10 years later, is Iran replacing Iraq?
“There is no question whatsoever that [blank] is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons — no question whatsoever. And there is no question that once he acquires it, history shifts immediately.” If you automatically substituted in Iran for the blank here, you certainly cannot be blamed. The “no […]
Shredding the NPT
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty gets bandied about on both sides of the Iran negotiations. Iranian officials often use the fact that Israel is not a signatory of the treaty to question Israel’s nuclear arsenal while defending their own right to a civilian enrichment program. At the same time, U.S. and Israeli politicians use it much […]
These Are the Facts
Today marked the release of the first in a series of reports from an impressive group of former US ambassadors, retired generals and policy experts dubbed The Iran Project. The primary purpose of the paper, titled “Weighing Benefits and Costs of Military Action Against Iran”, is to answer the tough questions and ensure that Americans […]
The Realities of “Preventive” Strikes
Certain media outlets as well as conservative political camps in both the US and Israel would have you believe that it would take no more than a few days of airstrikes to delay and/or end Iran’s nuclear program. This claim is misleading in more ways than I can count, but here are a few. Compared […]
Iran News Roundup: August 13, 2012
Iran earthquakes: Tehran criticized for response to disaster Iran Moves to Distribute Aid After Two Earthquakes Kill 307 Iran raises toll from Saturday’s earthquake to 306 dead, over 3,000 injured Israeli Minister Asks Nations to Say Iran Talks Have Failed Revised gov’t protocol gives PM unprecedented powers Nuclear ruse: Posing as toymaker, Chinese merchant allegedly […]
Iran VP Rahimi’s Hard Times and Anti-Semitism
While anti-Zionist rhetoric from Tehran has become all too common, a recent speech by Iranian vice president Mohammad Reza Rahimi seems to have hit a new low. Going far beyond traditional anti-Zionist rhetoric, Rahimi’s anti-Semitic speech actually accused the holy text of Judaism of being responsible for the spread of illicit drugs around the globe. […]
Clinton and Baker on Iran, Israeli strikes, and diplomacy
In an interview with Charlie Rose at the State Department last Wednesday, June 20, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former Secretary of State James Baker discussed the role of diplomacy in resolving US- Iranian tensions [watch the interview here, read the transcript here]. Baker said the U.S. must pursue all non-military means to prevent an […]
Iran News Update: June 20, 2012
Israeli Action Led to Virus’s Detection A joint product of U.S. and Israeli intelligence, the Flame computer virus was discovered last month after Israel unilaterally launched a cyberattack on Iran’s oil industry that caught the U.S. “off guard,” according to several US and Western officials (Washington Post 6/19). Reflecting on Moscow Talks A senior U.S. […]
Ending characterization of “the other” is key to an Iran agreement
As a French-Iranian who has been exposed to both Iranian and Western mindsets, I have witnessed the lack of understanding that exists between Iran and the United States firsthand. During my travels and personal meetings, I have been able to access both narratives and what has struck me most is the harsh and intense misleading […]
Military Leaders Warn Against War with Iran
As politicians have made increasingly belligerent statements about war with Iran, top current and retired military officials have come forward to warn that the consequence of war would be devastating and that it should only be considered as the very last option. In fact, eight senior retired military and intelligence officials even published a letter […]
Collective punishment was always the point of crippling Iran sanctions
A YNet article, “Israeli officials: Starve Iranians to stop nukes” is reopening the debate about what is the goal of our broad sanctions regime against Iran, with some saying such sentiments reek of collective punishment. But really, the cat has been out of the bag on this one for a long time. Broad, indiscriminate, “crippling” […]
News Roundup 02/08
Iran Sanctions Squeeze Country’s Food Supply Sanctions are beginning to seriously affect Iran’s ability to import food products. The All India Rice Exporters’ Association has called on its members to stop exporting rice to Iran on credit after Iranian buyers defaulted on payments for 200,000 tons of rice (Chicago Tribune 02/07). In addition, Ukraine has […]