Archive
Mohsen Milani
What is the status of Iran's relations with the Taliban today? Have there been significant changes since 2001?
The Islamic Republic of Iran has no official relations with the Taliban. Nor do the Taliban have an office or a representative in Tehran, as do many non-state actors, such… Read More
Interview with Shervin Malekzadeh Shervin Malekzadeh recently received his Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. His dissertation, based on nearly two years of research in Iran, deals with the politics of education in Iran and the ways in which efforts to produce the New Islamic… Read More
Interview with Shervin Malekzadeh Shervin Malekzadeh recently received his Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. His dissertation, based on nearly two years of research in Iran, deals with the politics of education in Iran and the ways in which efforts to produce the New Islamic… Read More
Interview with Shervin Malekzadeh Shervin Malekzadeh recently received his Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. His dissertation, based on nearly two years of research in Iran, deals with the politics of education in Iran and the ways in which efforts to produce the New… Read More
Interview with Shervin Malekzadeh Shervin Malekzadeh recently received his Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. His dissertation, based on nearly two years of research in Iran, deals with the politics of education in Iran and the ways in which efforts to produce the New… Read More
Patrick Clawson The Treasury department sanctioned a prominent Iran-based al Qaeda facilitator and five other members of his network. How important is this new development?The Treasury Department is effectively accusing Iran of being an important link in al Qaeda’s financing and recruitment… Read More
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of six members of an al-Qa’ida network headed by Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, a prominent Iran-based al-Qa’ida facilitator, operating under an agreement between al-Qa’ida and the Iranian government. Today’s action, taken… Read More
2011 poll conducted by the Arab American Institute found that Iran’s popularity among the five Arab countries surveyed—Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—has declined in recent years. The United States ranked the lowest among the six, except in Saudi… Read More
Mark N. Katz During a visit to the United States in mid-July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov presented the Obama administration with a plan for "step by step" nuclear talks with Iran. What is new about the Russian initiative?Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov’s “step by step” approach to… Read More
The CSIS Burke Chair compiled a series of chronological reports with the assistance of Adam Seitz of the Marine Corps University on Iranian perceptions of national security and competition with the United States. The following is an excerpt with a link to the full report at the end… Read More
The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center recently released a report charting executions by the Islamic Republic of Iran since December 2010. The report is based on information from official and semi-official sources as well as other reports; links to the sources are included… Read More
The International Monetary Fund released a report today on Iran’s subsidy reform. The final section addresses the challenges ahead. A link to the full report is at the bottom: The successful implementation of the drastic price increases has created a unique opportunity for Iran… Read More
David Albright and Andrea Stricker The conflict over Iran’s nuclear program appears to be getting worse. In June, Iran decided to relocate 20 percent enrichment at its fortified Fordow enrichment plant near Qom and install advanced centrifuges that would triple its enrichment output. … Read More
Geneive Abdo: The following text was given to insideIRAN.org by a group of intellectuals who are leaders in the Green Movement in Tehran. They are also the authors of this manifesto.We, dozens of groups of Green activists in Iran, have decided to offer several recommendations for the reform and… Read More
Semira N. Nikou Tensions are deepening between Washington and Tehran over new claims about Iranian military aid to Iraqi militias. The Obama administration charges that the Iranian arms have been increasingly used in attacks against U.S. troops. The U.S. holds the radical militias responsible… Read More
Alireza Nader President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in hot water these days. His challenge to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which began after he fired the minister of intelligence in April, has provoked the deepening wrath of Iran’s political and military elite. There is even… Read More
The following is a statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: I am very pleased to announce a big step forward in the Obama Administration’s support of the Iranian people. Under our old visa policy, Iranian students and exchange visitors were eligible for visas that lasted… Read More
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland issued the following statement on persecution of religious minorities in Iran on July 6, 2011: We are dismayed over reports that the Iranian courts are requiring Youcef Nadarkhani to recant his Christian faith or… Read More
Interview with Roberto ToscanoSemira N. Nikou Roberto Toscano served as Italy’s ambassador to Iran between 2003 and 2008. Along with five former European ambassadors to Iran, you wrote an open letter in June 2011 encouraging the United States and the European Union to engage Iran on its… Read More
Interview with Roberto ToscanoSemira N. Nikou Roberto Toscano served as Italy’s ambassador to Iran between 2003 and 2008. Along with five former European ambassadors to Iran, you wrote an open letter in June 2011 encouraging the United States and the European Union to engage Iran on its… Read More
On June 29, 2011, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iranian security forces for involvement in the Syrian crackdown: The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of one of the four major branches of Syria’s security forces, the Syrian Political Security… Read More
The State Department has released its 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report. Countries are divided into three categories—Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3—based on each government’s efforts to fulfill the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The following is the section… Read More
The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) published the following report on June 10, 2011. The report documents the cases of five former prisoners – two women and three men. They span the almost 30 years of the Islamic Republic’s existence. Four witnesses were raped; one was… Read More
Interview with Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh Semira N. Nikou Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, a women’s rights activist, is a founding member of the Stop Stoning to Death Campaign and the Iranian Women’s Charter. She was director of Entesharat-e Banoo (Banoo Publications) and Entesharat-e… Read More
Interview with Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh Semira N. Nikou Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, a women’s rights activist, is a founding member of the Stop Stoning to Death Campaign and the Iranian Women’s Charter. She was director of Entesharat-e Banoo (Banoo Publications) and Entesharat-e… Read More
The following is a joint statement by Department of State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on new Iran sanctions. A fact sheet detailing the new sanctions is below. Today, the United States imposed sanctions on Tidewater… Read More
Kevan Harris Iran’s biggest economic problem is the growing production slump at its factories and workshops. For both workers and the business elite, Iran's domestic industrial troubles are far more pressing--and generating far more public anxiety--than international… Read More
On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned ten shipping companies and three individuals affiliated with Iran's national shipping line. The official statement is below: Continuing efforts to target the financial underpinnings of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL… Read More
Semira N. Nikou On June 17, the U.N. Human Rights Council appointed Ahmed Shaheed, former Maldives foreign minister (2005-07), as the new special rapporteur to Iran. Shaheed had resigned from the foreign ministry in 2007 to protest the Maldives government’s… Read More
Semira N. Nikou On June 17, the U.N. Human Rights Council appointed Ahmed Shaheed, former Maldives foreign minister (2005-07), as the new special rapporteur to Iran. Shaheed had resigned from the foreign ministry in 2007 to protest the Maldives government’s failure to… Read More