Karim Sharara كريم شرارة

PhD Candidate Security Studies.

Husband, Father.

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

Why do people in #Iran give away salt instead of sweets or money to fulfill a vow?

A simple seasoning became one of the country's strongest symbols of loyalty, gratitude, and honor.

From the centuries-old Salt Vow at #Tehran's Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine to the belief in the "right of bread and salt," Al Mayadeen English's envoy to Iran, Karim Sharara's, report explores a tradition that continues to shape Iranian culture today.

@karimsh89

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

On #Tehran's iconic Pol-e Tabiat Bridge, which translates to Nature Bridge, an exhibition titled Mashgh-e Natamam (Unfinished Homework) transforms art into a powerful act of remembrance for the more than 400 Iranian schoolchildren martyred during the #US-Israeli war.

Al Mayadeen English's envoy to Iran, Karim Sharara, reports on how, through theater, music, visual art, and performances, the event reminds visitors that behind every casualty figure was an ambitious innocent child with dreams, classmates, and homework left unfinished.

As organizer Amir Hossein Shafiei put it, "The enemy left 400 school assignments unfinished, left 400 dreams incomplete," while declaring that "artists carry their own weapon... their art," using creativity to preserve the memory of children whose lives were stolen.

@karimsh89

#IranWar #IranUnderAttack #USAttackIran #Iran

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

Al Mayadeen English’s envoy to Tehran, Karim Sharara, visits Khaneh Andishe Varzan (House of Thinkers), a cultural venue in Tehran that hosts intellectual, cultural, and political gatherings from different schools of thought.

We spoke with Elham Ghajar, the director of Goftino, one of the house's initiatives that has spent more than four years creating a space for Iranian youth to discuss social, cultural, and political issues.

This is how this initiative seeks to preserve dialogue as a tool for communication, emphasizing listening, avoiding insults and labels, and allowing disagreements to be addressed through discussion.

@karimsh89

#AlMayadeen #Iran #Tehran

[قناة الميادين @AlMayadeenNews]

مبادرات شبابية في إيران تركز على الحوار السياسي والفكري.

تقرير: كريم شرارة

#الميادين

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

For more than four decades, #Iran negotiated, resisted, cooperated, and recalibrated without surrendering its strategic independence.

@karimsh89 examines Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s foreign-policy legacy: dignity as the limit, wisdom as the method, and expediency as the tool.

https://t.co/4MKLsvF0M3

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

With tears, prayers, and unwavering devotion, countless mourners accompanied Martyr Sayyed Ali Khamenei through the streets of Mashhad for the final moments of one of history's largest funeral processions.

Returning to his hometown, the martyred Leader was laid to rest beside the Imam Reza Shrine, carried in honor.

As grief filled the sacred city, so did a renewed pledge from millions: that the path of resistance, dignity, and steadfastness he embodied will forever endure long after his martyrdom.

#Iran #IranWar #SayyedKhamenei #Mashhad #AlMayadeen

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

The Final Pilgrimage: After 68 years, Sayyed Ali Khamenei returns to Najaf and Karbala.

To understand the depth of Sayyed Ali Khamenei's sacrifice, one must look at the personal discipline that defined his life. As a descendant of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein, his ultimate personal wish was to walk the grounds of their final resting places, a wish deferred for decades due to the relentless demands of leadership, revolution, and defense.

Today, carried by millions through the crowded streets of Najaf and Karbala, the martyred leader finally completes his long-awaited pilgrimage.

#Iraq #Iran #AlMayadeen #WestAsia #SayyedKhamenei #IranWar

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

As funeral processions for martyr Sayyed Ali Khamenei continue in Iraq, Al Mayadeen English’s envoy to Iran, Karim Sharara, speaks with Iranians about their views on the United States’ violation of the memorandum of understanding with Iran.

The people emphasize that Washington broke its commitments and express skepticism over the future of the agreement, while recalling Sayyed Khamenei’s warnings about trusting the United States and emphasizing their readiness to face any confrontation.

@karimsh89

#Iran #IranWar #WestAsia #SayyedKhamenei #AlMayadeen

[قناة الميادين @AlMayadeenNews]

في وداع القائد الأممي... فنانون من مختلف البلدان يشاركون في جدارية تجمع السيدين الشهيدين في طهران

تقرير كريم شرارة

@karimsh89

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

From #Tehran’s Revolution Square, mourners gathered for the funeral procession of martyred leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, one of the city’s main congregation points for the historic ceremony.

Al Mayadeen English's envoy to Tehran, Karim Sharara, speaks to mourners who travelled from across Iran and beyond, with many describing a deep sense of loyalty and devotion, saying Sayyed Ali Khamenei was not only a political leader but also a father figure.

Others, including a visitor from abroad, voiced solidarity with the Iranian people and their stance against injustice and oppression.

@karimsh89

#SayyedAliKhamenei #SayyedKhamenei #Iran

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

From the heart of Tehran, Al Mayadeen English’s envoy Karim Sharara reports on a Lebanese-Iranian artistic initiative unfolding amid the funeral processions of martyr Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

Lebanese artists, led by Reda Kassir, have traveled to Iran to take part in a large-scale mural project on Vali Asr Street, turning public walls into a shared canvas of resistance, memory, and solidarity.

Kassir describes the project as an extension of earlier border murals in South Lebanon, where art transformed "Israel's" illegal apartheid into messages of defiance, while emphasizing that this wall in Tehran will remain as a lasting symbol of resistance and unity between Lebanon and Iran.

