Iran Primer's Blog

Obama Wrote Khamenei on ISIS Threat

      President Barack Obama wrote a secret letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mid-October to express concern about the growing threat of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, to the Middle East and the world. The message, which laid out a shared interest in combating ISIS…

Obama: Nuclear Deal an Open Question

            On November 5, President Barack Obama said that nuclear talks have been constructive but the main question is whether Tehran’s leaders “can manage to say yes to what clearly would be better for Iran.” In a press conference, he noted that a “sizable portion” of Iran’s political elite…

Former US Hostages: Their Thoughts on New Iran Diplomacy

            The United States marks the 35th anniversary of the American Embassy seizure in Tehran on November 4 — less than three weeks before the due date for a nuclear deal with Iran. The latest series of talks, launched in October 2013, has featured the highest level engagement between the…

Iran Sanctions: Which Way Out?

            With the deadline for a nuclear deal looming in less than a month, Iran and the world’s six major powers face tough decisions. The following article, originally published in August 2013, addresses sanctions relief, one of the key issues in negotiations.Ali Vaez       The United States…

Iran Nuclear Talks: The Final Month

            Iran and the world’s six major powers have less than a month to reach a deal that will ensure Tehran’s controversial nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful. Both sides are now intensifying their efforts to meet the November 24 deadline for an agreement. Leaders on both sides have…

U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief on Iran

             International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano called on Iran to take concrete measures to resolve outstanding issues with the U.N. nuclear watchdog during an address at the Brookings Institution on October 31. He discussed the IAEA’s role in the verification…

World Bank: Easier to Do Business in Iran

            Iran was ranked 130 out of 189 economies by the World Bank in its new Doing Business report, two positions higher than last year. The report measures regulations affecting 11 areas of the life of a business. Iran ranked 62 for starting a business, 89 for acquiring credit and 172 for…

Iran's Logic in Iraq War vs. Nuclear Talks

            A comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 may be possible prior to the November 24 deadline, despite widespread pessimism among analysts. In a new briefing, Seyedamir Hossein Mahdavi, a researcher at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University from 2013…

Economic Trends: Month of October

Garrett Nada            The biggest news in October was President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement that oil revenues have been slashed 30 percent. The cut is due in part to the falling oil price, now at about $85 a barrel, the lowest since 2012. Iran is largely dependent on crude oil exports, which…

Khamenei Comments: The West Created ISIS

            In his speeches, interviews, and tweets from September and October, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei commented on the Islamic State, the economy, women, and the death of Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani.             In a speech on September 4, Khamenei claimed that the West is responsible…