Why This Exists
Iran Prism began with a simple observation: the Iran described in Western media bears little resemblance to the Iran described by Iranians themselves.
Not because journalists are lying, but because the information ecosystem between Iran and the West is broken. Decades of severed diplomatic ties, language barriers, restricted press access, and competing geopolitical narratives have created a gap so wide that most Americans — including well-read, well-intentioned ones — hold beliefs about Iran that Iranians would find unrecognizable.
We started this project because we have friends in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. We watched them navigate a reality that never made it into English-language coverage. We saw how the filters between their lives and our understanding distorted almost everything — not through conspiracy, but through structural failure.
Iran Prism is an attempt to bridge that gap with evidence.
How It Works
Every article follows the same research methodology:
- Primary sources first. Government records, parliamentary transcripts, economic data from the Central Bank of Iran, IAEA reports, court documents, and firsthand testimony. We go to the originals whenever possible.
- Academic scholarship for context. Peer-reviewed research from Iranian studies, political science, and economics journals provides the analytical framework. We draw on scholars across the political spectrum — not just those who confirm a preferred narrative.
- Numbered endnotes for every claim. Every factual assertion is traced to its source. Readers can verify any claim by following the endnotes. If we can't source it, we don't write it.
- Comparative framing. Where possible, we compare Iran's situation to other countries — South Korea, Turkey, Chile, Spain — to give readers a reference point beyond the usual "axis of evil" framing.
What We Are Not
Not affiliated with any government or political faction. Iran Prism receives no funding from the Iranian government, the U.S. government, any exile group, or any political organization. We have no institutional patron and no party line.
Not a news site. We don't cover breaking events. We provide the deep context that makes breaking events comprehensible — the kind of background that a 500-word news article can't deliver.
Not an apologetics project. Correcting misconceptions about Iran does not mean defending the Islamic Republic. Many of our articles document the regime's systematic brutality in detail that Western media rarely provides. Understanding Iran accurately means acknowledging both its people's extraordinary resilience and the state violence they endure.
Corrections
We take accuracy seriously. Every article includes numbered endnotes so readers can verify claims against the original sources. If you find an error — a misquoted figure, a misattributed claim, a factual inaccuracy — we want to know.
When we get something wrong, we correct it and note the correction. Getting the details right matters more than being right the first time.