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Clinton and Baker on Diplomacy v. War
On June 20, the State Department hosted a conversation on U.S. foreign policy between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Secretary of State James Baker. The following are excerpts from the discussion, which was hosted by Charlie Rose. CLINTON: One of the real successes of…
Quotes from Iran nuclear talks June 18-19
The world’s six major powers held talks with Iran in Moscow on June 18 and 19. The following are comments from key parties to the talks. Six Major Powers European Union foreign policy chief Lady Catherine Ashton We set out our respective positions in what were detailed, tough and frank…
44 Senators Warn Obama on Iran Diplomacy
June 15, 2012 President Barack ObamaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave NWWashington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We are writing to share our views about discussions between the Iranian government and the P5+1 over Iran’s nuclear program. We are concerned that, while the meetings held…
Iranian Hip Hop: Voice of Resistance
Ayesha ChughHip-hop music is increasingly the voice of underground protest against Iran’s puritanical restrictions and political repression. It’s been nicknamed Rap-e Farsi, a word-play on the music and national language. Farsi, a poetic language, is particularly conducive to rap. The Islamic…
Hillary Clinton and Shimon Peres on Iran
On June 12, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Israeli President Shimon Peres held a public discussion in Washington on critical Middle East issues to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center. The following is an excerpt about Iran from their discussion…
U.S. Waivers Seven Countries for Reducing Iran Oil
On June 11, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement on Significant Reductions of Iranian Crude Oil Purchases: Today I have made the determination that seven economies—India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan--have all significantly…
Tehran’s Views on U.S. Politics, Nuclear Talks
Mehdi Khaliji Iran’s ruling regime pays close attention to American politics in its own calculations about how to negotiate with Washington—and how to game the new diplomatic effort. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle, for example, believe that President Barack Obama…
Khamenei Consolidates Control Amid Other Power Shifts
Mehrzad BoroujerdiSince Iran’s presidential election in 2009, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has evolved into a micromanager of Iranian politics. He curtailed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies. He turned the lights off on Iran’s reformists. He emasculated all other major…
U.S. and Iran Weigh in on Syria
On June 7, the United States and Iran both weighed in on the deteriorating situation in Syria. The following are officials states from the White House and the Iranian mission to the United Nations. White House Statement from the Office of the Press Secretary The United States…
Iran Ratchets Up Tensions over Gulf Islands
Ted Wynne Longstanding tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbors are intensifying because of rival territorial claims over three strategic islands in the Persian Gulf--Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb. Three high-profile visits since mid-April—by President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad,…
Court Mandates U.S. Decision on Iran Opposition Group
On June 1, a U.S. District Appeals Court ruled that the Obama administration must finally decide within four months whether or not to remove the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK) from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist groups. The decision was a partial victory for the controversial Iranian…
Washington and Tehran on Iran’s role in Syria
Ted WynneOn May 29, the United States charged that Iran played a role in the weekend massacre of more than 100 Syrians, including dozens of children, in the northern city of Houla. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said a commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force was “bragging” about its…
Iran Hit by New Cyber Virus
Following a report by Russian experts, Iran confirmed on May 28 that a new cyber virus codenamed “Flame” had penetrated Iran’s computer system. The new virus is unlike earlier worms because it was designed to steal information rather than to destroy systems, according to the first report…
New IAEA Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program
On May 25, 2012, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency issued a new report about Iran’s non-compliance with U.N. resolutions on its controversial nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that it is “unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear…
Outcome of Iran Nuclear Talks in Baghdad
Michael Adler Diplomats from Iran and the world’s six major powers—the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- met in Baghdad on May 23 and 24. What did the talks produce? Nothing concrete. It was their second meeting in a new round of negotiations over concerns Iran is…
U.S. Report on Iran Human Rights Abuses
On May 24, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released the annual U.S. report on worldwide human rights violations. The following is an excerpt from the section on Iran, with a link to the full report at the bottom. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Islamic Republic of Iran is a constitutional,…
Bipartisan Letter from Congress Supports Diplomacy
May 21, 2012 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Obama, We write to convey our strong support for the prevention of a nuclear weapons-capable Iran through diplomacy. We share your…
Quotes on Round 2 of Iran Nuke Talks
The following is a collection of comments from senior officials in Iran, the United States, Israel, the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations, and Russia about the diplomatic initiatives to resolve disputes over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. The world’s six major powers—the United States…
Pew: A Global “No” To a Nuclear-Armed Iran
The following is a survey of attitudes about Iran’s controversial nuclear program in 21 countries. The poll by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project was released on May 18, 2012, just days before the second round of talks between the world’s six major power and Iran in Baghdad.…
Biden on Iran
The following are excerpts from a speech by Vice President Joe Biden to the Rabbinical Assembly convention in Atlanta on May 8, 2012: "We will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon by whatever means we need..." “There remains space for diplomacy. The window has not closed in terms of the…
Ties Grow Between Iran and China
The following is an excerpt from a new report by Alireza Nader and Scott Harold entitled “China and Iran: Economic, Political, and Military Relations” issued May 3, 2012 by the Rand Corporation. The full link is at the bottom. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s possible…
Gulf Considers Political Union to Handle Iran and Arab Spring
Caroline Crouch The six oil-rich sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf are now considering political federation to unify their foreign and defense policies. The move, originally proposed last December by Saudi King Abdullah, is a response to growing regional challenges over the past 18 months,…
U.S. to Punish Sanctions Evaders
On May 1, the White House issued a new Executive Order targeting foreign sanctions evaders. The following is a fact sheet on the Executive Order. Full links to the Executive Order and the letter to Congress are provided below. FACT SHEET: New executive order targeting foreign sanctions…
Israeli Leaders Diverge on Iran
Ted Wynne Over the past month, different branches of the Israeli government have taken widely diverse positions on Iran, its leadership and the state of its threat to Israel. Differences between senior political and military officials—present and past—are particularly…
Can Iran Replicate U.S. Drones?
Ted Wynne Iran claims it is reproducing U.S. stealth technology less than five months after capturing an RQ-170 Sentinel drone, the most advanced unmanned surveillance aircraft. On April 22, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iranian state television, “Our experts are fully dominant over sections and…
Clinton on New Iran Diplomacy
On April 26, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on the new diplomatic effort with Iran. She made her remarks at an event hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The following is an excerpt: By next January, when I will have traveled, I guess, a million miles or…
Obama’s New Executive Order on Iran Human Rights Abusers
On April 23, the White House issued a new Executive Order targeting “grave human rights abusers” in Iran and Syria. The following are key excerpts of the letter to Congress and links to both the full letter and the Executive Order. Letter to Congress I have determined that the commission…
Iran’s Calculations in New Diplomatic Talks
Alireza Nader What did Iran get out of the talks with the six major powers--U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany--at the first diplomatic meeting in Istanbul? Iran apparently took a constructive approach at the first round of talks, according to Western diplomats at the talks.…
Analysis of Iran Nuke Talks
Michael Adler in Istanbul What happened during the talks? The most concrete result of the meeting in Istanbul on April 14 was a new round of talks scheduled for May 23 in Baghdad. The original goal was to re-start diplomacy between Iran and the world’s six major powers— Britain, China, France…
Statements after First Diplomatic Meeting with Iran
European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton issued the following statement on behalf of the world's six major powers about the talks with Iran, which were held in Istanbul on April 14, 2012: The EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, together with the Political…