Al Jazeera Interviews NIAC’s Reza Marashi on the Syrian Conflict and Iran’s Role
Al Jazeera interviews NIAC Research Director Reza Marashi on the conflict in Syria, Iran’s role, and the larger geopolitical battle being fought.
Five Myths About the U.S.-Iran Conflict
For Tehran, sanctions are too severe to circumvent by the old means. The U.S.-led assault on Iran’s banking infrastructure, shipping lines and oil exports has forced the Islamic Republic to create new methods of trade. And the Arab Spring is challenging U.S. and Iranian influence in the Middle East. Neither country really wants a collision–war would be disastrous for both–but that is where the status quo appears to be headed.
Iran News Roundup: July 5, 2012
P5+1 Talks to Continue Technical-level talks in Istanbul between the P5+1 and Iran ended early Wednesday, saying that talks would resume between the deputies of lead negotiators at an unspecified later date (NYT 7/5). In a new document, presented to Iran experts by Iran’s mission to the UN, which includes transcriptional excerpts, both parties seem […]
Nuclear Brinkmanship with Iran
If Obama is reelected, Congress will be no less destructive; Israel will be no less obstinate; and there is always the need to protect the Democratic brand for the next round of elections. At present, there is little reason to believe that a second Obama term will provide more flexibility on the various limitations that plagued his first term from the outset.
Al Jazeera Interviews NIAC’s Reza Marashi on Iran, Oil, and Sanctions
Al Jazeera interviews NIAC Research Director Reza Marashi on Iran, oil, sanctions, and the prospects for the future.
RT: Nuclear Negotiations in Moscow
RT interviews NIAC Research Director Reza Marashi on nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 in Moscow, Ahmadinejad’s decline, oil sanctions, and geopolitical dynamics of the conflict in Syria.
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 […]
How Iran Can Help Diplomacy Succeed
Conflict between America and Iran has reached the precipice of war, and there is more than enough blame to go around. Now, for the first time in decades, they are engaged in a sustained diplomatic process. Iran must make up its mind. Its decision on whether to engage the U.S. directly in Moscow will be telling.
Ploughshares Fund: Continuing the Diplomatic Process – An Interview with Reza Marashi
“After more than a decade of coercive policies, the track record is clear: Iran is paying an increasingly hefty price for its nuclear program,” says NIAC’s Reza Marashi. “Indiscriminate sanctions are derailing the Iranian economy and civil society, and inhibiting the ability of the average Iranian to manage the present and plan for the future. Even if sanctions are lifted, it may take years before Iran recuperates from the damage it has absorbed.”
The Iran-Negotiations Marathon
An institutionalized enmity that has taken over three decades to build will not be undone over the course of a few meetings. Success will only come if diplomats place a premium on patience rather than quick fixes. Diplomacy is hard, but the taboo of sustained U.S.-Iran dialogue has been broken–and that is diplomacy’s great promise: one can never predict where discussions will lead once they have started.
“Getting to Yes” With Iran Starts at Home
There is only one way to break a 34-year-old deadlock: break the rules. America and Iran must talk to each other and trade compromises of equal value in order to break down the hostility and misperceptions that paralyze our relations. Only by taking risks for peace will leaders in Washington and Tehran have the necessary deliverables to beat back critics and spoilers.
RT: US Moving to Delist MEK?
NIAC Research Director Reza Marashi discusses recent developments about the MEK, including the Wall Street Journal’s report that the Obama administration may remove the MEK from the State Department’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations.