Iran
On November 1, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged to focus on Iran’s economic problems instead of domestic quarrels in a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The letter was posted on the president’s website just one day after Khamenei called public disputes treasonous.…
On October 22, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney clashed over U.S. policy toward Iran’s nuclear program. During the final presidential debate, Obama claimed U.S.-led sanctions have brought Iran to its "weakest point economically, strategically, [and] militarily.” But…
On October 20, the New York Times published an article claiming that the United States and Iran had agreed to hold bilateral talks after the U.S. presidential election. The article was allegedly based on comments by anonymous White House officials. Later that night, National Security…
The Pew Research Center conducted a poll on the U.S. public‘s views on the Middle East in early October. Around 56 percent of respondents favored taking a firm stand against Iran, while 35 percent preferred avoiding war. The results were released on October 18, ahead of the final…
On October 18, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the deputy of an al Qaeda branch operating in Iran. Abdel Radi Saqr al Wahabi al Harbi is responsible for transferring operatives to Afghanistan or Iraq via Iran. Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said the…
Gary Clyde Hufbauer The European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s financial, energy, trade, and transport sectors on October 15. What impact will these measures have on Iran’s economy? Oil and gas account for close to 90 percent of Iran’s exports. Anything that interrupts the…
Gary Clyde Hufbauer The European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s financial, energy, trade, and transport sectors on October 15. What impact will these measures have on Iran’s economy? Oil and gas account for close to 90 percent of Iran’s exports. Anything that…
On October 11, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released a report showing that Iran is the only Western/Central Asian country to make more heroin seizures every year since 2004. Over the last decade, Iran built extensive infrastructure on its 600 mile eastern border with Afghanistan…
On October 9, the United States moved to tighten loopholes in its Iran sanctions. President Barack Obama’s new Executive Order will implement additional punitive measures that he signed into law on August 10, 2012. National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said the law sanctions…
Helia Ighani Iran’s currency crisis has sparked deep divisions inside the regime. Top officials have blamed others in the Tehran government for mismanagement and irresponsible fiscal policies. The regime has countered by citing international sanctions for a role in the…