New Articles
UN Experts: Iran Denying Medical Treatment to Political Prisoners
On April 27, a group of U.N. human rights experts released a statement criticizing Iran’s denial of adequate medical treatment to political prisoners. They cited the case of physicist Omid Kokabee, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for alleged “connections with a hostile government…
Khamenei Comments on US, Gulf States, Shakespeare
The tweets from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei covered a full range of subjects in April 2016, from a celebration on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death to angry accusations about the United States undermining the Iran nuclear deal. He also used his Twitter account to…
Anti-Iran Moves in Congress
Since late 2015, U.S. lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen legislative measures against Iran. Most have yet to pass the House or Senate, and the bills largely target areas outside the scope of the nuclear deal, such as ballistic missiles, terrorism, and human rights. But President Obama has…
Zarif on Nuclear Deal, US Relations
Robin Wright (for The New Yorker)Three months after Iran dismantled large parts of its nuclear program, in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the international nuclear deal—the country’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, declared last week in New York that the United…
Part I: Are Iran’s Missiles a Threat?
Michael Elleman Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles in March 2016 and one in October 2015. Why? What is Iran’s goal? Is there any significance to the timing? Ballistic missiles have been a key pillar of Iran’s overall defense and deterrence strategy since its 1980-1988 war with Iraq. For…
Part II: US, Iran Disagree on Missiles
Top U.S. officials have argued that Iran’s recent missiles launches are inconsistent with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which bans Iran from testing ballistic missiles designed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. On March 24, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian…
Kerry and Zarif on Nuclear Deal Disputes
On April 22, Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a closed-door meeting in New York to discuss disagreements that have emerged during the implementation of the nuclear deal. Iranian officials have alleged that the United States is not fulfilling its…
Obama on Iran at GCC Summit
On April 21, President Barack Obama assured leaders from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that the United States will “deter and confront external aggression” against them. “Our nations committed to continuing to interdict illegal Iranian arms shipments in the region, impose costs on Iran…
Supreme Court Orders Iran to Compensate Terror Victims
On April 20, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a judgement that held Iran financially responsible for terrorist attacks dating back to the 1983 Marine Corps barracks bombing in Beirut. The lead plaintiff, Deborah Peterson, is the sister of Lance Cpl. James C. Knipple, who was killed in Beirut. The…
Zarif Op-Ed in Washington Post
On April 20, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif published an op-ed in The Washington Post criticizing its Sunni Gulf neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia, for spending huge sums of money on arms and allegedly supporting militant extremism. He criticized the West for raising alarms about…
Iran Pushes the United States
Iranian officials are pushing Washington to do more to fulfill its obligations under the nuclear deal. U.S. officials must be “much more proactive” in assuring other countries that they can do business with Iran without risking penalties from the United States, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad…
Iran Targets Political Elites
Garrett Nada Over the past four decades, Iran’s revolutionaries have often been targets of their own revolution. Dozens have been pushed aside, discredited, banned from running for office, or isolated. Many have ended up in jail or faced prolonged house arrest. A few have been executed. The…
Europe and Iran to Boost Ties, Cooperation
On April 16, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and seven other high-ranking E.U. officials visited Iran to discuss implementation of the nuclear deal, boost economic ties, and increase cooperation on humanitarian, environmental and social issues. It was the first visit of E.U.…
Europe Reaches Out to Iran
Since the final nuclear deal was announced on July 14, 2015, at least a dozen European nations have reached out to Iran with high-profile phone calls and visits. "Expansion of relations with E.U. members is among Tehran's main policies," Rouhani said before his visit to Europe in January 2016. …
Iran and Islamic Conference: Tensions at the Summit
Tensions between Iran and other Islamic countries, especially Saudi Arabia, erupted at the 13th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) of 57 countries. The final communique, issued April 15, “deplored Iran’s interference” in the affairs of other countries and its “continued support…
