Iranian Border Research Articles

Comparative Assessment of Suggested Dam Sites Using both Analytic Hierarchy Process and Weighted Sum Method for Rainwater Harvesting in Al-Naft Valley, Eastern Diyala, Iraq

The study compares suggested dam sites for rainwater harvesting in the Al-Naft Valley, east of Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border. The digital elevation model, Operational Land Imager data, ArcGIS 10.8, Global Mapper 24, and Surfer 17 software were employed for this purpose. The watershed, predominantly in Iran 70% with 30% in Iraq, was of the sixth order, covering 1443 km². The total surface runoff volume was estimated at 320,000,000 m³/year using the SCS-CN method, which highlighted challenges due to international border crossings. The evaluation of the suggested dam sites depended on 11encompassed morphometric (stream order), hydrological (annual water income), geometric (reservoir capacity, average depth, surface area of reservoir, and safety factor), demographic (number of capita benefiting), economic (relative cost/ storage, road submerging by the lake, distance to roads) and geopolitical criteria (area of lake crossed international borders). Analytic Hierarchy Process and Weighted Sum Method were used for comparison, with input from 35 experts to weight criteria to evaluate six proposed sites (alternatives). The second, third, and fourth proposed dams are classified as large-sized, while the others are medium-sized. The third proposed dam emerged as the most suitable, offering a storage capacity of 165,000,000 m³, representing 51.5% of annual input water. To align storage with annual water input, multiple dams are preferred. The first, third, and sixth proposed reservoirs, with a total capacity of 237,000,000 m³, constitute 74% of the expected annual water input to the watershed.

Relocation and Stress Analysis of the 2018 Mandali-Sumar Earthquake Sequence, Iraq-Iran Border

The 2018 Mandali-Sumar earthquake sequence started in January 2018 at the Iraq – Iran border within the Low Folded Zone of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt. To study the fault that is responsible for this earthquake sequence, the relocation of 32 earthquakes was conducted. In addition, moment tensor solutions of 9 large earthquakes were collected to know the fault motion and stress regime in the study area. The Computer Programs in Seismology (CPS) was used to analyze waveform data taken from 33 seismic stations located in Iraq and Iran to relocate earthquakes. The location of the earthquake sequence based on the IRSC bulletin shows a scattered spatial distribution, but the results of the relocations show that the earthquakes of the sequences are aligned in a longitudinal feature parallel to an anticline limb located in Ilam and Kermanshah provinces near the Iraqi border. The moment tensor solutions indicate that the sequence is related to a thrust fault with a 342º strike direction, 35º NE dip angle, and 76º rake angle. The TENSOR program was used to perform formal stress inversion of moment stress axes, which revealed that the azimuth of the maximum horizontal stress axis is 63º. The epicenters of the sequence are located between the Mountain Front Fault to the NE and the Zagros Foredeep Fault to the Southeast. We believe that the 2018 Mandali-Sumar earthquake sequence is related to displacement on the surface of the Zagros Foredeep Fault within the uppermost basement and the lowermost Phanerozoic cover.

Multiple Upward Residual Gravity and Magnetic Maps to Estimate the Deep Crustal Layers and Moho Discontinuity in Eastern Iraq

The upward continuation technique was applied to the gravity and magnetic data to obtain the residual anomalies maps in eastern Iraq. A new processing method is introduced to calculate the crustal layers depending on the relation between the total range of the residual anomalies of gravity, magnetic data and the upward continuation, with multi-elevations. The significant relationship shows slope variations, which may reflect the maximum contrast in the physical properties (density and/or susceptibility) and the intersection point representing the depth of layer contacts. This method was applied to the eastern central part of Iraq, adjacent to the Iranian borders. It is found that the average depth range to the Jurassic formations, top basement rocks, transition layer (Curie point), and Moho discontinuity are 3.1- 4.8 km, 8-12.9 km, 20.9-22.4 km and 43.6 km, respectively. The Sedimentary cover in the study area ranges from 8 to 13 km. The maximum depth to the Moho discontinuity obtained by gravity data in the study area is 43.6 km. The radially average power spectrum technique was applied in the study area to calculate the gravity depth and magnetic sources' depth. Three depth levels of sources from gravity and magnetic data were obtained. These depths are shallow sources, average basement rock and deep sources (Moho) at 3km, 13.2-12.1 km, and 32.2-34km, respectively. The obtained results concerning the main layers in the crust were compared between the two methods, and the new method shows more reliable results. The detected depth levels refer to top Jurassic, basement rocks, and Moho discontinuity. The new method is believed to be used to detect the crustal layers depth with good results.

Darbandy tribe in south of Kurdistan

This research refers to the details and the origin of Darbandians life, and their first coming in Kirmashan region. This ethnic group perform themselves differently as they compared to their surrounding area in the fields of style and culture. They speak in Kalhurr dialect, They migrated from Nawdarwand of Kirmashan towards the west of Iran border until they arrived their in habited area which includes thirty four villages in different areas, Now, Segrdkan sub-district and its surrounding is considered as the center of Darbandians living. Meanwhile, this research highlights the factors behind the immigration and disperse of Darbandians in the second half of the century and the beginning of the century from their hometown.The main factor can be seen in the conflict between the major authorities on Iran land, the war and the chaos in border districts is another factor and the policy of persecution is another factor. The research also refers to the ways of their coming and arrival to the first settlement place where includes the villages of (Omargwmbat, Gorqaraj, kanilala, and segrdkan), then their spread to the other villages, after that referring to the major clans and the families of darbandians.

Constraints on the 2013 Saravan intraslab earthquake using permanent GNSS, InSAR and seismic data

SUMMARY On 16 April 2013, an Mw = 7.7 earthquake struck the border of Iran and Pakistan in the central part of the Makran subduction zone with a reported depth of 80 km by USGS. This rare event in this poorly instrumented region helps to shed light on the kinematics of the subducting slab. We investigate source parameters of the Saravan intraslab normal earthquake using RADARSAT-2 SAR images in three ascending tracks, nine permanent GNSS sites and teleseismic data. The maximum coseismic displacement occurred at the SRVN GNSS station with 54.1 mm southeast horizontal and 42.7 mm upward vertical displacements. The coseismic ascending InSAR displacement maps illustrate a continuous and smooth NE-trending elliptical shape deformation pattern with a maximum of ∼29 cm of displacement away from the satellite. We use 25 broad-band teleseismic P-waveforms to estimate the focal mechanism of the main shock. A joint uniform inversion of InSAR, GNSS and teleseismic data reveals a NW-dipping SW-striking fault and a primarily normal-faulting earthquake with a minor right-lateral strike-slip component. The static slip distribution of the InSAR coseismic maps localizes variable slip at depths between 50 and 81 km with a maximum amplitude >3 m at 60–75.5 km depth, rupturing the oceanic crust of the subducted slab. The kinematic slip distribution exhibits a well-constrained slip pattern with a nucleation depth of 65 km. The source time function indicates that the earthquake reaches its maximum moment tensor release at ∼8 and ∼16 s. The NE-trend of the Saravan earthquake slip pattern, the orientation of the volcanic arc, and the distribution of the intraslab intermediate-depth normal earthquakes provide new insights into slab geometry in the central Makran subduction zone. We suggest that the slab bending at the hinge of subducting Arabian Plate is oblique along a NE–SW direction parallel to the volcanic arc rather than the shoreline or deformation front, and it is likely to be the reason for an oblique volcanic arc in the Makran subduction zone. These new constraints on the Makran slab geometry will help further studies in establishing realistic coupling maps for seismic hazard assessment.

A Short Survey and Critical Review of the Paper “Quarantines of Iran in the End of Ghajar and the Beginning of Pahlavi Era”

Quarantine has a long history in Iran. The spread of epidemic diseases led to the creation of quarantine establishments in Iran. During the Qajar period, quarantine was taken into consideration, and at the end of the 19th century, quarantine establishments were developed in the borders of Iran. Accordingly, in recent years, much research has been conducted on quarantine. The present study aimed to introduce and criticize the paper entitled, “Quarantines of Iran in the End of Ghajar and the Beginning of Pahlavi Era” by Kasiri and Dehghannejad. This analytical-critical study was conducted using library resources to introduce and evaluate the aforementioned paper. The text of the article is coherent and integrated and indicates the authors’ efforts to identify the problems and obstacles to implementing quarantine in Iran. Concerning the structure of the article, there are instances of inappropriate referencing, writing errors, and ambiguity in the scope and limits. Moreover, the failure to mention the effects of World War I on the severity of communicable diseases and quarantine and the vagueness of the prevalence of infectious diseases can be among the criticisms of the content and methodology. Although the abovementioned paper could present a new approach to the history of Quarantine in Iran in the Qajar and Pahlavi eras for the scholars of the history of medicine, it suffers from several structural, content, and methodological flaws. Therefore, given the importance of criticism in scientific studies and according to the analysis of this paper, the results could help enhance the quality of studies and scientific productions in this field.

