Archive
To mark President Hassan Rouhani’s first 100 days in power, his supporters posted a music video that appears to be inspired by President Obama’s 2008 “Yes We Can” video. It is especially striking because music generally and female… Read More
On November 26, President Hassan Rouhani assessed his achievements during his first 100 days in office. Rouhani claimed progress in curbing inflation, relaxing government control on society, securing an interim nuclear deal and drafting a citizens’ rights charter. “We… Read More
The following are two videos featuring Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Kerry’s video pitch was posted on November 26. Zarif’s interview with Iranian state television was broadcast on November… Read More
On November 24, Iran and the world’s six major powers reached a historical interim agreement on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. Iran committed to halting the most sensitive aspects of its program and allowing expanded U.N. nuclear inspections in return for… Read More
On November 23, President Barack Obama welcomed the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program as an important first step that would cut off Tehran’s most likely paths to a bomb while creating time and space for more negotiations. “… Read More
Iran’s leaders have hailed the interim agreement as a victory and start of a new era for Tehran and its relations with the outside world. In a televised statement, President Hassan Rouhani called the nuclear deal an important “first… Read More
U.S. lawmakers issued wide-ranging reactions to the news of the interim agreement on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Many senators and representatives were skeptical about Tehran’s intentions. “Apparently, America… Read More
On November 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the interim agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program, calling it a “historic mistake.” He argued that sanctions “have been given up in exchange for cosmetic Iranian… Read More
The following briefs analyze the terms of the interim deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. International Crisis Group The Iran Nuclear Accord: First Step in a Long Journey … Read More
The chain of events that ultimately produced Iran’s nuclear deal with the world’s six major powers played out in a string of tweets between June 17 and November 24. The tweets began shortly after President Hassan Rouhani’s election… Read More
Robin Wright In 1981, I stood at the foot of the plane that flew the 52 Americans held hostage 444 days in Iran to freedom in Algiers. They were all pasty-faced and captive-weary as they disembarked into the cold January night.… Read More
The following article was originally published as Viewpoints No. 45 by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Haleh Esfandiari … Read More
Nearly two-thirds of Americans support an agreement with Iran that would lift sanctions in return for Tehran restricting its nuclear program, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Some 72 percent of Democrats surveyed… Read More
On November 19, President Barack Obama appealed to key Democratic and Republican senators to support an interim deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. In a statement issued afterwards, the White House said "The initial, 6-… Read More
The new diplomatic initiative between Iran and the world’s six major powers has inspired cynical political cartoonists on all sides. But the sharpest cartoons have run in the Iranian and American press. They reflect… Read More
On the eve of new talks, key players from Iran and the world’s six major powers remained firmly committed to rival positions but also expressed cautious optimism about an interim agreement. The third round takes place in Geneva… Read More
Sanctions are costing Iran some $5 billion a month —or $120 billion since 2008— according to senior U.S. officials. Overall, Tehran’s economy shrunk by five percent in 2012. Sanctions have also cut Iranian banks off from the international financial system, which has… Read More
Iran is highly unlikely to deploy a long-range missile capable of reaching U.S. territory within the next decade, according to a new brief by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Tehran has two routes for developing an… Read More
On November 14, President Barack Obama urged Congress to give diplomacy a chance ahead of another round of talks with Iran. He also pledged to not lift key sanctions on the oil, banking and finance sectors as part of an interim deal… Read More
On November 14, Secretary of State John Kerry warned that passing new U.S. sanctions could encourage Iranian hardliners to undermine talks on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. They would “hold President [Hassan] Rouhani and… Read More
Iran has virtually halted upgrading its uranium enrichment capacity, according to the latest quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Since August, around the time President Hassan Rouhani took office, Tehran… Read More
Robin Wright and Garrett Nada The new diplomacy between Iran and the world’s six major powers faces growing opposition from key players in the Middle East, including the oil-rich and influential Gulf states. The Sunni sheikhdoms are… Read More
Garrett Nada Israel is the most skeptical country about diplomacy to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has generally dismissed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s diplomatic overtures to… Read More
Any deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program may need Congressional approval. But the Obama administration could face a tough sell for any deal on the Hill from both Republicans and Democrats. Nearly 60 percent of… Read More
Less than half of Iranians support economic, military or political support for the Syrian regime, according to a new Gallup World poll. The Iranian government, however, has been a staunch defender of Bashar al Assad’s government… Read More
Iran and the world’s six major powers made significant headway but ultimately failed to finalize an agreement at grueling talks between November 7 and 10. Foreign ministers from the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and… Read More
Tehran has a launched sophisticated new website, NuclearEnergy.ir, to convince the world – in English – that its nuclear energy program is both peaceful and necessary for modern development, despite Iran’s vast oil and gas… Read More
The following briefs by nuclear proliferation experts analyze the potential terms of a deal to solve the Iranian nuclear dispute. SIPRI: Stockholm International Peace Research InstituteTime for a more comprehensive approach to… Read More
On November 11, Iran agreed to provide the U.N. nuclear watchdog with greater access to its nuclear sites. The joint statement signed in Tehran was intended to help verify the peaceful nature of Iran’s controversial nuclear program… Read More
Hanif Kashani and Robin Wright The honeymoon is over. President Hassan Rouhani marks 100 days in office on November 12, which is also his birthday. During his campaign against five rivals, Rouhani distinguished himself as the people’… Read More