Iran Primer's Blog
Khamenei on Talks: Iran Won’t Be Bullied
On April 9, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran would not be bullied into stopping nuclear research in an address to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. “I agreed to the government's initiative to negotiate, just to break the hype” and dispel lies about Tehran's policy…
Halfway: US Assesses Nuke Talks with Iran
On April 9, a senior U.S. official assessed the status of diplomacy with Iran after nuclear talks concluded in Vienna. “These sessions have been in-depth and the conversations have given us important additional insights into where the biggest and most challenging gaps will be as we move…
Zarif and Ashton on April Nuclear Talks
On April 9, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton reported that they had “substantive and detailed discussions” on a final nuclear agreement. “A lot of intensive work will be required to overcome the differences which naturally still …
Kerry: Talks Aim to Extend Breakout Window
On April 8, Secretary of State John Kerry testified on diplomatic efforts to solve the Iranian nuclear dispute at a budget hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Kerry said he remains “agnostic” over whether the world’s six major powers and Iran can agree on a final…
Dust Storms Cloud Iran’s Future
David Michel Iran is, literally, being blown away. Stifling dust storms frequently now envelope both big cities and rural towns across much of Iran, the world’s 17th largest country. They threaten to disrupt crucial parts of public and economic life, education, commerce, public health…
Congress Rejects Iran’s UN Envoy Pick
On April 7, the Senate unanimously passed a bill by Ted Cruz (R-TX) barring known terrorists from obtaining visas to enter the United States as representatives to the United Nations. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi as U.N. ambassador spurred the…
US Briefs on April Vienna Nuke Talks
On April 4, the U.S. State Department provided a briefing on the upcoming nuclear negotiations between Iran and the world’s six major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. The two sides are scheduled to meet on April 7 in Vienna, Austria. A senior Obama…
Paper: Change or More of the Same for Iran?
On March 26, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars convened a panel of four experts to discuss prospects for change in Iran during the next five years. The Middle East Program then published a compilation of short papers based on their presentations. The following are excerpts…
Report: Low Confidence in Justice System
Iranians have low confidence in their justice system, according to a new World Justice Project study. The Islamic Republic ranked 82 among 99 countries on The Rule of Law Index 2014, which drew on more than 100,000 household and expert surveys worldwide. Iranian citizens in Tehran,…
US and Saudi Arabia: Differences on Iran
Interview with David Ottaway by Faris Al Sulayman What came out of President Obama’s trip to Saudi Arabia and discussions on pressing issues of mutual concern, especially on Iran nuclear talks? Obama and King Abdullah agreed that their shared goal is to prevent Iran from gaining a…