Archive
The following excerpt is from a report published by the U.S. Institute of Peace written by Sean Kane, a program officer working with USIP’s Iraq Program: The center of attention in the Middle East has over the past decade swung from Egypt and… Read More
On August 18, 2011, President Barack Obama strongly condemned the Syrian government’s crackdown on protestors and called for heightened sanctions against the country. Obama singled out Iran as the only country that Syria can now turn to. Here is the… Read More
Interview with Seyed Hossein Mousavian By Semira N. Nikou Seyed Hossein Mousavian was foreign policy adviser to former nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani (2005-07), former spokesperson of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team (2003-05), former head of the Foreign Relations… Read More
Interview with Seyed Hossein Mousavian By Semira N. Nikou Seyed Hossein Mousavian was foreign policy adviser to former nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani (2005-07), former spokesperson of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team (2003-05), former head of the Foreign Relations… Read More
Geoffrey KempWhat are the prospects for progress this year in diplomatic efforts?There is little chance for a major breakthrough in negotiations with Iran in 2011, or for that matter 2012. Three major obstacles will prevent this. First, the political crisis in Iran itself, which… Read More
Dear Mr. President: Following the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program and recent Iranian missile tests, we remain seriously concerned that Iran continues to accelerate its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile… Read More
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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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 (… 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… 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… Read More