Phylogeography, Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Echinococcus granulosus Sensu Stricto Inferred by Mitochondrial DNA Markers between Southeast of Iran and Pakistan.

Current study was designed to provide a better insight into the circulating genotypes, genetic diversity, and population structure of Echinococcus spp. between southeast of Iran and Pakistan. From Jun 2020 to Dec 2020, 46 hydatid cysts were taken from human (n: 6), camel (n: 10), goat (n: 10), cattle (n: 10) and sheep (n: 10) in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran, located at the neighborhood of Pakistan. DNA samples were extracted, amplified, and subjected to sequence analysis of cox1 and nad1 genes. The phylogeny inferred by the Maximum Likelihood algorithm indicated that G1 genotype (n: 19), G3 genotype (n: 14) and G6 genotype (n: 13) assigned into their specific clades. The diversity indices showed a moderate (nad1: Hd: 0.485) to high haplotype diversity (cox1: Hd: 0.867) of E. granulosus s.s. (G1/G3) and low nucleotide diversity. The negative value of Tajima's D and Fu's Fs test displayed deviation from neutrality indicating a recent population expansion. A parsimonious network of the haplotypes of cox1 displayed star-like features in the overall population containing IR9/PAK1/G1, IR2/PAK2/G3 and IR18/G6 as the most common haplotypes. A pairwise fixation index (Fst) indicated that E. granulosus s.s. populations are genetically moderate differentiated between southeast of Iran and Pakistan. The extension of haplotypes PAK18/G1 (sheep) and PAK26/G1 (cattle) toward Iranian haplogroup revealed that there is dawn of Echinococcus flow due to a transfer of alleles between mentioned populations through transport of livestock or their domestication. The current findings strengthen our knowledge concerning the evolutionary paradigms of E. granulosus in southeastern borders of Iran and is effective in controlling of hydatidosis.

Gill parasites of Schizocypris altidorsalis (Pisces: Cyprinidae), a threatened freshwater fish in Iran

Context Schizocypris altidorsalis is a fish of very restricted distribution, with its populations being known only from few water reservoirs on the border of Iran and Afghanistan. Aims The aim was to investigate the occurrence and diversity of host-specific Monogenea on this fish. Methods In total, 400 fish were purchased from the market and examined for the presence of Monogenea. Specimens were characterised morphologically and genetically. Key results In total, 26.5% of fish were found to be infected with Monogenea. Further morphological and molecular studies based on the sequences of the 18S, 28S and ITS2 regions suggested that they all belong to a new species, herein named as Paradiplozoon jalalii. Our results suggest that this monogenean is a highly specific parasite of Schizocypris altidorsalis. Conclusions Monogeneans are highly specialised host-specific parasites infecting fish gill. They can adversely affect respiration and excretory functions in fish, making them more vulnerable to illness, leading to population declines. Implications Determining effective strategies for safeguarding endangered fish can be challenging in conflict zones, such as the area studied here. Additionally, the parasite identified in our study, with its blood-feeding habits, could contribute to the extinction of its fish host, subsequently leading to its own extinction. An unanswered question lingers regarding the potential extinction of other symbionts of Schizocypris altidorsalis if the fish faces extinction.

The P–T–X conditions of staurolite-garnet metabasites, NW Iran: Implications for metamorphism during Arabia-Eurasia collision

The staurolite-bearing Avajiq metabasites (AMB) crop out near the NW border of Iran with Turkey and contain the peak assemblage garnet + Ca-amphibole + staurolite + biotite + chlorite1 + ilmenite. The AMB record peak pressure–temperature (P-T) conditions of >1 GPa at ∼650 °C; the moderately high pressure is consistent with the presence of staurolite in metabasalt. Garnets exhibit a weak prograde zoning, with relatively homogenous cores and a slight increase in Mg and decrease in Ca, Fe, and Mn toward the rim, consistent with garnet growth during a clockwise P-T path. Texturally late margarite + biotite + muscovite correspond to retrograde P-T conditions of ∼0.5 GPa at ∼500 °C. This stage was followed by further retrogression under greenschist facies conditions recorded by late pumpellyite + paragonite ± calcite. Based on the MORB-like composition of the AMB, it has been unclear whether the metabasites are associated with Neo-Tethyan ophiolites in the area or formed within a continental setting. However, the petrologic association of metabasites with micaschist, gneiss and marble and upper amphibolite facies conditions of metamorphism indicate that the basaltic rocks likely metamorphosed during Arabia-Eurasia continental collision, following consumption of the intervening Neo-Tethys Ocean and emplacement of the ophiolitic rocks in the region.

