioned students see little point in voting when reformist candidates are barred SHAHRAM and his student friends used to meet every week after their lectures to discuss politics in their local coffee shop.

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