2021 in Iran

Events in the year 2021 in Iran.

Incumbents

• Supreme Leader of Iran: Ali Khamenei
• President of Iran: Hassan Rouhani (until 3 August), Ebrahim Raisi (from 3 August)
• Speaker of the Parliament: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
• Chief Justice: Ebrahim Raisi (until 1 July), Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i (from 1 July)

Events

Ongoing – COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

January

• 8 January – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announces that Iran will ban the import of COVID-19 vaccines from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and that it will instead obtain a vaccine from other countries.
• 26 January – Iran approves Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for import and local production, as nation wide cases exceede 1.38 million with 57,560 deaths.

February

• 16 February – Photojournalist Noushin Jafari is arrested and transferred to Qarchak prison for “spreading propaganda against the state” and “insulting the sanctities.”
• 22 February – The IRGC block the Eskan border road in Saravan, reportedly opening fire and killing at least 10 people.

March

• 23 March –
• Four Kurdish citizens are arrested in Ney village, Marivan, for participating in Nowruz celebrations.
• Urmia Central Prison authorities reportedly reduce food rations to a quarter and threaten prisoners with seven-month sentence extensions for protesting.

April

• 6 April – Iran and the U.S. begin indirect negotiations in Vienna around restoring a nuclear deal, as talks with European nations fail to reach agreement.
• 11 April – Iran announces a blackout at a nuclear facility, suspectedly caused by an Israeli cyberattack.
• 16 April – Iran begins enriching uranium up to 60%, its highest level ever and approaching weapons-grade levels of 90%.

May

• 10 May – Iran publicly confirms it is holding talks with Saudi Arabia, pledging to make its best efforts to resolve longstanding regional tensions between the two countries.
• 20 May – Reports emerge that Iran has begun to form smaller, elite militia groups from Iraqi factions loyal to the Quds Force, shifting from reliance on larger public militias.

June

• 19 June – Workers stage strikes in Tehran's metro system, Qeshm’s Sina Refinery, and Asaloye’s Farab Bidkhoon Power Plant over unpaid wages.
• 20 June – Iranian dissidents Mohammad Hossein Sepehri and Kamal Yazdi, on hunger strike, are beaten in prison while protesting being denied phone calls.
• 23 June – Security forces and municipal agents attack residents in Qaleh-ye Sadri protesting home demolitions.

July

• 1 July – Ahmad Jannati is reelected as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts.
• 17 July – Two people go missing after vehicles are swept away by flash floods in Baft County, Kerman Province.
• 20 July – Protests over water shortages and drought sweep Khuzestan and other regions, with clashes causing deaths and anti-government demonstrations amid the broader economic and social unrest.
• 27 July – Swedish prosecutors announce the prosecution of an Iranian citizen for war crimes and murder during 1988.

August

• 5 August – President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is sworn in as the new president of Iran.
• 14 August – Iranian authorities arrest six prominent human rights lawyers and activists working on COVID-19 accountability cases.
• 15 August – Iran announces preparations to provide temporary refuge for Afghans fleeing the Taliban conflict, while encouraging many refugees to return home due to economic pressures.
• 31 August – The Iranian military prosecutor's office indicts 10 officials over the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020.

September

• 9 September – The IRGC launch missile attacks on Kurdish opposition bases (KDPI) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
• 26 September – Human rights defender Narges Mohammadi is summoned to serve a 30-month prison sentence.

October

• 1 October – Iran holds military exercises near the Azerbaijan border amid rising tensions, while criticizing Israel’s foreign minister visiting Bahrain.

November

• 1 November – The Guardian Council passes a “rejuvenation of the population and support of family” bill, limiting contraception and abortion access.
• 19 November – Protests resume in Isfahan over drought and water diversion in the Isfahan province.

December

• 27 December – Iran-U.S. nuclear talks in Vienna are held, focused on lifting international sanctions.

Deaths

• 1 January – Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, 85, cleric and politician (b. 1935)
• 9 January – Mehdi Attar-Ashrafi, 72, weightlifter (b. 1948)
• 12 January – , 86, poet (b. 1934)
• 27 January – Mehrdad Minavand, 45, footballer (b. 1975)
• 3 February – Ali Ansarian, 43, footballer (b. 1977)
• 15 February – Golnoush Khaleghi, 80, musician (b. 1941)
• 17 February – Iraj Kaboli, 82, writer (b. 1938)
• 18 February – Amir Aslan Afshar, 101, politician and diplomat (b. 1919)
• 27 February – Nozar Azadi, 83, actor (b. 1938)
• 26 March – Azade Namdari, 36, TV host (b. 1984)
• 14 April – , 80, actor (b. 1941)
• 15 April – Vartan Gregorian, 87, academic (b. 1934)
• 16 April – Nader Dastneshan, 60, football coach (b. 1960)
• 18 April – Mohammad Hejazi, 65, military commander (b. 1956)
• 26 April – Hamid Jasemian, 84, footballer (b. 1936)
• 10 May – Abdolvahab Shahidi, 98, singer (b. 1922)
• 16 May – Akbar Torkan, 68, politician (b. 1952)
• 25 May – Esmail Khoi, 82, poet (b. 1938)
• 7 June – Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur, 73, politician (b. 1947)
• 7 June – , 35, political prisoner (b. 1985)
• 11 June – Parviz Kardan, 84, actor (b. 1936)
• 23 June – Hamid Mojtahedi, 79, director (b. 1942)
• 15 July – Hamid Reza Sadr, 65, journalist (b. 1956)
• 28 July – Shahrum Kashani, 47, singer (b. 1974)
• 31 July – Jalal Sattari, 89, writer (b. 1931)
• 4 August – , 39, stuntman actor (b. 1982)
• 8 August – Alireza Azizi, 72, footballer (b. 1949)
• 12 August – , 50, actor (b. 1970)
• 16 August – Fereshteh Taerpour, 68, film producer (b. 1953)
• 16 August – Hormoz Farhat, 93, musician (b. 1928)
• 19 August – , 90, geographer (b. 1931)
• 3 September – Hassan Firouzabadi, 70, military commander (b. 1951)
• 8 September – Abbas Ansarifard, 65, football administrator (b. 1956)
• 25 September – Hassan Hassanzadeh Amoli, 93, cleric (b. 1928)
• 30 September – Hassan Tarighat Monfared, 74, politician (b. 1946)
• 5 October – Fathali Oveisi, 75, actor (b. 1946)
• 7 October – Azartash Azarnoush, 83, scholar (b. 1938)
• 9 October – Abolhassan Banisadr, 88, politician (b. 1933)
• 27 October – Aramesh Dustdar, 90, philosopher (b. 1931)
• 29 October – Iran Darroudi, 85, painter (b. 1936)
• 2 November – Cyrus Amouzgar, 87, politician (b. 1934)
• 6 November – , 79, cartoonist (b. 1942)
• 8 November – Mahlagha Mallah, 104, environmental activist (b. 1917)
• 18 November – Ardeshir Zahedi, 93, politician (b. 1928)
• 20 December – Hasan Irlu, 61–62, diplomat (b. 1959)

References