The Security-Development Nexus and the Jina Mahsa Amini Protests in Iran's Border Provinces

Even before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran's border provinces, which contain Arabs, Azeri Turks, Baluch, Kurds, and Turkmen, were marginalized and securitized by the state. These processes and outcomes have created a vicious cycle and self-fulfilling prophecy within the context of the so-called security-development nexus. Iran's peripheral provinces border Iraq and Turkey in the west and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. They are located far from Tehran in the inaccessible and inhospitable terrain and climate of mountains and deserts. This geography and topography partially explain why these provinces have been traditionally neglected by the state. Beyond the geographic remoteness and topographic inaccessibility of these provinces, their ethno-religious demographics and marginalization-based grievances, including those that existed during the shah's industrial and urban-focused development drive before the revolution, have fostered local opposition to the state. Most recently, between 2022 and 2023, this opposition has culminated in the Jina Mahsa Amini or Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

Adjoint Waveform Tomography for Crustal and Upper Mantle Structure of the Middle East and Southwest Asia for Improved Waveform Simulations Using Openly Available Broadband Data

ABSTRACT We present a new model of radially anisotropic seismic wavespeeds for the crust and upper mantle of a broad region of the Middle East and Southwest Asia (MESWA) derived from adjoint waveform tomography. The new model enables fully 3D simulations of complete three-component waveforms and provides improved fits that were not possible with previous models. We inverted over 32,000 waveforms from 192 earthquakes recorded by over 1000 openly available broadband seismic stations from permanent and temporary networks in the region with highly uneven coverage. Inversion iterations proceeded from the period band 50–100 s in six stages and 54 total iterations reducing the minimum period to 30 s. Our final model, MESWA, improves waveform fits compared to the starting and other models for both the data used in the inversion and an independent validation set of 66 events. Restitution tests indicate that the model resolves features in the central part of the model to depths of about 150 km. The new model reveals tectonic features imaged by other studies and methods but in a new holistic model of anisotropic shear and compressional wavespeeds (VS and VP, respectively) covering a larger domain with smaller scale length and amplified features. Examples include low crustal VS in the Tethyan belt and low mantle VS following divergent (Gulf of Aden, Red Sea) and transform (Dead Sea fault) margins of the Arabian plate. Low VS is imaged below Cenozoic volcanic centers of the Mecca–Madina–Nafud Line, Arabian Peninsula, and the Türkiye–Iran border region. Elevated VS tracks Makran subduction under southeast Iran with near vertical dip. MESWA could be used as a starting model for further improvements, say, using waveforms from in-country seismic networks that are not currently openly available and/or smaller-scale studies targeting a shorter period. The model could be used to improve earthquake hazard studies and nuclear explosion monitoring.

Border villages and the suffering of Kolberi: focus on Kolbers mothers' narratives of their children's Kolberi experience.

The present research investigates the activity of Kolberi in the border villages of western and northwestern Iran, specifically in the Kurdish area of Nosud in Kermanshah province. Kolberi, a form of labor in these regions, subjects individuals to severe risks, including painful death or lifelong physical injuries, bringing considerable suffering and hardships to the Kolbers and their families. This study explores the narratives of Kolbers' mothers regarding their children's Kolberi experiences through Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework of social suffering. This qualitative study employs interpretive phenomenology to examine the lived experiences of mothers in the Nosud border area. Twenty-two Kolbers' mothers were selected using purposive sampling. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, continuing until theoretical saturation was achieved. Content analysis of the interviews revealed eight basic themes: (1) occurrence and aggravation of physical and mental complications, (2) reproduction of poverty and misery, (3) marginalization of the field of education in border areas, (4) emergence of structural determinism alongside environmental determinism, (5) weakening of the social status of Kolbers, (6) Kolber and bare life, (7) structural dehumanization of Kolber's position, and (8) unique experiences of mothers regarding Kolberi. The findings highlight the unique and often neglected experiences of mothers related to Kolberi, emphasizing the economic struggles in Iran's border areas. These experiences unveil hidden aspects of Kolberi, suggesting potential avenues for further research and contributing to the revitalization of activism among Kolbers' mothers in border regions. The study underscores the importance of addressing the socio-economic conditions that perpetuate Kolberi and its associated sufferings.

