Gareth Smyth

Gareth Smyth has covered Middle Eastern affairs for 20 years and was chief correspondent for The Financial Times in Iran.

Author Articles

An Iranian worker walks on the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island. (AFP)
Will Iran be hit hard by new US sanctions? It remains to be seen
July 21, 2018
Invaluable research. Cover of “Postrevolutionary Iran: A Political Handbook” by Mehrzad Boroujerdi and Kourosh Rahimkhani.
Providing a ‘Who’s Who’ for Iran’s last four decades
June 23, 2018
Cover of Fawaz Gerges’s new book “Making the Arab World: Nasser, Qutb and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East.”
Islamism and secular nationalism have much in common
June 16, 2018
A tribute to love, youth and Syria. Rana Haddad’s “The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor.”
Moustaches and magical realism in Ba’athist Syria
June 09, 2018
Juggling cultures. Iranians shop for items used to celebrate Noruz at the Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran. (AP)
Iran’s ‘hybrid nationalism’ has implications for Iranian politics
May 26, 2018
Editor-in-chief of Iran’s Kayhan newspaper Hossein Shariatmadari (R) talks to an unidentified man in Tehran. (AP)
The politics of gesture from Syria to Iran
May 05, 2018
Former Deputy Head of Iran’s Department of Environment Kaveh Madani. (Instagram)
Madani’s resignation sheds light on Iranian power play
April 21, 2018
An image grab of Iranian environmentalist Kaveh Madani during a public talk. (YouTube)
Kaveh Madani, Iran’s expat eco-warrior who was on too many fronts
April 17, 2018
The signing of the offshore oil field agreement in Tehran, on March 14. (AFP)
The Iran-Russia oil connection is a sign of the times
March 31, 2018
Zaur Gasimov, a research fellow in the Max Weber Foundation-linked Istanbul Orient-Institut. (Courtesy of Zaur Gasimov)
Explaining the depth of Russia’s engagement with the Arab world
March 17, 2018
Noura Badran, watercolour, based on the poem “Childhood” by Aisha al-Mohamad. (Haneen)
‘We are the generation/Who has grown old too soon’: The children of Syria speak
March 03, 2018
People are seen leaving Lebanon’s Central Bank in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanon’s banks are real reason for country’s resilience
March 03, 2018
Cover of Fahmida Suleman’s new book “The Fabric of Life: Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia.”
Suleman’s ‘The Fabric of Life’ showcases social history of textile in the Middle East
February 24, 2018
Popular touch. Members of Britain’s vocal group Swingle Singers perform at the 25th Al Bustan Festival, on February 13. (Carl Halal)
Lebanon’s Al Bustan festival launches 25th edition with sense of ‘mission accomplished’
February 17, 2018
A man carries car parts at a market in Tehran. (AP)
Tehran faces tough challenge dealing with population’s economic expectations
February 10, 2018
Evocative vision. A drawing of the Tekkiye Suleymaniye complex in Damascus on page 79 of “The Battle for Home.” (Marwa al-Sabouni)
Marwa al-Sabouni’s ‘The Battle for Home’ offers personal account of Syria’s conflict
January 26, 2018

Entrenched problem. A young Iranian beggar counts money at a street in Tehran. (AFP)
In Iran, issues of wealth and poverty matter but also perceptions
January 11, 2018

Social media augur a bumpy ride and the Middle East is no exception
January 05, 2018

When Arab, Muslim novelists tackle the migration issue
January 04, 2018

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case reflects Iran’s targeting of dual nationals
November 25, 2017

Britain’s relationship with Iran has long been colourful and often fraught.