Archive
Annika Folkeson Tension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks following new U.S. sanctions and Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are quotes on the tensions between Tehran and Washington. IRAN Vice president, Mohammad… Read More
Annika FolkesonTension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions and Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are key facts on Iranian oil. Iran holds the world’s fourth-… Read More
Annika FolkesonTension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions and Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are key facts on the Strait. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most… Read More
The Rand Corporation issued a report in December entitled “Israel and Iran: A Dangerous Rivalry” by Dalia Dassa Kaye, Alireza Nader, and Parisa Roshan. Alireza Nader is a contributing author to “The Iran Primer.” Excerpts from the summary are posted below, with a link to the entire report. The… Read More
Interview with Yasmin Alem The daughter of the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of "spreading propaganda against the ruling system." The trial of Faezeh Hashemi took place behind closed doors in December 2011. Hashemi is a… Read More
Michael Singh
Iranian officials grabbed global headlines in recent days by threatening to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s traded oil passes. Iran sought to back up its threats by holding a 10-day military exercise in the Persian Gulf and warning the… Read More
On Dec. 20, the United States issued new sanctions against front companies linked to Iran’s missile program. The following rundown was released by the Treasury Department. The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of 10 shipping and front companies… Read More
Michael Elleman For the outside world, one of the biggest mysteries about Iran is what really happened on Nov. 12, when a massive explosion went off at a sprawling military base just 25 miles from Tehran. The truth could provide pivotal information about the status of Iran’s missile program—a key… Read More
Matthew Levitt On Nov. 28, a U.S. District court issued a little-noticed ruling that effectively links Iran to al Qaeda on terrorism. It specifically named both Iran and Sudan for an indirect supporting role in the 1998 twin bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, acts long… Read More
On Dec. 13, the United States sanctioned two senior Iranian military officials for being responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Iran: Hassan Firouzabadi is chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Abdollah Araqi is deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard… Read More
The following is a letter to the U.N Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, from Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, sent on Dec. 8. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful… Read More
On Dec. 6, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman gave a briefing about the launch of the “virtual embassy Tehran” to provide a means for the United States to communicate directly to Iranians. The following are excerpts. This initiative is designed to enhance our outreach to the… Read More
On Dec. 1, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The following are two excerpts, with links to their full statements below. Wendy… Read More
Interview with Yasmin Alem What is Iran’s parliamentary election schedule until the March poll? Election activities began in December as Iran’s Election Commission announced that the Ministry of Interior established election headquarters in all 31 provinces. The key… Read More
The following is an interview by the Council on Foreign Relations with USIP fellow and Iran Primer editor Robin Wright:
The attack on the UK embassy in Tehran (BBC) on November 28 reportedly by Iran's Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary wing, has led to heightened tensions between Iran and the… Read More
According to a 2011 Gallup poll, the U.K., U.S., and EU did not enjoy much approval in Iran even before they tightened sanctions there, escalating tensions. Nine percent of Iranians approved of U.K. and U.S. leadership when Gallup surveyed in February and March 2011 and not many more approved… Read More
On Dec. 2, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made extensive remarks about Iran to the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center. The following are excerpts. Iran’s continued drive to develop nuclear capabilities, including troubling enrichment activities and past work on weaponization that… Read More
The Stimson Center project, “Iran and America: A Dialogue about Disability,” held in partnership with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, BlueLaw International LLP, and several Iranian organizations was a cross-cultural dialogue on disability law and rights. Funded by USIP,… Read More
On Dec. 1, the European Union issued the following statement to explain its new sanctions on Iran: The Council adopted the following conclusions:1. "The Council reiterates its serious and deepening concerns over the nature of Iran's nuclearprogramme, and in particular over the findings on Iranian… Read More
Annika Folkeson After the Iranians stormed the British embassy in Tehran on Nov. 29, Britain closed the Iranian embassy in London and expelled all Iranian diplomats. Britain also evacuated its diplomats in Tehran. The new tensions followed London’s new sanctions on all Iranian banks… Read More
Mark N. Katz What role is Russia playing - helper or hinderer – in international diplomatic efforts on Iran, and why? The major Western powers now view Moscow as hindering their efforts to squeeze Iran. Between 2006 and 2011, Russia agreed to six U.N. Security Council resolutions against Iran… Read More
Annika Folkeson The Republican candidates for president outlined their positions on Iran during two foreign policy debates on Nov. 12 and Nov. 22, 2011. In alphabetical order, the following are excerpts of their statements on issues such as sanctions, military action, and support for the… Read More
The following are excerpts from National Security Advisor Tom Donilon’s speech about U.S. policy on Iran at the Brookings Institution on Nov. 22, 2011. In January 2009, Tehran believed, and many in the region believed, that Iran was ascendant. Internally, the Iranian regime faced no significant… Read More
President Obama’s Statement on New Iran SanctionsToday, my Administration has taken yet another step to further isolate and penalize Iran for its refusal to live up to its international obligations regarding its nuclear program. For years, the Iranian government has failed to abide by its… Read More
On Nov. 21, the Obama administration announced new sanctions designed to target Iran’s controversial nuclear and missile programs. The moves came on the same day that Britain cut all ties with Iranian banks and Canada announced a ban on exports for use in Iran’s petrochemical, oil and gas… Read More
On Nov. 21, the Obama administration announced new sanctions designed to target Iran’s controversial nuclear and missile programs. The moves came on the same day that Britain cut all ties with Iranian banks and Canada announced a ban on exports for use in Iran’s petrochemical, oil and gas… Read More
On Nov. 18, 2011, a resolution by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency expressed concern about Iran’s controversial nuclear program based on the latest report. Specifically, the IAEA Board of Governors:1. Expresses deep and increasing concern about the unresolved issues regarding the Iranian nuclear… Read More
The following are excerpts from Congressional testimony at a Nov. 15 hearing on the Obama Administration’s policy toward Iran. The three officials appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations Subcommittee… Read More
The following are excerpts from Congressional testimony at a Nov. 15 hearing on the Obama Administration’s policy toward Iran. The three analysts appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations Subcommittee. Dr… Read More
In response to a draft resolution against Iran, its mission at the United Nations issued the following letter refuting U.S. allegations about an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington as "circumstantial and unsubstantiated." In the name of God, the Compassionate, the… Read More