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General Michael Kurilla, commander of Central Command (CENTCOM), began his Army career in 1988. He has led units in combat, peacekeeping, and operational deployments. Kurilla spent every year from 2004 to 2014 in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which extends from Egypt on the Mediterranean to…

The last and biggest hurdle to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal was the dispute between Washington and Tehran over the status of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group. Leaders and an elite branch of the IRGC had faced several layers of economic sanctions—over support for…

Iran’s security services and judiciary carried out widespread violations of human rights in 2021, Amnesty International said in its annual report. The following is the Iran section of the report.   IRAN 2021 Thousands of people were interrogated, unfairly prosecuted and/or arbitrarily detained…

April 4 Diplomacy: Tehran blamed Washington for the pause in talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. “If there’s a pause in the Vienna talks, that’s because of the excessive U.S. demands,” Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian tweeted. “If the White House behaves realistically, an agreement is…

On March 18, musicians from all 31 provinces in Iran released a rap video that exposes the deep discontent among the young, even as they unite to express love of a nation that was once at the forefront of culture and human rights. Like much of Iranian rap, the lyrics carry subtle political messages…

March 28 Foreign ministers at the Negev Summit in IsraelRegional Diplomacy: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the Negev Summit held in Israel. Foreign ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates as well as the United States and Israel…

On March 30, the United States sanctioned an Iranian man and four companies for procuring equipment used in Iran’s ballistic missile program. “We have taken this action following Iran’s recent missile attack on Erbil, Iraq, as well as missile attacks by Iranian proxies against Saudi Arabia and the…

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and a U.S. weapons company ended up displaying their wares at a defense show in Qatar – in booths next to each other. The Revolutionary Guards displayed models of missiles, ships, jets, and guns. “Today, the Islamic Republic has been able to use the scientific ability of…

On March 20-21, Iran’s leaders marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year and the first day of spring, with defiant messages about U.S. efforts to economically coerce the government. “Despite sanctions, the government has been able to increase foreign trade, sign new regional contracts, and make…

Danny Citrinowicz, who headed the Iran branch of Israel Defense Intelligence’s Research and Analysis Division, is now an independent analyst.   Why did Iran start its nuclear program? Did its goals shift over time? Iran’s nuclear program predates the 1979 revolution. The investment in nuclear…

On March 20, President Joe Biden and top officials wished a happy Nowruz, the Persian New year, to Iranians and others celebrating the ancient holiday around the world. Biden, unlike his predecessors, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, did not use the occasion to comment on the state of U.S.-Iran…

Baha’is are facing “increasing insecurity” in Iran and other countries in the Middle East, according to a new report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed. Some 300,000 Baha’is reportedly reside in the Islamic Republic. They are the largest non-Muslim…

March 14 Nuclear: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it arrested a “network” of individuals who planned to sabotage the Fordo nuclear facility on behalf of Israel. Security: Iranian intelligence reportedly broke up two cells of militants, including “six armed terrorists”…

Early on March 13, Iran launched a dozen ballistic missiles into neighboring Iraq. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it targeted Israeli “strategic centers” in the northern city of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region. Iraqi and U.S. officials said that the…

After 11 months of negotiations, Iran and the world’s major powers appeared close to terms on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. But Russia threw in a last-minute demand that U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine would not impede Russian trade with Iran. On March…

On March 8, the annual U.S. intelligence assessment reported that Iran has not taken the steps necessary to produce a nuclear weapon. But it also warned that the Islamic Republic might expand its nuclear program if the United States does not lift sanctions. “Iranian officials probably will consider…

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the war in Ukraine on the United States and Western powers. “The root of the crisis in Ukraine are the U.S. policies that create crisis, and Ukraine is one victim of these policies,” he said in a televised speech on March 1, 2022. The “mafia-like…

In Freedom House’s annual report, Iran received a score of 14 out of 100, with 100 being the most free. It also received poor marks for political rights and civil liberties. Iran’s score declined slightly from 16 in the previous year in part due to “unusually heavy regime manipulation” in the 2021…

February 21 Domestic: A U.S.-produced F5 jet flown by the Iranian military crashed into a school in the northwestern city of Tabriz. The pilots and one civilian at one civilian at the site were killed. Army spokesperson Shahin Taqi Khani said that an investigation had begun, but preliminary…

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards unveiled a new ballistic missile on February 9. State media said that the missile, the Khaibar Shekan, had a range of 1,450 kilometers (900 miles), which could put its enemy Israel – as well as many U.S. bases in the region – well within its range. Iran’s western border…

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei welcomed efforts by Iranian diplomats to get U.S. sanctions lifted as part of talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. Negotiators are “working to lift the sanctions and persuade the other side, which is good,” he said on February 17 in a speech marking the…

February 14 U.S.-Israel: In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) to discuss the Iranian threat. Graham said that an agreement on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal would “fall short of the votes necessary to ratify” it in the Senate. “Consequently,…

In 2020, Iran struggled to cope with the pandemic under the weight of U.S. sanctions. It initially faced difficulties in importing vaccines and producing its own shots. But in the second half of 2021, it ramped up its vaccination campaign. As of February 2022, Iran had fully vaccinated 65 percent…

After its first cases of COVID-19 were reported in February 2020, Iran’s economy faced new challenges exacerbated by longstanding problems, including years of punitive U.S. sanctions. More than one million people – in a labor force of 27 million – lost their jobs in 2020. Inflation soared,…

As of February 2022, two years after the outbreak of COVID-19, Iran had fully vaccinated 64 percent of its population. Iran paid a heavy toll before reaching that point. In early 2020, the virus spread across all 31 provinces within a month. Iran became one of the world’s early epicenters and the…

On February 11, Iran marked the 43rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with rallies in some 4,500 cities and towns, although most were outdoor parades of cars, motorcycles and bicycles, with few people participating on the streets. The annual commemoration normally draws tens of thousands to…

On the 43rd anniversary of Iran’s revolution, its leaders struck a defiant tone. They criticized both past and present U.S. policy. “Today too, the Americans’ calculations have turned out to be wrong, and they are receiving a blow from a place they had never imagined before, from their own…

Henry Rome is the deputy head of research at Eurasia Group. Follow him on Twitter at @hrome2.   What are the key drivers of Iran’s economy in 2022? And how have they changed since 1979? Iran’s economy is driven primarily by the services sector – education, health care, communications, banking,…

Hadi Semati is a former professor in the faculty of Law and Political Science at Tehran University and a former scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is now an independent analyst.   What is the state of Iran’s revolution on its 43rd…

February 7 Regional: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed that the United States endorsed Israel's right to act, kinetically or otherwise, against Iran. He cited a U.S. readout on his conversation with President Joe Biden The readout published on February 6 noted Biden’s “unwavering…