Archive
The Biden administration insisted that diplomacy was the only way to prevent escalation in the growing Middle East crisis after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. In an interview from Singapore, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that the United… Read More
Iran and Hamas blamed Israel and pledged revenge for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled political leader of Hamas. The Palestinian leader was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian when he was killed. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that… Read More
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the exiled wing of Hamas and its chief negotiator on issues of war and peace, was assassinated on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. He had also met just hours earlier with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali… Read More
July 29International: U.S. officials accused Iran of heading a campaign to undermine former President Donald Trump’s candidacy in the November 2024 election. The election security update from the Office of the Director of Natonal Intelligence warned:Iran is continuing efforts to fuel distrust in U.… Read More
On July 30, 2024, the United States sanctioned five men and seven companies based in Iran, China and Hong Kong for helping subordinates of Iran’s defense ministry procure critical components for missiles and drones. “Today’s action exposes additional key front companies and trusted agents through… Read More
Iran has smuggled increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Houthis in Yemen since at least 2009. By 2015, the Qods Force, the external operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, were sending missile components for local assembly. The weapons – along with training and military advisors – helped… Read More
The United States has long struggled to deal with Iran’s network of allies and proxies short of military confrontation. Financial sanctions have been an important tool for disrupting illicit activities. Since 2014, the United States has sanctioned at least 13 Houthi officials and dozens of… Read More
What are the Houthis' political views and goals?Since the 2000s, Houthi leaders have issued vague or contradictory statements about Yemen's political future as their religious movement evolved into an insurgency – and, as of 2015, the dominant political and military force in Sanna after ousting the… Read More
What have the Houthis attacked in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Gaza war began in October 2023?During the first eight months of the conflict, the Houthis attacked U.S. Navy or commercial vessels more than 190 times, according to the Pentagon. Experts at The Washington Institute for Near… Read More
The Houthis are a political movement and militia that emerged out of a religious revival among Yemen’s Zaydi Shiites in the 1990s. They got their name from a powerful tribal clan led by the Houthi family. Since 2004, the Houthis have challenged the Yemeni central government, which has long been… Read More
The following is a press statement from State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller released on July 12, 2024.United States Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research and DevelopmentThe Department of State is today imposing sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company for its… Read More
July 8International: In a letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian pledged to maintain Iran’s support for groups opposed to Israel. “I am certain that the resistance movements in the region will not allow this regime to continue its warmongering and criminal… Read More
On July 9, 2024, the U.S. director of national intelligence revealed that Iran was trying to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.” Avril Haines said that actors tied to Tehran were encouraging protests over the war in Gaza by posing as activists online and even… Read More
Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist politician and a cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5, 2024. He was born in 1954 to a religious family in the northwestern city of Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province. He graduated from Urmia Agricultural Technical High School in the… Read More
In a clear challenge to regime hardliners, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist and cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5. The elections were called after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The runoff had been considered a tight race, but Pezeshkian… Read More
The following are reactions from world leaders to Masoud Pezeshkian's victory in the July 5 runoff for president. Russia and ChinaRussian President Vladimir Putin on July 6“I hope that your tenure as president will contribute to a reinforcement of constructive bilateral cooperation between our… Read More
The following are statements by Masoud Pezeshkian during the seven presidential debates and immediately after his victory in the July 5 runoff.
Masoud Pezeshkian
On the Role of Government“When we ignore people's rights and do not want to listen to their voices, expecting them to come… Read More
July 1International: Victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel sued Iran, Syria, and North Korea for providing Hamas with funds, weapons, and training used in the unprecedented attack. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York on behalf of over 125 victims and their relatives,… Read More
In the final debates of Iran’s snap presidential election, the two front runners engaged in often feisty arguments about the way forward for the Islamic Republic. The two debates were held on July 1 and 2; each lasted more than two hours. The following are excerpts from the two debates, the first… Read More
The final two candidates in Iran's second-round presidential election were Saeed Jalili, a hardliner, and Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist. Both candidates were loyal to the supreme leader and the principles of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Yet they offered disparate ideas on foreign policy, the… Read More
The following are comments by U.S. officials on Iran's 2024 presidential election. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on July 8“We’re not in a position where we’re willing to get back to the negotiating table with Iran just because they elected… Read More
In a stunning blow to Iran’s theocracy, the majority of voters—some 60 percent—boycotted the snap presidential election held on June 28, 2024. It was the lowest turnout since the 1979 revolution ended more than two millennia of dynastic rule. The election also illustrated the wide split among… Read More
Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iranians voted for a new president at some 58,000 polling stations in mosques, schools, and religious shrines – as well as 340 polling stations abroad -- on June 28, 2024. Thirty stations opened in the United States for the local Iranian diaspora. Photos of the day… Read More
On June 27, 2024, the United States announced new sanctions in response to Iran’s nuclear advances. Tehran had expanded its capacity to enrich uranium to high levels that had no credible civilian purpose. “We remain committed to never letting Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, and we are prepared to use… Read More
Human rights activists, writers, filmmakers, relatives of protesters slain in government crackdowns, and political prisoners appealed to Iranian voters to boycott the snap presidential election on June 28. The statements reflected the core issue in the election—turnout. The regime has long invoked… Read More
In five nationally televised debates, Iran’s six presidential candidates sparred over foreign policy, the economic crisis and U.S. sanctions, personal freedoms, corruption and government efficiency. The debates, in a stunningly short campaign period between June 11 and 28, occasionally got feisty… Read More
Iran’s media was consumed by the snap presidential election during a campaign that lasted a mere 18 days. Five of the six candidates were hardliners of differing degrees, but the media gave the lone reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, disproportionate coverage. Front pages featured photos of… Read More
On June 25, 2024, the United States sanctioned a network, including 44 companies and four men, that illicitly moved billions of dollars and generated revenue for Iran’s defense ministry and Revolutionary Guards. The firms, including shell companies and exchange houses, were spread across Iran, the… Read More
June 24International: Jordanian police discovered and detonated explosives hidden in a commercial warehouse southeast of Amman. Security sources told Reuters that Iran was behind a plot to destabilize the kingdom, a key ally of the United States in the region. On June 22, police had found… Read More
Iran’s government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so,” according to the State Department’s annual report on human trafficking. “Officials continued to perpetrate and condone trafficking crimes with… Read More