''Tehran'' () is an Israeli
spy thriller
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelli ...
television series created by Moshe Zonder for the Israeli public channel
Kan 11
Kan 11 ( ) is an Israeli state-owned free-to-air television channel. Operated by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), it launched on 15 May 2017, replacing Channel 1 after the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. It is ...
. Written by Zonder and Omri Shenhar and directed by
Daniel Syrkin, the series premiered in Israel on 22 June 2020 and on 25 September internationally on
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
. Featuring dialogue in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
, the series follows an
Israeli Mossad agent of
Iranian Jewish descent on her first mission in Iran's capital
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
, which is also the place of her birth.
The series was renewed by Apple TV+ for a second season in January 2021. The second season, starring
Glenn Close
Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...
, was released on 6 May 2022. On 8 February 2023, it was announced that the series had been renewed by Apple TV+ for a third season, with
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry.
Fry and Laurie act ...
joining the cast. It was released on 9 December 2024 on Kan 11, but not on Apple TV+.
At the
49th International Emmy Awards
The 49th International Emmy Awards ceremony took place on November 22, 2021 at Casa Cipriani in New York City, recognizing excellence in television programs produced and aired originally outside the U.S., and non-English language US primetime pr ...
held in November 2021, ''Tehran'' received the
award for best drama series, becoming the first Israeli series to win this award.
Plot
Season 1
Protagonist Tamar Rabinyan, a young
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
woman
born in Iran but raised in Israel, is a
Mossad
The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...
agent and
computer hacker
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
on an undercover mission in the Iranian capital to disable a
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
.
Her objective is to take down the Iranian air defences for long enough to enable the
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
to bomb a nuclear plant, and so prevent Iran from
obtaining an atomic bomb. When she arrives in Iran, she switches identities with Zhila Gorbanifar, a Muslim employee of the local electric company. In Zhila's place she enters the electric company station and connects to the computer network. Then she tries to cut electric power to the Iranian radar system, to facilitate an ongoing Israeli Air Force attack. Her mission fails because her boss, who thinks she is Zhila, tries to rape her and is killed in the ensuing struggle. After escaping, Tamar goes into hiding. Being born in Iran and having moved to Israel when she was six, Tamar now discovers her local roots, goes to see her aunt, and befriends Iranian pro-democracy activists.
Meanwhile, she is hunted by Faraz Kamali, head of investigations of the
Revolutionary Guards
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
.
Season 2

Prior to being smuggled out of Iran to start a new life in Canada, Tamar accepts a mission to rescue one of the Israeli pilots captured after the failed reactor mission. At the hospital where the pilot is being held, she encounters Marjan Montazami, a British
psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
and local agent for Mossad, who aids in her escape. Tamar's aunt is executed for assisting her, and a devastated Tamar agrees to stay in Tehran with Milad to undertake a new mission: the assassination of Qasem Mohammadi, who has been promoted to head of the Revolutionary Guards. Tamar works to gain access to Mohammadi by getting close to his son, Peyman. Faraz Kamali continues his relentless pursuit of Tamar, but finds himself compromised as Marjan begins working as a psychotherapist for his wife following her abduction and release by Mossad. In spite of Faraz's reluctant assistance, Tamar's attempt to poison Mohammadi fails, as does an attempt to kill him with a booby-trapped phone. After that they try to take control of Mohammadi's sports car as he races against his son, which only results in Peyman's death. Mossad Director Yulia Magen calls off the mission, but Tamar and Milad continue nevertheless. Marjan is poisoned by Nahid, Faraz's wife. Tamar manages to kill Mohammadi with the explosive mobile phone. Milad is killed by a car bomb planted by Mossad in the escape car, leaving Tamar alone and trapped in Iran with no one to trust.
Season 3
After Milad is assassinated by the Mossad and Tamar narrowly escapes losing her life, she has to evade both the
IRGC
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
agents and Mossad, who have marked her for death for killing the general against direct orders. Amir, a local Mossad agent tries to kill her but she kills him first. She then goes into hiding in a women's shelter.
