Mehrnaz Samimi - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Mehrnaz Samimi is an Iranian-American journalist. On Twitter: @mehrnazsamimi

Two men display tattoos on their arm and neck while standing in front of an Iranian painting at a shopping centre in northern Tehran September 21, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1HM9D

Tattooed in Tehran

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Women sit on a park bench in Tehran June 9, 2009. Iranians vote on Friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Three decades after the revolution, Reuters invited some older Iranians who witnessed the Shah's overthrow to look back at the changes they have lived through. To match feature IRAN-ELECTION/REVOLUTION REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24JM3

Elderly in Iran suffer as economy falters

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

An Iranian dress designer checks the fit of a veil on a bride at a high fashion studio in north Tehran October 2, 2007. Wearing the all-enveloping chador (veil) or a headscarf and loose-fitting full-length coat is obligatory under Sharia law, imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Offenders face fines, whipping or jail. But that has not stopped image-conscious Iranian women and a growing number are going under the knife for new noses, tummy tucks, liposuction, lifting eyelids or breast augmentation. Pic

Iranians question tradition on sex, virginity and marriage

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Iran parliament issues warning against women smoking hookah

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Iran Opens First Alcohol Rehab Center

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Fatwa allows sex changes in Iran, but stigma remains

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

A member of the Iraqi Mine and Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Organization (IMCO) works with a sniffer dog to find mines in the Shatt-al-Arab district, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, November 6, 2012. Decades of war have left Iraq with one of the worst mine problems in the world, according to UNICEF, with around 20 million anti-personnel mines and more than 50 million cluster bombs believed to be left over in border areas and southern oilfields. Iraq's Environment Ministry says there are 25 million landmi

Land Mines From Iraq War Continue to Plague Iran

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Members of Iranian Armed Forces march during the Army Day parade in Tehran April 18, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Forootan/ISNA/Handout (IRAN - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTXYQI5

Gay Men in Iran's Military Can Seek Exemption

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Prayer beads are tied up on a religious symbol near a holy shrine during the month of Ramadan in northern Tehran August 4, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR2PMGN

Iran's Ramadan: Behind the Canvas

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
A worker stands in front of an Iranian handmade carpet at a carpet workshop in Kashan, 240 km (149 miles) south of Tehran November 13, 2011. Persian carpet weaving is a historical part of Iranian culture, dating back to as far as approximately 2,000 years ago. Persian carpets can be mostly divided into three size groups: large (3x4 metres), medium (2x3 metres

Ahmadinejad Takes Parting Shot At Iranian Women

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

An Iranian woman stands in front of a bank as she holds a dog in Tehran November 13, 2005. The entrance of dogs and other pets into governmental buildings is prohibited in Iran. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - RTR1AVX1

Iran Goes After Dogs And Their Owners

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Iranian former Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref flashes the sign of victory as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the interior ministry in Tehran on May 10, 2013. Iran began a five-day registration period for candidates in Iran's June 14 presidential election, with a string of conservative hopefuls in the running but with key reformists yet to come forward, media reports said. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian Candidate’s Wife An Electoral Asset

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture