Trump: Using Ahmadinejad’s Playbook
A growing chorus of voices warns of dire consequences should Republican Donald Trump win the presidency, but few beltway insiders give him a realistic chance of victory. Many Iranians around the world think differently.
Iran News Roundup: July 19, 2012
Confusion Surrounds Identity of Suicide Bomber in Bulgaria Swedish and Israeli officials are denying Bulgarian reports that the suicide bomber who carried out an attack on a bus full of Israeli tourists Thursday, killing five Israelis, was Swedish citizen connected to al Qaeda (The Atlantic 7/19). In an interview with MSNBC, Israeli Ambassador to the […]
Salamatian on society, state, and sanctions in Iran
The following is a transcription from an interview with Ahmad Salamatian on the French radio France Culture (on February 20, 2012). Mr. Salamatian, a political analyst who served in the Islamic Republic’s first government under Bani Sadr and cofounded the Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights, explains the evolution of Iranian society […]
Iran News Roundup: 19 June 2012
Moscow Talks Concludes Talks concluded today with the parties agreeing to an “early follow-on technical-level meeting” in Istanbul on July 3rd, to be followed by a meeting at the deputy-level between the EU and Iran (Reuters 6/19). EU representative Catherine Ashton said the P5+1 remains “absolutely unified in seeking a swift diplomatic resolution to international […]
Iran News Roundup: 18 June 2012
Talks Resume in Moscow In what Reuters calls a “nervous atmosphere,” talks between the P5+1 and Iran resumed today in Moscow. A western diplomat said, “Ashton is willing to stay in Moscow as long as it takes,” although the climate inside the meetings was “tense and tough,” according to another unnamed Western source (Al-Monitor 6/18; Reuters […]
Iran News Roundup: June 12, 2012
China Not Exempted from Sanctions The Obama Administration announced yesterday that seven more countries that import Iranian oil, including India and Turkey, would be exempt from the oil sanctions going into effect in less than a month. (NYT 6/11/12; Washington Post 6/11/12) Notably absent from the list of exempt nations is China, currently the largest importer […]
Washington and Tehran’s Vicious Spin Cycle
The crux of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran is that, at some point, in order to succeed, each side will have to take a deep breath and shake hands on a deal. But thirty years of mutual demonization and fear mongering, means it takes serious political courage to come to the table, and even […]
Iran News Roundup 02/07
New sanctions continue to weaken Iran’s middle class According to the New York Times, sanctions and Iran’s economic decline have primarily impacted the middle class, with many in Iran increasingly unable to afford living expenses or maintain businesses that are losing clients. “We know they want to pressure us so we rise against our government, […]
News Roundup 01/30
Iran invites IAEA inspectors to extend visit Iranian foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi told journalists that the three day inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency can be extended “if they desire”. Iranian officials have insisted that Iran’s quest for nuclear energy is for peaceful purposes and “the remarks appear to be part of a […]
Iran News Roundup 01/26
Iran unlikely to begin building nuclear weapon in 2012 According to a report drafted by the Institute for Science and International Security, Iran is unlikely to take steps toward building a nuclear weapon in 2012 due to their inability to produce a sufficient amount of weapons-grade uranium. According to the report, “Iran’s essential challenge remains […]
Iran hedges its bets on Syria
How shocking it was this week to see statements by leading Iranian officials offering advice and criticism on Syria’s handling of its protests. One must grimace at the utter hypocrisy of Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi talking about the Syrian people’s “legitimate demands”, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying “a military solution is never […]
Iran Factions Use Hikers for Own Political Games
If previous Iranian government behavior is any indication, the 8 year sentence handed down this past weekend against the two American hikers, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, is by no means the final word. The Iranian government has always sought more tactical flexibility and uses situations such as this to leverage its opponents. But in […]