A South African nuclear inspector, Eric Peterson, is convinced that Iran is building a nuclear weapon, despite all other evidence and countless inspections. As head of an inspection team working to ensure that Iran is not enriching weapons grade uranium, he has access to Iran's nuclear facilities. He uses this access to plant a spy camera. A colleague sees him and secretly asks him to remove it. Which he does, only to get immediately arrested by Faraz. He and his team are imprisoned.
Tamar steals Marjan's laptop and uses information in it as leverage to prevent the Mossad from killing her. She uncovers evidence that Iran is trying to assemble a nuclear weapon by smuggling in parts of the warhead through a shipping company. It's owned by Ramin Rasmi; a powerful smuggler with allies in the Iranian government, whom Tamar befriends. Tamar uses this information to get back in the good graces of Yulia Magen. This intel is the only thing that prevents a Mossad agent codenamed "the Owl" from killing her. Tamar and Nissan "the Owl" then start working together.
Tamar's and Eric Peterson's paths first cross in Ramin's warehouse. Peterson is taken there and pressured to help the Iranians assemble and test the bomb. Unwitting robbers try to steal chemical shipments from the same building, thinking there are no people present. They encounter armed guards and a shoot-out ensues. The robbers take Peterson hostage, unaware of his importance.
Faraz kidnaps Tamar, then makes a deal with Yulia to cooperate with the Mossad and not kill Tamar in exchange for asylum in Norway. He does this for his wife's sake, after finding out she's planning to ran away and escape Iran to live with her sister in Norway. As part of the deal, a Mossad spy accompanies his wife as they await directions on how get out of Iran. Nissan gets to Tamar and Faraz. He catches Faraz unawares and at gun point, they lock him up in a shed. Breaking their so called "deal". They then continue with their mission of rescuing Peterson.
The hostage taker agrees to give Peterson to Ramin Rasmi in an exchange. Tamar and Nissan track where Peterson and his hostage taker are to meet Ramin. They get to him only moments before the
Sepah
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
and successfully escape with him. In the process, Tamar blows her cover to Ramin. The Sepah instead arrest Ramin. The Mossad orders them to take a freed Peterson to Israel, but before they can do so ; he turns against them and shows his true colours. He holds Tamar hostage, revealing to her that he was working for the Iranians the entire time, and that his arrest was a cover story. His imprisonment was all an elaborate ploy to trick the international community, making him the last person anyone would suspect of helping the
IRGC
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
build a nuclear weapon. Peterson escapes from the Israeli spies with Faraz's help. Meanwhile, while in detention, Faraz gives Ramin an ultimatum to apprehend Tamar in order to prove his loyalty to the Iranian regime and government. Peterson continues to work on assembling the smuggled nuclear weapon parts with the aim of testing it as soon as possible.
The Mossad spy sent to Nahid, holds her hostage after the deal falls through. At gunpoint, he tries to move to her a different location but gets shot dead by a detective suspicious of Faraz and Nahid. Later, he tries to get Nahid to tell the truth about who the guy was and what actually happened to her dead therapist, Marjan. Nahid tricks him into helping her escape home and the armed security detail deployed there. She goes into hiding at the same women's shelter Tamar did. Tamar keeps her promise to Nahid, and at the shelter she leaves her a passport, money in denominations of American dollars and a safe haven away from Faraz. She gets one last call from Faraz who later, to a different character reveals that between his wife, personal life and the Iranian government, he would choose to serve the government above all other things.
