Iran Policy
On June 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to increase its uranium enrichment capacity. “The West's dream regarding the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) will not come true, and the Iranian nation and government will not tolerate…
On June 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran will “strike back ten-fold” if attacked. He touted Iran’s development of ballistic missiles, saying they guarantee the country’s security. Khamenei also directed Iran’s atomic energy agency to prepare to increase its uranium…
On May 23, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued six conditions that must be met by Europe for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal. He demanded that Europe secure “a resolution against the U.S. violation” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of…
On May 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for foreign forces to withdraw from Syria at a press conference with Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Russia's envoy to Syria clarified Putin's comments the next day, saying they applied to Turkish, U.S., Iranian, and Hezbollah forces. The Russian…
Iranian leaders rejected outright Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s demands for dramatic changes in Tehran’s foreign policy and nuclear program. “It is in no way acceptable that a man who had been working in a spy center for years tells Iran and other countries what to do,” President Hassan Rouhani…
Since the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the United States and Iran have engaged in rival diplomacy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his British, French and German counterparts during the course of several days. “The Secretary underlined that the United States and our European…
On May 8, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal. In a televised address, Rouhani said Trump “is not loyal to international commitments” and that his behavior disgraces the American people. Rouhani said he has ordered the…
On May 7, President Hassan Rouhani suggested that Iran could remain in the 2015 nuclear deal even if the United States withdraws. “What we want for the deal is that it's preserved and guaranteed by the non-Americans,” he told officials in Mashhad, the country’s second largest city. Rouhani was…
President Hassan Rouhani rejected outright any changes to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, as discussed by President Donald Trump and President Emmanuel Macron during their Washington summit on April 24. “If the JCPOA was bad and dangerous, why did you [the United States] sign it? You are a businessman…
On April 21, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the nuclear deal, regional conflicts, ballistic missiles, and humanitarian issues with a small group of journalists. He outlined potential Iranian responses to a U.S. decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal in May. "The only…