Archive
On March 26, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon condemning attacks on Iranians in 2013 and 2014. Zarif sent the letter one day after Ban Ki-Moon decried the killing of one of the five Iranian border guards abducted in February. A… Read More
On March 26, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars convened a panel of four experts to discuss prospects for Iran’s next five years. The speakers included:Shaul Bakhash (moderator)Clarence J. Robin Professor of History, George Mason UniversityBernard Hourcade Global… Read More
Iran’s tenuous relationship with the West has been illustrated by the ups and downs in the relationship between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The two have been the lead negotiators in the new diplomacy to find a peaceful… Read More
On March 21, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei questioned the Holocaust in a controversial address at the Imam Reza shrine marking Nowruz, Persian New Year. The “Holocaust is an event whose reality is uncertain and if it has happened, it's uncertain how it has happened,” he said.… Read More
On March 20, President Hassan Rouhani expressed optimism for reaching a final nuclear agreement in a televised statement marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The following video is subtitled in English.
On March 20, government officials from the United States, Great Britain and Israel sent Nowruz greetings to the Iranian people. The Persian New Year marks the Spring Equinox and the first day of spring. President Barack Obama said, "This Nowruz could mark not just the beginning of a new… Read More
On March 20, the U.S. Treasury authorized accredited U.S. academic institutions to hold academic exchanges with Iranian universities. The general license notably allowed the provision of on-line courses for Iranian students. The Treasury’s announcement coincided with Nowruz, Persian New… Read More
On March 20, the U.N. nuclear watchdog released a new report detailing Iran’s implementation of the interim nuclear deal brokered in November 2013. Tehran has continued to comply with the agreement and has not enriched uranium to 20 percent. But it has not yet completed a facility to… Read More
Ironically, the most widely celebrated holiday in the Islamic Republic of Iran long predates the official religion. Nowruz, literally “New Day” in Farsi, marks the first day of spring and the Persian New Year. The holiday, which falls on March 20 this year, is widely celebrated across… Read More
Iran defeated its two major rivals, Russia and the United States, at the 2014 Freestyle Wrestling World Cup in Los Angeles. On March 15, Iran defeated the host team 5-3 after beating Armenia 8-0 and Turkey 7-1. Iran went on to beat Russia 6-2 on March 16, taking the cup for the third… Read More
On March 18, 83 U.S. Senators and nearly 400 House members sent letters to President Barack Obama warning that they would swiftly impose new sanctions if nuclear talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers fail. The Senate letter —spearheaded by Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Lindsey… Read More
On March 12, President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Oman for his first official visit to an Arab country since his August inauguration. The primary aim of the two-day trip was to expand economic ties between the two countries and ease tensions with other Gulf states. “Iran extends a hand… Read More
At a press conference on March 9, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton emphasized their commitment to securing a nuclear agreement before July 2014. The six-month deadline that the world’s six major powers and Iran agreed on can be… Read More
E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton arrived in Tehran on March 8 for a two-day visit—the first visit by an E.U. high representative since 2008. The primary aim of the trip was to discuss new opportunities for improving Iran’s relationship with the European Union. Ashton discussed… Read More
On March 9, Secretary of State Kerry asked Iran to work cooperatively to ensure the safe return of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson to the United States. Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 2007. He was reportedly investigating cigarette smuggling while working as… Read More
David Albright and Andrea Stricker In any nuclear deal, Iran will have to limit the number of centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium, a process that produces fuel for both peaceful nuclear energy and the world’s deadliest weapon. But the exact number is likely to be one of the most… Read More
A final nuclear deal that satisfies both Iran and the world’s six major powers will require hard compromises on five key issues, according to a brief from the Arms Control Association. “If either side pushes unrealistic requirements on the other side, the chances for a negotiated… Read More
On March 5, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei urged government agencies to coordinate their response to Iran’s pressing environmental challenges. “If you do not act decisively, some people will continue to take advantage of the situation [and continue polluting],” he said in an address… Read More
On March 5, U.S. Central Command General Lloyd Austin III cited countering “malign Iranian influence” as one of 10 priority efforts for 2014 in his statement to the House Armed Services Committee. But he also noted the “unprecedented opportunity” for diplomatic talks between Iran and the… Read More
On March 4, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged world powers to have Iran “fully dismantle its nuclear capabilities” in his address to the annual American Israeli Public Affairs Committee conference. Israel is the most skeptical country about diplomacy to ensure Iran does… Read More
Israel does not speak with one voice on Iran. Several politicians and current and former intelligence officials have broken with the government’s largely hawkish view of Iran since President Hassan Rouhani took office in August 2013. President Shimon Peres has expressed willingness to “… Read More
On March 2 and 3, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry defended the Obama administration’s commitment to solve the Iranian nuclear dispute diplomatically at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference. “Those who say strike [Iran’s nuclear… Read More
On March 3, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA, left) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD, right) released a letter expressing grave concern that “Iran's industrial-scale uranium enrichment capability and heavy water reactor being built at Arak could be used for the development of… Read More
On March 3, the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s director general reported that Iran has implemented the six measures contained in the interim nuclear agreement. “The measures implemented by Iran, and the further commitments it has undertaken, represent a positive step forward, but much remains to be… Read More
On February 27, President Barack Obama told Bloomberg View that the world’s six major powers have nothing to lose from nuclear talks with Iran. If the two sides fail to agree, “the worst that will have happened is that we will have frozen their program for a six-month period. We’ll have much… Read More
Half as many Americans view Iran as the United States’ greatest enemy as did two years ago, according to a new Gallup poll. Some 20 percent of Americans polled see China as the top U.S. enemy. About 16 percent of Americans see Iran as the greatest enemy. The same amount considers North… Read More
On February 27, the State Department released its annual country reports on human rights practices. The following are excerpts from the Iran chapter. Executive Summary Despite high popular participation in the country’s June 14 presidential election, candidate vetting conducted by… Read More
Iran remains one of the world’s most restrictive countries in terms of media freedom, according to the 2014 World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. The report noted that at the end of 2013, “Iran continued to be one of the world’s biggest prisons for media personnel, with 50… Read More
President Hassan Rouhani discussed Iran’s domestic and foreign policy challenges in several statements, interviews and speeches during February 2014. On the economy, Rouhani predicted new growth from foreign investment in anticipation of sanctions relief for Iran's cooperation on the… Read More
On February 22, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (left) assured Israeli journalists that Washington is “clear-eyed about the enormous challenges that lay ahead” in final nuclear talks with Iran. The world’s six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia… Read More