New Articles
U.S. Condemns Iran’s New Education Policy
On August 21, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland issued the following statement condemning Iran’s new education policy. Iranian Women Excluded From Major Areas of University Study We have seen reports that 36 Iranian universities have banned women from 77 critical fields of…
Part II: U.S. Pushes Back Israelis
Garrett Nada The United States and Israel are at odds over the need for imminent military action against Iran because of widespread concern about its controversial nuclear program. In mid-August 2012, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks between the world’s six major powers and…
Part I: Israelis Squabble Over Iran
Garrett Nada In August 2012, Israeli officials appeared increasingly divided over the need for imminent military action against Iran because of its controversial nuclear program. Israeli decision-makers and military elites now fall into three broad camps. One group surrounding…
Iran Curtails Female Education
Haleh Esfandiari Why are 36 Iranian universities now barring women from 77 academic fields, including engineering, accounting, education, counseling, and chemistry? Rather than announcing across the board restrictions on women in higher education, the government has cleverly left it to…
Iran Balks at Syria’s Suspension from Islamic Conference
On August 16, the Islamic Conference Organization-–a 57-member group of Muslim countries --suspended Syria’s membership in response to the government’s clampdown on internal opposition. Iran and Algeria objected to the OIC move, although an absolute majority of members approved it. Iranian…
The Drama of Iran’s Erratic Rial
Kevan HarrisWhat are the primary reasons that the Iranian rial has lost half of its value against the U.S. dollar in just one year? Iran’s currency was valued at about 10,000 rials to the dollar in the summer of 2011. It plummeted to more than 20,000 to the dollar in the summer of 2012. …
Panetta: Iran Trains Syrian Militia
On August 14, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey held a joint press conference in Washington. They addressed Iran’s role in supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad. The following is a relevant excerpt. Q: (Inaudible) Mr. Secretary, on…
U.S. on Earthquake Aid
On August 12, 2012, the United States offered aid to Iran after two earthquakes reportedly hit almost 200 villages near the northwest city of Tabriz. The early official Iranian reports cited more than 300 dead, 3,000 injured and some 16,000 left homeless. The United States has previously provided…
U.S. Sanctions Syrian Oil Company for Iran Support
On August 10, the United States “imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector.” State Department Deputy…
Tehran Conference Statement on Syria
On August 9, Iran hosted an emergency conference on developments in Syria. Envoys from 26 countries attended the one-day meeting including Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Benin, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman,…
New Congressional Sanctions on Iran
On August 1, Congress voted to impose new sanctions on Iran that target companies aiding Tehran’s energy sector. The Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Human Rights Act of 2012 differs from President Obama’s July 31 executive order by targeting companies conducting business with Iran’s national…
Panetta: “All options” on the table for Iran
On August 1, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that “all options” are on the table for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, including “military options.” At a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Panetta admitted that although sanctions are having a “biting” impact,…
Iran “Leading” State Sponsor of Terrorism
On July 31, the State Department reported that Iran is the world’s “leading” state sponsor of terrorism. According to the Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, Tehran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force to support additional terrorist activities and “implement foreign policy goals…
Part II: U.S. Assesses New Sanctions
On July 31, the Obama administration provided a briefing on the new U.S. sanctions on Iran. In this conference call, three government officials discussed President Obama’s new sanctions and the impact of existing sanctions on Iran’s government and economy. The following are excerpts from the…
Part I: U.S. Sanctions Oil Industry
On July 31, President Obama issued the following statement on new sanctions on Iranian oil and foreign financial institutions that facilitate transactions for Iranian banks. Today, the United States is announcing two significant steps that strengthen our efforts to pressure and isolate the Iranian…
Iran’s Evolving Policy on Syria
Garrett Nada Iran has consistently supported President Bashar Assad since the uprising erupted in March 2011. Yet Iran’s tone on the Syrian crisis has noticeably evolved. Tehran initially subscribed to the official Syrian narrative; it described the protests as insignificant and orchestrated by…
Part II: U.S. Slams Iran on Baha’is
The State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom report focused particular attention on Iran’s Baha’is, the country’s largest religious minority at between 300,000 and 350,000. In releasing the report for 2011, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson…
Part I: Iran “Horrible” on Religious Freedom
On July 30, 2012, the U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom Report, which highlighted serious human rights violations in Iran. The new report outlines persecution of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic.At a briefing on the 2011 report, Ambassador-at-…
Romney: Iran "testing our moral defenses"
On July 29, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivered a much-anticipated speech on foreign policy in Jerusalem. His remarks to the Jerusalem Foundation focused on the U.S.-Israel relationship and the current state of affairs in the Middle East. The following are excerpts from the speech…
Iran Leaders Openly Bemoan Economic Pain
Helia IghaniThroughout July, a broad range of top political leaders, lawmakers and even military generals have publicly conceded that Iran faces growing economic hardships—with increasingly dangerous consequences. They have blamed both tightening international sanctions and years of government…
U.S. Warns Iran about Prisoners
On July 18, the State Department expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of political prisoners in Iran. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued the following statement. We are concerned by recent reports that Kurdish activist Mohammed Seddigh Kaboudvand and human rights defender Nargess…
Reformist Challenges Iran’s Nuclear Program
On July 10, reformist politician Abdollah Nouri openly challenged the benefits of Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The comments were striking because Nouri, a cleric, was long a regime insider with close ties to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini. He also served twice as Interior Minister…
New U.S. Sanctions Target 50 Iranian Entities
On July 12, the United States announced broad new sanctions on Iranian front companies and banks linked to the proliferation of nuclear and missiles programs. The following is a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, with a link to the full list of targeted entities at the bottom.…
China's Oil Cutbacks may be only Temporary
Erica Downs On June 28, the United States reported that China cut its imports of Iranian oil by 25 percent to avoid U.S. sanctions. What impact will the cutback have on China-Iran relations, both economically and politically? Politically, the exemption from the Obama administration…
U.S. Condemns Iran's Anti-Semitic Remarks
On July 3, the State Department issued the following statement condemning comments by Iran's vice president.We strongly condemn Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi’s vile anti-Semitic and racist comments on June 26 at the International Day Against Drug Abuse conference in Tehran. …
U.S. Heralds European Sanctions on Iran
On July 1, the White House press secretary issued the following statement on the European Union’s new sanctions on Iranian oil, as they went into effect. Statement by the Press Secretary on European Union Actions on Iranian Oil The United States welcomes the European Union’s prohibition of…
White House Briefing on New U.S. Sanctions
On June 28, three senior Obama administration officials gave a briefing on the growing impact of international sanctions on Iran and the new U.S. sanctions on countries that import oil from the Islamic Republic. The following are key excerpts, with factual assessments in bold: Senior…
China Cuts Back Iran Oil Imports
On June 28, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a waiver on China and Singapore from facing U.S. sanctions because both have now significantly cut back on their imports of Iranian oil. The following is her statement. Today I have made the determination that two additional countries, China…
Iran Both Fights and Facilitates Narcotics
Garrett Nada After struggling for decades to combat narcotics, Iran is today both fighting and facilitating narcotics, according to reports by the United Nations, the United States and Iran. Tehran has escalated its campaign against narcotics use and trafficking with help from the United Nations…
What Happened when Putin and Netanyahu talked Iran?
Mark N. KatzOn Iran, what came out of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel? What specifically did each leader want from the other?The Putin-Netanyahu summit made little progress in bridging vast differences between Russian and…