After Peterson returns to assemble and test the nuke, they find the
malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
hidden by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
. It turns out, Ramin Rasmi, as he worked with the regime to smuggle in parts of the warhead, also worked with the CIA to
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
the nuke rendering it useless. He reveals this secret to Tamar and they work together to stop the Iranians, who under Peterson's behest begin efforts to find the malware and fix the components of the
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
. Peterson had realised that the
control unit
The control unit (CU) is a component of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that directs the operation of the processor. A CU typically uses a binary decoder to convert coded instructions into timing and control signals that direct the op ...
for the nuke was faulty after getting diagnostic information from a female scientist he trusts. Later, Nissan kills this scientist but moments later he himself gets killed by special forces. Peterson works on eliminating the malware and after he successfully does so; secretly sets a timer for noon to have the nuke explode. His plan is for the prototype to have a nuclear explosion while still at the underground laboratory where it was being assembled. Resulting in a
seismic reading that could be positively identified by the international community as a
nuclear test
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to signal strength. Bec ...
, emitting
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
that Iran could not hide from the world, killing all its top nuclear scientists and destroying the facility rendering it useless for future use. According to Peterson; the depth of the tunnels would have contained the nuclear blast, the radiation would mean the Iranians could not hide the nuke's existence and he considered any resultant loss of life as acceptable. This would confirm that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons, provoking an international reaction and preventing Iran from hiding its intentions behind the guise of civilian use of nuclear technology for power generation and peaceful scientific research.
Peterson is then thanked by the clueless Iranian team in charge of the nuclear weapons program, ordered to return to prison and informed that the prototype will be tested on that very same day. Which is contrary to the schedule he had set. He realizes that the preponement will result in the prototype exploding above surface and in a populated Tehran while it's being transported to the
test site. And not at the underground lab that would have cointained the blast. Which could kill hundreds of thousands of civilians. To prevent this, he convices Tamar and Ramin to help him stop the looming nuclear explosion.
They rescue him as he's being returned to prison and later trick, kidnap and coerce Faraz to help them. Needless to say, most of them have lost trust in Peterson, but the risks are too high to take a chance that he's
double crossing
''Double Crossing'' is a Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Supermystery crossover novel. It was published in 1988 under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym.
Plot summary
Nancy and George Fayne, George are on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, with George being the ...
them yet again. In the end, they're successful but at the cost of some of them losing their lives. Peterson and Tamar take out the
core
Core or cores may refer to:
Science and technology
* Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages
* Core (laboratory), a highly specialized shared research resource
* Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding
* Core (optical fiber ...
, so that any explosion from the prototype will not be nuclear in nature instead of stopping the timed explosion. They opt not to try and stop the timed explosion as it would be too risky and they have only a handful of minutes. The conventional explosion kills Eric Peterson, Faraz Kamali and destroys Iran's only known nuclear prototype. Tamar and Ramin are able to escape with the core and their lives while Iranian special forces arrive at the site of the explosion.
Cast
Main
*
Niv Sultan
Niv Sultan (; born September 16, 1992) is an Israeli actress. She is best known for starring in ''Tehran'', an Israeli espionage thriller television series that premiered in 2020 on Apple TV+ and Kan 11.
Early life and education
Niv Sultan w ...
as Tamar Rabinyan, a young Jewish woman born in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
but raised in Israel, a
Mossad
The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...
agent and
computer hacker
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
*
Shaun Toub
Shaun Toub (born February 15, 1958) is an American actor. He has played the character Yinsen in ''Iron Man'' (2008) and ''Iron Man 3'' (2013); Farhad in '' Crash'' (2004); Rahim Khan in '' The Kite Runner'' (2007); Majid Javadi in the Showtime ...
as Faraz Kamali, head of investigations of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
* Shervin Alenabi as Milad, Tamar's boyfriend (seasons 1–2)
* Menashe Noy as Meir Gorev (season 1)
*
Liraz Charhi
Liraz Charhi (; ) is an Iranian-Israeli actress, singer and dancer. She is the niece of singer Rita (Israeli singer), Rita Jahan-Farouz.
