Iran Primer's Blog
Why is Parchin Important (or Not)?
Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog failed to strike a deal after two days of negotiations from January 16-17. The U.N. demand to access the Parchin military complex near Tehran has been a divisive issue in previous talks. The…
Tehran’s Mixed Messages on U.N. Nuclear Talks
Iranian and U.N. officials failed to produce an agreement after intensive talks in Tehran from January 16-17. Iran has sent mixed messages on negotiations with the International Atomic Energy (IAEA). Ambassador to the IAEA Ali…
Profile: Revolutionary Guards Chief Gen. Jafari
Alireza Nader As commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari is one of the dozen most powerful men in Iran. He is a hard-line ideologue loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He rose to power through a…
Iran’s Influence in Afghanistan After U.S. Pullout
Omar Samad Has Iran's influence in Afghanistan changed since the U.S. troop surge in 2010? What steps has it taken in anticipation of the U.S. withdrawal planned for 2014? The Islamic Republic considers the U.S. presence in Afghanistan a major security…
Ahmadinejad Urges Parliament to Cut Reliance on Oil
On January 16, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Parliament that Iran needs to cut reliance on petrodollars “once and for all.” Iran’s oil revenues have dropped 45 percent in the last nine months, according to parliament’s budget committee…
Letter Appeals to Obama, Khamenei from Former Iran Parliamentarians
On January 7, seven former Iranian parliamentarians called for direct talks between Washington and Tehran on the nuclear issue. They urged Iran to stop enriching uranium to twenty percent in return for a lift on international…
Pew: Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion
Among 197 countries, Iran ranked sixth in restricting freedom of religion, according to a Pew Research Center survey. It even ranked below Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. The following are selected results from The Pew Forum on…
Congress Report: Iran Intelligence Expanding
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security has recently expanded its operations in the Middle East and beyond, most notably in Latin America and Europe, according to a new report by the Library of Congress. A profile of the ministry,…
Pew: Iran’s Popularity (or Not) in the World
As part of its Global Attitudes Project, the Pew Research Center surveyed attitudes about Iran among major countries. The two charts below reflect the two halves of the answer to the same question. The question: Please…
48 Iranian Captives Return from Syria
On January 10, 48 Iranian captives landed in Tehran after their release by Syrian rebels. The Syrian government freed 2,130 detainees in exchange for the Iranians, according to the Turkish humanitarian organization that coordinated…