Patrick Clawson's Blog

Patrick Clawson Diplomats from Iran and the world’s six major powers met in Almaty, Kazakhstan on February 26. What did the talks produce?                 The talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers — the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, also known as P5…

Patrick Clawson Diplomacy has been on hold since the last round of talks in June between Iran and the world’s six major powers in Moscow. What are the diplomatic options after the U.S. presidential election?             The talks have stalled since June. The Iranians may have been waiting to…

Patrick Clawson What does the unprecedented new European Union oil embargo on Iran mean in practical terms?The direct impact of the new EU oil embargo is relatively limited. Economists like to say that oil is "fungible," that is, oil not sold to the EU could be sold to other countries, and so the…

Patrick Clawson The Treasury department sanctioned a prominent Iran-based al Qaeda facilitator and five other members of his network. How important is this new development?The Treasury Department is effectively accusing Iran of being an important link in al Qaeda’s financing and recruitment…

Patrick ClawsonWhat do the latest U.S. and European sanctions say about international pressure on Iran? In May, the European Union imposed sanctions on more than 100 individuals and companies tied to Iran's nuclear program, while the United States sanctioned seven foreign companies involved in…