Garrett Nada's Blog

Anti-Americanism Grows in Iran — Again

Garrett Nada The nuclear deal, announced in July, has not changed the anti-American rhetoric in Iran. Indeed, the pace of vitriol has noticeably increased. “US officials seek negotiation with Irannegotiation is means of infiltration and imposition of their wills,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali…

Iran’s Growing Toll in Syria

Garrett NadaIran’s involvement in Syria is growing. So is the Iranian death toll. For decades, the Islamic Republic has been a pivotal ally of the Assad dynasty and a source of arms, military advisers, and billions in financial aid. But it stepped up support after the uprising began in 2011. It…

Heated Debate in Iran on Nuclear Deal

Garrett Nada The debate over the nuclear deal is heating up in Iran. President Hassan Rouhani’s administration has been trying to sell the agreement since it was announced on July 14. But hardliners' criticism of the deal is mounting.  Part of the debate is over whether or not the agreement and…

Tensions in Iran over Nuclear Talks

Garrett NadaAfter a closed-door briefing at parliament, on May 24, conservative lawmaker Mehdi Koochakzadeh accused Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of treason and ignoring Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s limits in the nuclear negotiations. Zarif said Koochakzadeh had no right to speak…

U.S.-Iran Trade After Sanctions

Garrett Nada A gradual lifting of sanctions on Iran could reopen the Middle East’s second largest economy (after Saudi Arabia) to U.S. and Western companies. Many European companies were active in Iran until 2010, but American companies have avoided doing business in the Islamic Republic for…

Khamenei vs. Rouhani on Non-Muslims

Garrett NadaIran’s supreme leader and president take two different approaches to interfaith outreach. While extolling the qualities of shared prophets with Christianity and Judaism, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei often censures other countries or groups for supposedly not living up to the high standards…

Economy in 2014: Some Fixes, Few Solutions

Garrett Nada            President Hassan Rouhani made significant headway in stabilizing Iran’s economy in 2014. During his first full calendar year in office, he began addressing mismanagement and corruption from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tenure. His policies brought inflation down from 39…

From Baby Boom to Baby Shortage

Garrett Nada             Iran has a numbers problem. Over the past 35 years, Tehran’s family planning policy has gyrated so radically—from encouraging too many babies to producing too few—that the Islamic Republic faces existential economic dangers.        The origin of the problem dates to the…

Economic Trends: Month of May

Garrett Nada             The biggest news in May was reports of increased oil exports to Asia and discoveries of new fields. China’s imports of Iranian crude oil more than doubled in April compared to a year ago. And South Korea’s imports from Iran more than doubled between March and April. The…

Rouhani Under Fire

Garrett Nada      President Hassan Rouhani faces growing pressure from hardliners for trying to improve Iran’s pariah status and, even tepidly, open up Iranian society. In recent weeks, politicians and media critics have lambasted Rouhani in the run-up to the latest nuclear talks between Iran and…