A deadly alcohol crisis in Iran


Security forces destroying seized bottles of spirits in Teheran. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

WHEN a renowned Iranian artist hosted friends at his apartment in Teheran last month, he served, as he did often, a bottle of homemade aragh, a traditional Iranian vodka distilled from raisins, that he had secured from a trusted dealer.

His guests and his partner did not drink that evening, so he raised shot glasses to them and drank alone.

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