Iran on Nuclear Deal: “Nothing Has Happened”
On April 15, Valiollah Seif, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, said that “almost nothing” has happened since the nuclear deal was implemented in January. “Unless serious efforts are made by our partners to make the JCPOA work, in my view they have not honored their obligations,” he said during…
Treasury on Outstanding Iran Issues
On April 14, the United States and Iran held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the annual spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew met with Iranian Central Bank Governor Valiollah Seif. The United States needs to deliver on its obligations…
US Report: Iran's Human Rights Abuses
Iran's most significant human rights issue is the restriction of civil liberties, according to the State Department's 2015 Country Report on Human Rights Practices. The report also criticized Iran's government for a wide range abuses, including cruel punishments, arbitrary violations of privacy,…
Arab Youth Survey: Iranian Influence Rising
For the third year in a row, a greater percentage of Arab youth have named Iran as their country’s biggest ally, according to the eighth annual ASDA’A Burson Marsteller Arab Youth Survey. In 2012 and 2013, only one percent of youth in 16 countries said Iran was their country’s biggest ally,…
Karroubi's Letter to Rouhani
On April 9, former presidential candidate and opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi published an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani asking for a court hearing. Karroubi, along with former candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, has been under house arrest since 2011 for leading Green Movement protests after…
Amnesty Report: Executions Rise in Iran
In 2015, Iran carried out at least 977 executions, according to a new report by Amnesty International. The organization estimates that at least 577 executions took place in addition to the 400 acknowledged by Iranian authorities – a 31 percent increase compared to 2014. China carried out the most…
US & Iran Clash on Nuclear Deal Compliance
Since late March, U.S. and Iranian officials have accused each other of taking actions that undermine the nuclear deal. On April 1, President Barack Obama accused Iran of not following the “spirit” of the agreement by engaging in test launches of ballistic missiles on March 8 and 9. Chief of Staff…
Economic Trends: February and March
Cameron Glenn In February and March, Iran began reaping the economic benefits of the nuclear deal that was implemented in January. Following the lifting or suspension of E.U., U.S. and U.N. sanctions, the Islamic Republic hosted trade delegations, inked lucrative deals, and boosted oil exports to 2…
Senate Hearing: Progress on Nuclear Deal
On April 5, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on progress in implementing the nuclear deal between Iran and the world’s six major powers. Thomas Shannon, the State Department’s Under Secretary for Political Affairs, provided testimony. The following are excerpts of his remarks…
US Navy Seizes Iranian Arms Shipment
On April 4, the U.S. Navy announced that the USS Sirocco had seized an Iranian arms shipment in the Arabian Sea on March 28, likely bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran is widely accused of backing the Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since…
Iran Reacts to Ballistic Missile Sanctions
Iranian leaders declared that the Islamic Republic will continue its ballistic missile program in spite of new U.S. sanctions. The sanctions, enacted on March 24, targeted two Iranian companies for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed that…
Obama on Iran at Nuclear Security Summit
On April 1, President Barack Obama said that the nuclear deal has “achieved a substantial success” during a meeting with leaders from the world’s six major powers on the sidelines of the 4th Nuclear Security Summit. But Obama also claimed in remarks to the press that Iran has undermined the "spirit…
Poll: Iranian Opinions on Rouhani, Elections
The majority of Iranians hold favorable views of President Hassan Rouhani and voted for his supporters in the February elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts, according to a new poll by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), working in conjunction with…
US Indicts Iranians Suspected of Cyberattacks
On March 24, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment against seven Iranian computer experts suspected of cyberattacks on American entities between 2011 and 2013. The alleged hackers targeted 46 American financial institutions, disrupting services and disabling bank websites. One of them…
US Imposes Sanctions Over Missile Program
On March 24, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian companies for supporting Tehran’s ballistic missile program. It also blacklisted two British businessmen, two entities based in the United Kingdom and two entities based in the United Arab Emirates for helping an Iranian airline…