Archive
On February 27, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its annual report on Iran’s economy. The organization “commended the authorities for achieving an impressive recovery in economic growth after the lifting of nuclear sanctions in 2016, maintaining inflation in single digits, and… Read More
On February 26, Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad published a lengthy open letter to President Donald Trump encouraging him to end U.S. interventions in the Middle East. He rhetorically asked, “What outcome has meddling in other’s affairs and military deployments to other regions and imposing… Read More
On February 17, Iran’s national wrestling team beat the U.S. team 5-3 to take the gold in the World Cup freestyle championship. The match was held in Kermanshah, Iran. Just weeks before the competition, the Americans thought they might not be able to attend. The Islamic Republic vowed reciprocation… Read More
The nuclear deal with six world powers, concluded in mid-2015, raised the starter's pistol on Iran’s recovery from years of international sanctions. But the race didn’t begin until January 2016, when the deal was formally implemented and sanctions were lifted.
Over the next year, the Islamic… Read More
On February 15, President Donald Trump condemned the Iran nuclear deal during a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Trump said it is “one of the worst deals” he’s ever seen and that his administration would do more to prevent Tehran… Read More
On February 14, the Acting State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner called for the immediate release of 2009 presidential candidates and opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as well as Mousavi’s wife, women’s rights advocate Zahra Rahnavard. They have been under house arrest… Read More
On February 10, President Hassan Rouhani addressed demonstrators celebrating the 38th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. The following are remarks from the speech via his office's website.
“The Islamic revolution is the most important turning point of our country’s history.”
“Iran’s 1979… Read More
On February 10, Iranians celebrated the 38th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The popular uprising, led by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, led to the ouster of Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi and ended centuries of monarchical rule. Each year, Iranians hold mass rallies across the country… Read More
President Donald Trump’s statements challenging the nuclear deal with Iran contrast with the views of key European allies in support of the agreement. On January 30, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault touched down in Tehran for a two-day visit that included meetings with President Hassan… Read More
On February 7, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denounced President Donald Trump in an address to air force commanders. He thanked Trump for revealing the “true face” of the United States. “What we have been saying, for over thirty years, about political, economic, moral, and social corruption… Read More
In Freedom House’s annual report, Iran received a score of 17 out of 100, with 100 being the most free. It also received poor marks for political rights and civil liberties. “Freedom in the World 2017” is the organization’s flagship report, which assesses the condition of political rights and civil… Read More
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have condemned Iran’s January 29 ballistic missile test. Many also criticized Tehran for destabilizing the region through its sponsorship for terrorist organizations and militias. The following are recent remarks by members of Congress on Iran.
… Read More
On February 3, the U.S. Treasury announced new sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Iran’s continued support for terrorism and development of its ballistic missile program poses a threat to… Read More
On January 29, Iran test launched a medium-range ballistic missile. U.S. defense officials said the test seemed to be a failure because the missile crashed or exploded after flying more than 500 miles. The United States called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, which was held on… Read More
On January 29, Iran test launched a medium-range ballistic missile, according to U.S. defense officials. On January 31, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting and recommended the matter of the missile testing be studied at committee level. On February 1, Iran’s defense minister… Read More
Iranian leaders reacted angrily to President Trump’s Executive Order on January 27 banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen — from entering the United States for 90 days. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the ban is “a clear insult… Read More
President Trump’s inauguration provoked widespread interest from Iran’s media and across its political spectrum. Front pages covered everything from the President’s first days in office to how the First Lady provided a “light on [the] scary face of Trump.” Newspapers analyzed how the new U.S.… Read More
On January 25, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Khaled al Sabah made a rare one-day visit to Tehran and called for a frank dialogue between Iran and its Arab neighbors. He delivered a message to President Hassan Rouhani from his country’s emir, Sabah al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah, the details of which… Read More
President Hassan Rouhani will be up for reelection in May 2017. His popularity peaked in August 2015 with an 89 percent favorability rating just after the nuclear deal was brokered between Iran and the world’s six major powers. As of December 2016, however, only 68 percent of Iranians viewed him… Read More
Some 71 percent of Iranians believe that President Donald Trump is likely to decide not to abide by the terms of the nuclear deal, according to a new poll by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll.com. Some 59 percent of Iranians think Tehran should… Read More
On January 18, Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on her nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration. She called the U.N. Security Council endorsement of the nuclear deal with Iran a “huge disappointment” and said… Read More
Under the nuclear deal, Iran was required to remove certain infrastructure and excess centrifuges from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant by the one-year anniversary of implementation, January 16, 2017. The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Yukiya Amano, and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, have… Read More
On January 12, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. He said that he would not have signed the nuclear deal with Iran but that the United States must live up to its… Read More
The following are remarks from top leaders on the anniversary of the nuclear deal’s implementation day, January 16. The agreement between Iran and the world’s six major powers —Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States —significantly limited Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange… Read More
On January 13, President Obama sent letters to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran. The following is the full text.
CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO IRAN
On… Read More
On January 12, the Senate Intelligence Committee held a confirmation hearing for Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS), President Donald Trump’s nominee for Central Intelligence Agency Director. He said that as a member of Congress, he opposed the nuclear deal, but acknowledged that his role would… Read More
On January 11, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination to be secretary of state in the Donald Trump administration. He said Iran poses a great threat to the world because of its “refusal to conform to international norms.” If… Read More
On January 8, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died of a heart attack at age 82. He held top positions in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. He was president for two terms from 1989 to 1997. He was chairman of the Assembly of Experts, a panel of more than 80 clerics and… Read More
On January 5, Secretary of State John Kerry released an exit memo with an overview of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy over the last eight years. The following is an excerpt on Iran from the memo with other remarks from January 2017.
Verifiably Preventing Iran from Obtaining a Nuclear… Read More
Nearly two thirds of Americans oppose withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal to negotiate a better one, according to a new survey from the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC). “Though President-elect [Donald] Trump campaigned on ripping up the deal and seeking to… Read More