Early life
Charhi was born in Ramla, Israel, to an Iranian Jewish family. She was enlisted as a soldier to t ...
as Yael Kadosh (season 1)
* Shila Ommi as Nahid, wife of Faraz Kamali (seasons 2–3;
recurring season 1)
* Darius Homayoun as Peyman Mohammadi, son of Qasem and Fatemeh Mohammadi (season 2)
*
Glenn Close
Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...
as Marjan Montazami, a British Mossad agent in Tehran (season 2)
*
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry.
Fry and Laurie act ...
as Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector (season 3)
Special guest stars
*
Navid Negahban
Navid Negahban () is an Iranian-American actor. He has appeared on '' 24'', ''Homeland'', '' Mistresses'', and as Amahl Farouk / Shadow King in the second and third seasons of FX's '' Legion''. He has also starred as the Sultan in the live-ac ...
as Masoud Tabrizi (season 1)
Recurring
* Esti Yerushalmi as Arezoo, maternal aunt of Tamar and mother of Raziyeh Nekumard (seasons 1–2)
* Arash Marandi as Ali, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps agent working under Kamali. (seasons 1–2)
*
Vassilis Koukalani as
Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...
Qasem Mohammadi, head of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (seasons 1–2)
* Danny Sher as Mike (season 1)
*
Moe Bar-El as Karim (season 1)
* Ash Goldeh as Hassan (season 1)
* Nati Navid Toobian as Dariush, father of Raziyeh Nekumard (seasons 1–2)
* Reza Brojerdi as Farham Kasrai (season 1)
* Alex Naki as Mordechai Rabinyan, Tamar's father (season 1)
* Qais Khan as Mohammed Balochi (season 1)
* Sogand Sara Fakheri as Raziyeh Nekumard (seasons 1–2)
* Reza Diako as Shahin (season 2 special appearance; season 1)
* Dan Mor as Eran (season 1)
*
Tomer Machloof as Nevo (season 1)
* Sara von Schwarze as Yulia Magen (season 2)
* Bahador Foladi as Amir (season 2)
* Sia Alipour as Vahid Nemati (season 2)
*
Behi Djanati Atai as Fatemeh Mohammadi, wife of Qasem Mohammadi and mother of Peyman Mohammadi (season 2)
*
Bijan Daneshmand
Bijan Daneshmand (, born 16 August 1958) is an Iranian actor and artist based in London, England.
Early life and education
Bijan Daneshmand was born on 16 August 1958 in Tehran, Iran. At the age of 10, he moved to England to receive his early e ...
as Dr. Kourosh Zamestani, head of the hospital (season 2)
*
Elnaaz Norouzi
Elnaaz Norouzi (; born 9 July 1992 or 1996) is an Iranian-German actress who mainly works in Bollywood. She is known for playing the role of ''Zoya Mirza'' in Indian crime thriller '' Sacred Games''. She made her Hollywood debut with Gerard But ...
as Yasaman Haddadi (season 2)
*
Bahar Pars
Bahar Pars (; born 28 March 1979) is an Iranian-Swedish actress and director.
Early life
Pars was born in Shiraz, Iran, and came to Trelleborg, Sweden in 1989 with her family after the war between Iran and Iraq. Between 2003 and 2007 she studi ...
(season 3)
*
Phoenix Raei as Ramin Rasmi (season 3)
*
Sasson Gabai
Sasson Gabai (or Gabay; ; born ) is an Israeli actor. He is the winner of an Ophir Award, Asia Pacific Screen Award (nominated), European Film Awards and Jerusalem Film Festival in 2007 as Best Actor in the highly acclaimed Israeli film '' Th ...
as Nissan the 'Owl' (season 3)
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2022)
Season 3 (2024)
Production and distribution
Season 1 production
The series was created by Moshe Zonder for the Israeli public channel
Kan 11
Kan 11 ( ) is an Israeli state-owned free-to-air television channel. Operated by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), it launched on 15 May 2017, replacing Channel 1 after the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. It is ...
.
