A prominent Iranian rapper is facing death threats over his new song, which refers jokingly to Naghi, the 10th imam of the Shi’ites, and mentions social problems and sexual themes. A hard-line website based in Iran has put a $100,000 bounty on Najafi’s head and a campaign demanding his execution has reportedly begun.

With talks between Iran and Western powers on the Persian Gulf country's nuclear program scheduled to take place in Baghdad on May 23, RFE/RL spoke with Middle East specialist Kenneth Katzman about the possible outcomes of this crucial summit.

Iran says it is investigating a suspected cyberattack on its main oil-export terminal and on the Oil Ministry itself. As of April 24, no signs of lasting damage had been discovered, but what do we know about the attack and its potential effect on Iran's oil industry? RFE/RL discussed these issues with Boldizsar Bencsath, assistant professor at the Laboratory of Cryptography and Systems Security (CrySyS) in Budapest.

RFE/RL speaks with Gary Samore -- special assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction, proliferation, and terrorism -- as he returns from weekend talks in Istanbul between Iran and the "P5+1" powers on Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Analysts were guarded in their assessment of the chances of a breakthrough on Tehran's nuclear program as diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany gathered with Iranian officials in Istanbul for a new round of negotiations.

One of artist Mana Neyestani's cartoons once prompted riots and earned him time in Tehran's Evin prison. Now, from his French exile, he's published a book about his experience.

A conservative website has come under attack in Iran after it called on its readers to pose their questions to the U.S. State Department's Persian spokesman.

Over the years, international sanctions have been imposed on Iran that squeeze the country's vital oil exports and government finances in an effort to force Tehran abandon its nuclear program. RFE/RL's Central Newsroom correspondent Antoine Blua asked Shashank Joshi, a research fellow at the defense and security think tank Royal United Services Institute in London, how those sanctions are affecting Iran's trade.

Amnesty International says the rise in executions in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq last year was large enough to create an overall global increase compared to 2010, even as an increasing number of countries move away from the death penalty.