Genesis of Sulfide Mineralization in the Gallala Area Kurdistan Region, Iraq: Constraints from Major and Trace Elements of Sulfide Ore Mineralization and their Host Rocks

This article presents and interprets new geochemical data from the Gallala sulfide mineralization, situated in the Choman District of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq close to the Iraq and Iranian border. The host rocks belong to the Walash-Naopurdan Group, which developed in the Paleocene-Eocene age in the Zagros Suture Zone. The ore mineral assemblage of the Gallala area consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and magnetite. The mineral chemistry and geochemical analysis indicate that there is a significant variation in concentrations of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and magnetite from the Gallala mineralization. The trace element characteristics of the sulfide mineralization and their host rocks indicate that the ore-forming materials were derived from hydrothermal fluids being interacted with the igneous rocks. The trace element signatures and REE distributions of the studied samples, tectonically lead to suggest island-arc and back-arc environments in the Gallala area. Additionally, the REE patterns of the Gallala sulfides indicate the ore-forming fluids are related to arc-related hydrothermal systems. The integration of geochemical features along with the chemistry of ore mineralization such as the Selenium/Sulfur ratio of pyrite, Co/Ni ratios from both pyrite and chalcopyrite, the Zn/Cd values from the sphalerite, and the petrogenetic discriminate diagrams of magnetite reveal that the genesis of the sulfide mineralization can be attributed to volcanogenic to hydrothermal ore-formations with high to medium temperatures origin.

Muslim Reformers in Tbilisi – the Case of the Magazine ‘Mollā Nasreddin’

In the early 20th century, a group of artists and intellectuals reinterpreted a Middle Eastern folklore figure to construct a reformist and anti-colonial Muslim discourse with a strong emphasis on social and political reform. Their periodical Mollā Nasreddin touched tens of thousands of individuals in the Muslim world through folklore, visual art, and satire, changing the mindset of an entire generation. The newly founded journal soon assembled the most advanced team of Azerbaijani intellectuals. Along with the editor, Jalil Memedqolizādeh, famous writers and poets such as Alakbar Sabir, Abdulrahimbey Hakverdiyev, Ali Nazmi, Aligulu Gamkusari, Mamed Said Ordubadi, Omar Faik Nemanzadeh, Salman Mumtaz and others were published on the pages of the magazine under different pseudonyms. Mollā Nasreddin was not the organ of any particular political party, though the editor and nearly all its staff were partial towards social democracy. Most of the writers and poets belonged to the Shi’i Muslim community, which was also the journal’s primary audience. However, the co-founder Ömar Fāeq was a Sunni Muslim, and the two principal artists, Schmerling and Rotter, were Christian and Jewish, respectively. From 1906 to 1912, around 370 issues of Mollā Nasreddin were published in Tiflis. The paper began with a modest weekly printing of 1,000 copies on 7 April 1906, but in a month, was printing 25,000 copies per week. In this most radical stage of the paper, Mollā Nasreddin lambasted politicians, landowners, and clerics of the South Caucasus and revealed the heartrending lives of women and children who suffered from the indignities of a highly patriarchal culture. These articles were followed by periodic attacks on the editor from both the tsarist authorities and Iranian and Transcaucasian Shi’i clerics, leading to censorship, occasional closures, and even confiscation of the paper on the Iranian border.

Water quantity–quality assessment in the transboundary river basin under climate change: a case study

Abstract This study combined hydrological and water quality simulation models with a water resources planning model to project future water supply conditions under the dam construction in the Harirud River, located at the Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and the Iran border. The sustainability requirements and possible conflicts among riparian countries were assessed under climate change and future development in Afghanistan's upstream. The water quantity and quality of the Doosti Dam Basin on the Harirud River were investigated based on a contemporary time (1955–2015) to predict the future condition (2020–2099). The representative concentration pathway scenarios were applied based on five bias-corrected climate models. Results showed that most areas of the study area experienced an increase in temperature (1.5–3.8°C) and a decrease in precipitation (19–24%). The Doosti Dam inflow decreased by about 70% after the Salma Dam construction, and the reliability and sustainability of agricultural water supply in Iran and Turkmenistan will reduce to less than 3% under the representative concentration pathways 8.5 climate change scenario. The results show that the Doosti Dam is not a reliable source to supply the domestic water demand of Mashhad, the second most important city in Iran.

