U.S.

            On November 8, the U.S. Treasury announced “a set of targeted sanctions against 17 individuals and entities related to the Iranian government’s human rights abuses, its support of terrorism, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).” The actions were taken according to the…
            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…
            On October 11, Vice President Joe Biden and Republican candidate Paul Ryan quarreled over how to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. During the vice presidential debate, Ryan charged that President Barack Obama’s administration is not doing enough to stop the nuclear program. But Biden…
            On Oct. 1, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told the Council on Foreign Relations that Iran was not seeking a nuclear weapon because it would only increase regional tensions and threats to Iran. He also warned against intervention in Syria, but criticized the regime of…
Alireza Nader             Iran’s response to Israeli or U.S. air strikes is likely to feature unconventional tactics that would not necessarily lead to battlefield successes, such as defeat of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. But its strategy could theoretically achieve an overall political and…
           On Sept. 24, the Treasury Department submitted a report to Congress determining that the National Iranian Oil Company is an agent or affiliate of the Revolutionary Guards. The following is an excerpt from the report. The IRGC is Iran’s most powerful economic actor, dominating many…
            On Sept. 20, one week before the U.N. General Assembly’s opening session, the American mission to the United Nations issued a fact sheet outlining the growing squeeze on Iran from U.N. sanctions since the passage of Resolution 1929. Iran is again expected to be a major topic when world…
On Aug. 30, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s inaugural address to the Non-Aligned Movement Summit challenged the United Nations and called for a new world order. The following are two key excerpts from his speech, beginning with comments on the United Nations.   The U.N. Security Council…
On Aug. 28, the Republican Party ratified its party platform and nominated Mitt Romney as its 2012 presidential candidate. The platform warns that President Barack Obama’s “failed engagement policy with Iran will lead to nuclear cascade.” It also labeled Venezuela as an “increasing threat to U.S.…
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…