Archive
On September 20, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met for the first time. E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini chaired a ministerial meeting on the implementation of the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (… Read More
On September 20, President Rouhani gave wide-ranging comments on the nuclear deal and regional conflicts. In a press conference following his U.N. address, the Iranian leader rejected outright any prospect of renegotiating the nuclear deal or extending its timelines. “There will be absolutely no… Read More
In his U.N. speech on September 20, President Hassan Rouhani criticized President Trump for both the substance and tenor of his debut address to the world body. On the previous day, Trump referred to Iran as a “murderous regime” and a “corrupt dictatorship” posing as a democracy. In his speech,… Read More
On September 19, President Donald Trump called on the world to join the United States “in demanding that Iran’s government end its pursuit of death and destruction.” In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, he blasted Iran for supporting terror and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad… Read More
Iranian leaders have warned the Trump administration against withdrawing from the nuclear deal and have called on Washington to fully adhere to its commitments. President Hassan Rouhani has accused the United States of being unreliable. Iran “will not remain quiet against the United States’… Read More
On September 18, President Hassan Rouhani discussed the nuclear deal, regional conflicts, human rights, and other issues at an event with American foreign policy analysts and journalists. He was in New York City to attend the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. The following are excerpts as… Read More
The following are excerpts from op-eds, memos and reports by American experts and former government officials that reflect the debate on the Iran nuclear deal as the Trump administration completes a review of its Iran policy. The administration must notify Congress every 90 days whether Iran is… Read More
On September 14, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 11 entities and individuals for supporting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps or networks responsible for cyber-attacks against the United States. “These sanctions target an Iranian company providing material support to the IRGC’s ballistic missile… Read More
The following are excerpts from a Congressional Research Service report on options that the Trump Administration may use to end or alter U.S. implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.
Options to Cease Implementing the Iran Nuclear Agreement
Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern… Read More
A key section of the nuclear deal bans Iran from undertaking certain nuclear weapons development activities and controlling certain equipment that could be used in such activities. But the most recent report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog “made at best a general statement” about its monitoring and… Read More
The following is a September 6 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.
Former Turkish Minister Of The Economy, Former General Manager Of Turkish Government-Owned Bank, And Two Other Individuals Charged With Conspiring To Evade U.S. Sanctions Against Iran And… Read More
On September 5, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley criticized the nuclear deal and argued that U.N. inspectors cannot know if Iran is cheating. Iranian leaders have vowed to not allow inspections of military sites. The regime has "hundreds of undeclared sites that have suspicious… Read More
Iran’s human rights record did not significantly improve in first half of 2017, according to report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir. From January to June, Jahangir transmitted 21 communications to Iran’s government on behalf of 81 victims of alleged violations… Read More
On August 15, the U.S. State Department issued an updated travel warning for Iran to “highlight the risk of arrest and detention for U.S. citizens, particularly dual national Iranian-Americans.” The update comes after the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced it would take “reciprocal action” in… Read More
Iran’s government continued to imprison, harass, intimidate, and discriminate against people based on religious beliefs in 2016, according to an annual report by the U.S. State Department. “In Iran, Baha’is, Christians, and other minorities are persecuted for their faith. Iran continues to sentence… Read More
On August 9, 47 national security leaders issued a statement warning against U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, as long as Tehran is complying. They recommended a comprehensive policy to constrain the Islamic Republic and further U.S. interests. The group, organized by The Iran Project,… Read More
On August 8, President Hassan Rouhani submitted to Parliament the names of 17 men for ministerial posts in his new cabinet. Two key figures — Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was responsible for negotiating the nuclear deal, and Oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who has upped oil… Read More
Iranian officials have reacted angrily to new U.S. sanctions, signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 2. The bill, which also deals with Russia and North Korea, directs the President to impose sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile or WMD programs, the sale or transfer to Iran of… Read More
On August 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed Hassan Rouhani as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, kicking off his second term. Rouhani won 57 percent of the vote, compared with 38 percent for his closest rival, in the May 19 election. The supreme leader called on him to… Read More
After years of wide-ranging differences, relations between Iran and Qatar deepened almost overnight after a Saudi-led coalition broke ties with Doha and imposed a blockade on the small sheikhdom. On June 5, 2017, five nations – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt and… Read More
On August 2, President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill imposing sanctions on Iran and Russia. It also increased the President’s ability to sanction individuals connected to North Korea. Congress had voted overwhelmingly to pass the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which… Read More
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with military leaders
Since President Donald Trump took office, Iran has conducted two ballistic missile tests to varying degrees of success. It also tested a rocket space-launch vehicle that can deliver satellites into orbit. Iran has the largest and most… Read More
Since Donald Trump took office in January 2017, the United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities for connections to Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for terror or human rights abuses. The first set of sanctions came just two weeks after President Trump’s… Read More
On July 20, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said that Iran’s implementation of the nuclear deal has been “grudging” and “minimalist.” At the Aspen Security Forum (an annual gathering of government officials, industry experts and journalists), he argued that the nuclear deal has not… Read More
Majorities of Iranians think President Hassan Rouhani has been successful in improving foreign relations and getting sanctions removed. But the president, reelected in May, has a mixed record on domestic issues, according to a new study by the Center for International and Security Studies at… Read More
Iranian approval of the nuclear deal increased during the May 2017 presidential election. “Two in three Iranians approve of the agreement, while about a third oppose it,” according to a new study by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll. But most… Read More
This is part three of a series based on interviews with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a one-on-one interview with Robin Wright and another with a group of American journalists (including Wright) on July 18 in New York City. The following are excerpted remarks on tensions in the… Read More
This is part two of a series based on interviews with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a one-on-one interview with Robin Wright and another with a group of American journalists (including Wright) on July 18 in New York City. The following are excerpted remarks on the conflict in Syria… Read More
This is part two of a series based on interviews with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a one-on-one interview with Robin Wright and another with a group of American journalists (including Wright) on July 18 in New York City. The following are excerpted remarks on the conflict in Syria… Read More
This is part one of a series based on two interviews with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a one-on-one interview with Robin Wright and another with a group of American journalists (including Wright) on July 18 in New York City. The following are excerpted remarks on the nuclear deal… Read More