Iran Primer's Blog
History of Iran’s Parliaments
This is the second in a series on parliamentary elections due in March 2012: First parliament (1980-1984)Speaker: Yadollah Sahabi (for one month in mid-1980); Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1980 to 1984) Political trends: The first parliament was the most eclectic. It included deputies from…
Iran’s Pivotal Election
The Iran Primer today begins a series on parliamentary elections now scheduled for March 2012. The following is an excerpt from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) report on the Iranian electoral system—its origins, framework, and elected bodies: The Islamic…
New IAEA Report on Iran
A new International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran was released on Sept. 2, 2011. Its summary points include: While the Agency continues to conduct verification activities under Iran’s Safeguards Agreement, Iran is not implementing a number of its obligations, including:…
U.S. Terrorism Report: State Sponsors
The State Department’s recently released Country Reports on Terrorism cites Iran as the most active state sponsor of terrorism. An excerpt: Overview: Designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1984, Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2010.…
U.S. Terrorism Report: MEK and Jundallah
The State Department’s recently released Country Reports on Terrorism cites the Mujahadin-E Khalq and Jundallah as two groups that have carried out terrorist operations against the Iranian regime. Excerpts on the two groups: The Mujahadin-E Khalq Organization (MEK) …
U.S. Terrorism Report: Iran and Hizballah, Hamas
The State Department’s recently released 2010 Country Reports on Terrorism says Iran continues to provide aid to Hizballah (or Hezbollah) and Hamas. Excerpts on the two groups: Hizballah Description: Hizballah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October…
U.S. Terrorism Report: Iran in Iraq
The State Department’s recently released Country Reports on Terrorism list says Iran is supporting Shiite militias inside Iraq. An excerpt outlining Iran’s influence in Iraq: Overview: Sunni leaders in Iraq have overwhelmingly rejected AQI and its extremist ideology. The…
The Coming Turkish-Iranian Competition in Iraq
The following excerpt is from a report published by the U.S. Institute of Peace written by Sean Kane, a program officer working with USIP’s Iraq Program: The center of attention in the Middle East has over the past decade swung from Egypt and Saudi Arabia eastward toward Iran and…
Obama on Syria—And Iran
On August 18, 2011, President Barack Obama strongly condemned the Syrian government’s crackdown on protestors and called for heightened sanctions against the country. Obama singled out Iran as the only country that Syria can now turn to. Here is the official White House statement: …
90 Senators: Sanction Iran's Central Bank
Dear Mr. President: Following the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program and recent Iranian missile tests, we remain seriously concerned that Iran continues to accelerate its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile programs. Meanwhile, the regime…