2021 in Iran

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.^[1]
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.^[2]

16 February – Photojournalist Noushin Jafari is arrested and transferred to Qarchak prison for “spreading propaganda against the state” and “insulting the sanctities.”^[3]
22 February – The IRGC block the Eskan border road in Saravan, reportedly opening fire and killing at least 10 people.^[3]

23 March –
- Four Kurdish citizens are arrested in Ney village, Marivan, for participating in Nowruz celebrations.^[4]
- Urmia Central Prison authorities reportedly reduce food rations to a quarter and threaten prisoners with seven-month sentence extensions for protesting.^[4]

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.^[5]
11 April – Iran announces a blackout at a nuclear facility, suspectedly caused by an Israeli cyberattack.^[6]
16 April – Iran begins enriching uranium up to 60%, its highest level ever and approaching weapons-grade levels of 90%.^[5]

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.^[7]
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.^[8]

19 June – Workers stage strikes in Tehran’s metro system, Qeshm’s Sina Refinery, and Asaloye’s Farab Bidkhoon Power Plant over unpaid wages.^[9]
20 June – Iranian dissidents Mohammad Hossein Sepehri and Kamal Yazdi, on hunger strike, are beaten in prison while protesting being denied phone calls.^[10]
23 June – Security forces and municipal agents attack residents in Qaleh-ye Sadri protesting home demolitions.^[10]

1 July – Ahmad Jannati is reelected as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts.^[11]
17 July – Two people go missing after vehicles are swept away by flash floods in Baft County, Kerman Province.^[12]
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.^[13]
27 July – Swedish prosecutors announce the prosecution of an Iranian citizen for war crimes and murder during 1988.^[3]

5 August – President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is sworn in as the new president of Iran.^[14]
14 August – Iranian authorities arrest six prominent human rights lawyers and activists working on Covid-19 accountability cases.^[3]
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.^[15]
31 August – The Iranian military prosecutor’s office indicts 10 officials over the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020.^[3]

9 September – The IRGC launch missile attacks on Kurdish opposition bases (KDPI) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.^[3]
26 September – Human rights defender Narges Mohammadi is summoned to serve a 30-month prison sentence.^[3]

1 October – Iran holds military exercises near the Azerbaijan border amid rising tensions, while criticizing Israel’s foreign minister visiting Bahrain.^[16]

1 November – The Guardian Council passes a “rejuvenation of the population and support of family” bill, limiting contraception and abortion access.^[3]
19 November – Protests resume in Isfahan over drought and water diversion in the Isfahan province.^[3]