@karimsh89

#AlMayadeen #WestAsia #Lebanon #SayyedKhamenei #IranWar #Iran

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

Al Mayadeen English envoy Karim Sharara stands at a place that, to many, is more than just concrete and barriers; it is the nearest point people can reach to where Iran’s leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei was martyred.

Surrounded by roses, photographs, handwritten poetry, and silent tears, visitors from all walks of life arrive to pay their respects.

For them, this is not only a site of mourning, but a space of connection, where grief turns into love, and a leader is remembered not only for his position, but as a father figure in moments of hardship.

@karimsh89

#AlMayadeen #Iran #IranWar #WestAsia #SayyedKhamenei

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

What was once flexed as military flexibility is increasingly described as a strain on Israeli manpower, equipment, and long-term operational capacity.

Reserve soldiers are being rotated again and again, units are shifted from one front, from #Gaza, #Lebanon, to #Iran, just to plug gaps on another, and what was meant to be "readiness" is starting to look more like exhaustion.

Even the Air Force, long seen as "untouchable", is under pressure from nonstop operational tempo and equipment strain.

For instance, "Israel" had to halt attacks on Iran so it could concentrate on wide-scale attacks on Lebanon shortly after a ceasefire was announced.

#IranWar #WarOnIran #LebanonUnderAttack #GazaGenocide #WestAsia

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

In an interview with #AlMayadeen English, Professor and Dean of Iqra University #Islamabad Campus H-9, Dr. Eatzaz Ahmed, discusses why many Iranian poets, philosophers, and political thinkers connect with Allama Iqbal's work.

Dr. Ahmed explained that Iqbal "wrote for the #Muslim community," adding that his general audience was the entire Muslim community, especially Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, and even the Far East, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Affirming that the #Persian language is indeed one of the reasons why Iranians connected to Iqbal's work, Dr. Ahmed explained that Iqbal's overall ideology was "highly appealing."

Watch the full interview on our YouTube Channel: https://t.co/4GiFN7bk1Q

@karimsh89

#Pakistan #WestAsia

[Karim Sharara كريم شرارة @karimsh89]

@SeharKamran @BakerYounis @wafasarayaaridi @BBhuttoZardari @BakhtawarBZ @AseefaBZ @PPP_Org @MediaCellPPP @cpgs_org @OfficialDGISPR @NAofPakistan @MayadeenEnglish Probably the most fun interview I have ever had. Thank you for a great conversation Senator!🙏🏼

[Senator Sehar Kamran T.I. @SeharKamran]

It was a great pleasure meeting the Al Mayadeen team in Islamabad!
Thank you @karimsh89 (Karim Sharara), Bureau Chief @BakerYounis, and Senior Presenter @wafasarayaaridi (Wafa Saraya) for the warm and insightful discussion.
From a serious chat to an enlightening interview — I truly enjoyed sharing my experiences and iconic life stories. It was also wonderful learning about your time exploring Islamabad and experiencing Pakistani culture and hospitality.
Wishing you a safe journey home and looking forward to meeting again soon!
@MayadeenEnglish
#AlMayadeen #IslamabadTalks #PakistanZindabad 🇵🇰💚

[قناة الميادين @AlMayadeenNews]

تشهد الأحداث تسارعًا ملحوظًا، إذ وصل وزير الخارجية الإيراني عباس عراقتشي لإبلاغ المعنيين في باكستان بالموقف الإيراني الرسمي حيال التطورات الأخيرة، قبل أن يتوجه إلى سلطنة عُمان. وكان من المتوقع أن يزور روسيا لاحقًا، إلا أن سحب دونالد ترامب وفده غيّر مسار التحركات..

وفي موازاة ذلك، ينقل موفد الميادين إلى إسلام أباد كريم شرارة تفاصيل آخر التطورات ومجريات المفاوضات في إسلام آباد..
@karimsh89

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

Iran didn’t “escalate”, it answered decades of Western coups, sanctions, assassinations, and war. When suffocation becomes permanent, resistance is no longer a choice, but survival.

Read Karim Sharara's article on Al Mayadeen English.
@karimsh89
https://t.co/0z3BjWaYQD

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

Speaking to Al Mayadeen English, Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Vice-Chancellor of QAU Islamabad, noted that the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz may not pose a major problem for the United States, but it could significantly affect its regional allies.

Dr. Jaspal emphasized that the aftermath of the #US-Israeli war on Iran will not restore the old status quo in West Asia; instead, it will usher in a transformed "Middle Eastern security architecture" with lasting political, economic, and strategic implications.

@zafar_jaspal @karimsh89

#StraitOfHormuz #IranWar #WarOnIran #Iran #Islamabad

[Al Mayadeen English @MayadeenEnglish]

A surprise arrival by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Islamabad, Pakistan, had US envoys Stever Witkoff and Jared Kushner racing to the country.

While early reports hinted at US-Iran negotiations, Tehran has clarified that Araghchi’s visit is part of a broader regional tour, aimed at coordinating with allies and conveying Iran’s stance on ending the war, not engaging in talks just yet.

Iranian officials have reiterated that any negotiations depend on adherence to the ceasefire and lifting the blockade.

Yet, with Witkoff and Kushner heading to Islamabad and Vice President JD Vance reported to be on standby, one key question remains: Could we be nearing a breakthrough?

@karimsh89
#Iran #WarOnIran #Pakistan #UnitedStates #Ceasefire #AlMayadeen