Հայաստանի ու Իրանի մոտեցումները տարածաշրջանային նոր մարտահրավերներին

The last Artsakh war and the difficult situation around Armenia showed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the existing problems and challenges were not only not overcome, but new ones were added to them. The work presents Israel's military support to Azerbaijan during the 44-day war, which, according to the author, was carried out mainly due to Israel's insatiable desire to get closer to Iran's borders. From the available facts, the author comes to the conclusion that Israel has succeeded in this, which resulted in the severe tension between Azerbaijan and Iran during the recent period. Throughout the 44-day war, Iran tried to maintain the balance, but at the same time, its main task was to maintain its positions in the South Caucasus. The activation of Iranian diplomacy after the war is also noteworthy. Tehran tried to participate in the newly emerging situation with various proposals. After the war, it was obvious that Turkey's influence in the South Caucasus would increase even more, and also mercenaries and for the first time representatives of the Israeli intelligence service were brought to the region by Azerbaijan, which contradicts the security of the Iranian national, which he has spoken about several times. Even in Iran, having a good idea of the serious changes taking place in the region, they believe that they should also make the issues of changing the previous toolset and starting new quality discussions with the United States and the EU, concluding new temporary alliances a topic of discussion.

Arrowheads in the cultural-historical property repository of the Administration of Cultural Heritage of Kerman. An Introduction

In this paper, the authors have examined 94 unprovenanced arrowheads (tanged and socketed) that are stored in the cultural historical property repository of the Administration of Cultural Heritage of Kerman Province (Southeastern Iran). The illlegal possessors claimed to have discovered the arrowheads via illegal diggings in the Kerman Province. Most of the examined arrowheads were probably designed for warfare and are comparable to findings within current borders of Iran or its vicinity. Most of the tanged arrowheads probably date to the Iron Age of Iran (1450-550 B.C.). Most of the trilobate arrowheads can be compared to the findings of Achaemenid sites or resemble items that have been excavated from layers associated with the Achaemenids. Some of the Bronze Age arrowheads, however, could not be compared with any items that have been recovered from Iran or its neighboring regions.

Road Traffic Accidents of Undocumented Immigrants Crossing Southeast Borders of Iran

Road Traffic Accidents of Undocumented Immigrants Crossing Southeast Borders of Iran

Moisture sources for precipitation variability over the Arabian Peninsula

We apply the Lagrangian-based moisture back trajectory method to two reanalysis datasets to determine the moisture sources for wet season precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula, defined as land on the Asian continent to the south of the Turkish border and west of Iran. To accomplish this, we make use of the evaporative source region between 65°W–120°E and 30°S–60°N, which is divided into twelve sub-regions. Our comparison of reanalyses and multiple observations allows us to validate datasets and highlight broad-scale similarities in characteristics, notwithstanding some inconsistencies in the southwest AP. The results indicate north-to-south spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the characteristics of dominant moisture sources. In the north, moisture for precipitation is mainly sourced from midlatitude land and water bodies, such as the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. Areas further south are dependent on moisture transport from the Western Indian Ocean and parts of the African continent. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exhibits an overall positive but sub-seasonally varying influence on the precipitation variability over the region, with noticeable moisture anomalies from all major source regions. A significant drying trend exists over parts of the Peninsula, which both reanalyses partially attribute to anomalies in the moisture advection from the Congo Basin and South Atlantic Ocean. However, considerable uncertainty in evaporation trends over the terrestrial evaporative sources in observations warrants additional modeling studies to further our understanding of key processes contributing to the negative trends.

‘I am them and they are me’: the transnational body as collective in Iranian women’s cinema

ABSTRACT Women’s bodies have often been used as metonymic, standing for the nation and its ideologies. In exploring both narrative and documentary style filmmaking, I turn to two films: Gilaneh (2006) by Rakhshan Banietemad and A Moon for my Father (2019) co-directed by Mania Akbari and Douglas White. In Gilaneh, Banietemad codifies the maternal to symbolise the nation, but only to subvert and critique the state’s neglect of the forgotten mother. By imagining war beyond the borders of Iran, Banietemad also imagines the mother figure across the nation, giving her international significance. In A Moon for my Father Akbari features her own body and battle with breast cancer. Even in the film’s most intimate moments, Akabri reflects on and connects herself to the women’s movement in Iran. In their conceptualisation of women’s bodies, I argue that both Banietemad and Akbari extend the singular body beyond its national boundaries, calling for and insisting upon an intersectional and collective feminism.