NIAC Urges Diplomatic Action at UNGA to Prevent Escalation
Iran’s new president clearly wants to negotiate and has sent a delegation to the UN that includes its previous successful nuclear negotiating team. It would be malpractice for the Biden administration not to test this opportunity.
UN Envoy Sparks Controversy on Human Rights Situation in Iran
Alena Douhan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur of unilateral coercive measures, was in Iran last week to examine and report on the impact of U.S. sanctions on the humanitarian situation in Iran. A professor of international law at the Belarusian State University, Douhan was appointed in 2020 and reports to the United Nations Human Rights […]
Zarif Says Iran Might Leave Nonproliferation Treaty
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Iran was prepared to leave the NPT after the JCPOA’s European parties triggered the accord’s “dispute resolution mechanism.”The dispute resolution mechanism initiates a process that can potentially lead to the reimposition of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.
Zarif stated that Iran’s steps to reduce compliance with the JCPOA are over, but that it was prepared to leave the NPT if UN sanctions are reimposed. He stated: “The steps to reduce compliance are over but if European countries continue their improper behavior or send Iran’s case to the UN Security Council, we will leave the NPT.”
Rouhani Goes to Japan & Discusses Potential Deal
In this week’s Iran Unfiltered, NIAC’s Sina Toossi covers the latest developments in Iran and the region for the week of December 2, 2019.
NIAC Welcomes Appointment of New Iran Human Rights Rapporteur
The appointment of Dr. Rehman to serve as the next Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran will ensure the continuation of important and neutral work aimed at holding Iran’s government accountable to its international human rights obligations.
NIAC Statement on Human Rights Report, Executions and Acid Attacks in Iran
Dr. Shaheed’s report once again highlights that Iran has yet to systematically address the human rights abuses raised by the monitor. Critically, the rate of executions has continued to spike at an alarming rate.
Iran and Women’s Rights
On Wednesday, Iran was elected to a second four-year term on the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a body charged with advancing gender equality and the rights of women around the world. The move was strongly criticized by the Obama administration, who denounced Iran’s long record of repressing women’s rights. Iran’s […]
Congress races to distort facts and kill Iran opening
From IranFact.org At the UN this week, the world saw a very different exchange between the U.S. and Iran than in the past years. Iranian President Rouhani declared that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and seeks to remove “mutual uncertainties with full transparency,” saying Iran “does not seek to increase tensions with the United States.” […]
Treasury’s Flawed Defense of Iran Aircraft Sanctions
Last week, the New York Times examined how sanctions that prevent Iran from purchasing Western aircraft and spare parts are hurting ordinary Iranians and have contributed to a record of over 1,700 plane crash deaths in Iran over the past decade. David Cohen, the Treasury Department Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence–who is responsible for […]
Iran News Roundup 01/17
U.S.-Israel missile defense drill cancelled as concerns grow over Israeli attack against Iran Senior military officials announced that the largest joint US-Israel missile defense drill has been postponed (Reuters 01/15). Israel officially claimed this was due to budget cuts, but some U.S. and Israeli officials said the exercise was mutually postponed to not inflame tensions with […]
Human Rights Monitor on Iran Faces Winding Path
The recent appointment of Ahmed Shaheed as the UN human rights monitor on Iran has triggered an assortment of reactions from the Iranian government regarding whether he will be allowed to visit the country for his investigation. An international observer could interpret the varied responses as a sign of Tehran’s weakness in failing to put […]
Haleh Sahabi killed at father’s funeral
Haleh Sahabi, a human rights activist and women rights champion, died today in a scuffle that broke out with Iranian government security forces at her father’s funeral, Reuters reported. Haleh was arrested for participating in protests following the 2009 election, and temporary released to attend the ceremony. Her father, Ezzatollah Sahabi (1930-2011) was a politician […]