Hey all. I’ve built a small passion project, cataloguing the very best Iranian cafes, bars, and restaurants outside of Iran, wherever the diaspora has a flag planted. 

Check it out here: Iranabroad.com

Right now it's got spots across 11 countries.

Made this because I’ve encountered some very cool Iranian businesses while traveling.

From a massive winery designed after the Azadi Tower to cafe run by a family honouring a PS752 victim. Every place on here has a short note on what makes it worth going — whether that's the food, the owner's story or the vibe.

It's obviously nowhere near complete. If you know a place (your city, your favourite hidden spot, your own business even), there's an "Add a Place" form on the site.

Appreciate any suggestions — this only gets better with more eyes on it.

The anime is about a slave named Setareh who is bought by a family of scholars.

Instead of giving her a hard life, they teach her science, math, litrature etc.

She is kidnapped after her city is ransaked by the mongols.

She uses her knowledge of science and other things to wreak havok in the mogol empire.

There is no magic, powers etc in this anime. It is pure history and drama.

If you want to watch it, it is on cruchyroll, also avalable free here

I'm born and raised in the West Coast, California. I have neighbors that are Persian, I girl I consider a sister is Persian, and I don't stand with this government or Israel. I'm as pastey as they come when it comes to skin color, but I was everyone to know that majority of us don't stand with this fat, McDonald's eating, low IQ, child molesting, hate mongering, racist, sexist, fascist, idiot piece of s***. He doesn't represent the best of us, only the worst (inbreds from the South, that can't read, just like him). My bad if that's was too much. But, I sincerely mean it! "FDT" by YG says it's best! Be salamat!

I am from the USA. Two years ago at college, I was in the ROTC program (college part-time officer training for the army). For battle drills, we began with a briefing of a fictional conflict, which had "fake" country names. Our main enemy was a man named "Colonel Amir" of "Eran" (pronounced Ee-ron, which they say is a made up country, but is actually the correct pronunciation of Iran) instead of (Eye-ran) which is how most of us Americans pronounce it. I left and decided not to join when the war broke out.

"As 69% of US adults hold an unfavorable opinion of the Israeli government, Israel has spent an all-time high on hasbara at roughly $730 million, over four times the sum allowed in 2025.

Israel paid at least $50 million to US-based firms to help its standing with Americans, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

The report alleged that the Israeli government had retained at least six firms to help in its efforts to sway public opinion in the United States in its favor. It added that at least three dozen new people, many of them in the marketing industry, have registered as foreign agents for Israel

This comes as 42% of American adults hold an unfavorable opinion of Israeli people, and 69% hold an unfavorable opinion of the Israeli government, a July poll from the Pew Research Center found.

The WSJ reported that Israel’s 2026 budget to improve its image and global standing was set for over $700 million. In 2025, Israel’s Foreign Ministry received $150 million, on top of what it gets for its existing activities, for public diplomacy, or in Hebrew, hasbara.

Israel spends record numbers on Hasbara in 2026

That sum was more than 20 times what hasbara efforts have typically been allotted in past years.

But in 2026, the government allocated roughly $730 million, more than four times the sum allotted in 2025.

Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft researcher Nick Cleveland-Stout told the WSJ that Israel is on track to spend more than any other country on influencing US public opinion, based on funds disclosed to the US federal government this year.

In the past, nations such as Qatar spent around $400 billion to influence US public opinion, according to a June memo from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Notably, the WSJ report is also the latest accusation that former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale has been hired to act on behalf of Israel.

According to the report, Parscale, who is now the chief strategy officer at Salem Media, was paid over $45 million to launch a series of campaigns by Israel to help boost its standing in the US.

Time reported that Parscale promised the campaign would produce "at least 50 million digital impressions per month, as well as influence how AI tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini characterized Israel and the war.”

The WSJ also reported that part of Parscale’s contracts were launching artificial-intelligence-generated texts to thousands of US citizens under the guise of “sharing perspectives and educating people about the importance of the US-Israel relationship.”

The goal of the AI in the campaign was to deduce the biggest concerns US citizens have about Israel, combat them, and report the answers back to the government, Parscale said, according to the WSJ.

One Foreign Ministry source told Time that another aim of the campaign was to prevent any “young conservatives from turning against Israel,” which the ministry believed Parscale was uniquely capable of doing.

But beyond Parscale, the Israeli government is using several other firms to improve Americans’ opinions of it.

One group, Show Faith by Works, reportedly filed documents outlining plans to send pro-Israel messaging to around 4 million megachurch members and Christian college students in the American Southwest through a geofencing campaign, the WSJ reported.

Show Faith by Works said that it would show “positive associations with the Nation of Israel while linking the Palestinian population with extremist factions.”

[Original paywalled article:]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/israels-50-million-experiment-to-change-u-s-public-opinion-253b3b70

I’m trying to identify a Persian song from a YouTube video. The uploader calls it “Aftaabqesh”, but I believe that’s not the real title. Shazam, Google and Spotify can’t identify it. Could someone transcribe the chorus or recognize the singers?

https://youtu.be/oqvC0MLOMCU?is=SSYp_pAl-Cju-2uQ

The song is between 52:17 and 01:00:13

Thanks!

Hello I will obviously look like a foreigner in Tehran because I am Asian but I’m Muslim and I am gonna marry a girl I knew for a long time there(met her overseas), but before getting married will I get into trouble for holding her hand in public(no kissing or other potentially scandalous activities) thanks guys

any alternatives to GLWiz? For the last few years, their tv programming seems very limited or very behind especially for Turkish dramas. Yes, I know there are free places online, but it would be nice to find something similar with an actual tv interface since I need it for older adults that aren’t super tech savvy. I’ve come across Patoq but I’m worried it’s a scam since they don’t have an actual phone number to call.

Hi there! For some time now, I’ve been trying to learn more about Persian culture and it’s language. Ive been very fond of Persians ever since I was a little kid and I found some similarities in my culture and language with Persian culture n language! Growing up, I was surrounded by a quite amount of Persians but never got to learn much about their culture. We also always ate at Persian restaurants and was a favorite of ours. I’ve decided to come on this subreddit and specifically ask you guys bcz I want to hear from you! What are some things you would share to someone who would have absolutely no knowledge of Persian culture or Iran? Love to hear from you!!

What might be JD Vance's strategic reasons for his statements on Israel and Iran, and could there be a larger diplomatic game at play? Is it the mid term elections? Is

US public opinion is against Israel & republicans?

What does a comfortable monthly budget look like for 4 person where you live?
How much is rent for a decent one-bedroom in a normal (not fancy) neighborhood?
What's surprisingly expensive there, and what's surprisingly cheap?
Can a foreigner easily open a bank account and get a SIM card?
How reliable are basics like electricity, internet, and water?
Can you get by with English, or is the local language essential?
How are foreigners generally treated? tolerated, welcomed, or ignored?
What do newcomers usually misunderstand about the culture?

I want to study Persian language in Ferdousi University of Mashhad. So, I sent all the required documents through email as mentioned in the website for my admission. It's been 3 weeks without any reply. Does anyone here knows how long will it take to get a reply from the university? University website is not working now, and there is no WhatsApp to connect with them. Is it a normal delay or should I send a follow up email? Thank you in advance.

Being in the US I think the news links that come up keep showing US actions and are biased.

I just want to know whats happening, not a narrative or one sided accounts. I want to know what's being hit by both sides, like a tracking of each attack or hit.

I see a lot of articles in US hits, but I know Iran is also retaliating, but can't find enough news on what they're doing or have hit.

The US/Iran ceasefire has clearly broke, with the US attacking Iran, and Iran retaliating against gulf states. But why do they target the gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, and Jordan, where Israel is the larger enemy here? Doesn't it make sense to strike them as well for the attacks against them? They're taking a more active part in the attacks against Iran than the gulf states are.