It was co-written by Zonder and Omri Shenhar, and directed by
Daniel Syrkin,
Production began on 28 October 2019. Some of the actors playing Iranians were born in Iran, and speak the language as their mother tongue. Niv Sultan, who plays Tamar, studied
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
for four months. In addition, she studied
Krav Maga
Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli Hand-to-hand combat, self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from aikido, boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...
, an Israeli self-defence system. The series was shot entirely on location in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
.
International distribution and release
The series premiered on Kan 11 in Israel on 22 June 2020,
In July 2019,
Cineflix
Cineflix Media is a Canadian global media production and distribution company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it has branches in Toronto, New York City, London, and Dublin.
Subsidiaries include United Kingdom-based Cineflix Rights, ...
acquired exclusive global distribution rights for the series. On 16 June 2020,
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
bought international rights to the series outside of Israel, including serving as the exclusive streaming home to the series worldwide.
The series was popular with audiences in India, Japan, and Singapore.
In September 2020, it was announced that Moshe Zonder, the series co-creator, had signed a first-look deal with
Apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
. In October 2020, Niv Sultan signed with
WME.
Season 2
On 10 September 2020, it was announced that co-creator Moshe Zonder had signed a multi-year "first look" deal to create projects for Apple TV+.
In December 2020, executive producer Julien Leroux said that production had begun on a second season though it had not been officially approved.
On 26 January 2021, Apple TV+ confirmed that the series had been renewed for the second season.
On 22 June 2021, it was announced that
Glenn Close
Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...
would be joining the cast. The second season was released on 6 May 2022.
Filming for Season 2 began in August 2021. Season 2 was released on 6 May 2022, with the first two episodes released that day and later episodes on a weekly basis.
Season 3
On 8 February 2023, Apple TV+ announced that ''Tehran'' had been renewed for a third season, with
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry.
Fry and Laurie act ...
set to join the ensemble cast.
The show's producers and
Kan 11
Kan 11 ( ) is an Israeli state-owned free-to-air television channel. Operated by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), it launched on 15 May 2017, replacing Channel 1 after the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. It is ...
reached an interim agreement to allow production of the third season to continue during the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...
. The third season, produced by both Apple TV+ and KAN 11, wrapped shooting in Greece in the summer of 2023 and was supposed to premiere around April 2024, but the release was delayed due to the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
and the ensuing
Iran–Israel conflict.
Kan announced in April 2024 that they would attempt to persuade Apple to reconsider and approve an alternative release date.
In November 2024, after Kan received the green light from co-producers Apple, the season premiere was announced for 9 December 2024 on Kan, but remained unannounced for Apple TV+.
The first episode of the third season aired on 9 December 2024 on Kan 11, with a single subsequent episode airing weekly, with the exception of episode 6 "No Way Out". The last two episodes of the season aired back to back on Kan 11 on 27 January 2025, while having still been unannounced for Apple TV+.
Season 4
In November 2023, producers were asked to rewrite parts of the fourth season due to real-life events from the war resembling scenes in the series, leading to a delay in the filming and production schedules.
Reception
''Tehran'' has received positive reviews from critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, season one holds a rating of 94% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Tehran'' expertly plotted twists further elevate a geopolitical thriller deftly balanced between the global and the personal." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the show has a score of 72 out of 100, based on six critics.
Writing in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Rebecca Nicholson gave the second series four out of five, praising Close's performance and describing the series as "a solid thriller, often breathlessly exciting,
hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
has cracked the code of relentless tension".
References
External links
''Tehran''on Kan 11 website (in Hebrew), including stream of all aired episodes
''Tehran''at
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
*
*
*
{{Apple TV+
2020 Israeli television series debuts
Hebrew-language television shows
Israeli thriller television series
Apple TV+ original programming
Kan 11 original programming
Television shows set in Iran
Television shows filmed in Greece
Works about the Mossad
Mass media about the Iran–Israel proxy conflict
Tehran in fiction
Israeli spy television series
International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series winners
Persian-language television shows
Anti-Iranian sentiment