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News Digest: Week of March 22
March 22
Afghanistan: Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan spoke with the U.N. Secretary General's office about the Afghan peace process. "The two sides reviewed various aspects of Afghanistan developments, and highlighted the necessity of mitigating the pains of Afghan people and accelerating the…
One Year of COVID: Economic Impact
Virtually every aspect of Iran’s economy has been impacted by the global pandemic. In the year since the first case of COVID-19 in February 2020, Iran’s economy has faced new challenges exacerbated by longstanding problems, including years of punitive U.S. sanctions. The main consequences have been…
Timeline: Six Waves of COVID-19
Updated: March 22, 2022
Iran reported its first deaths from the new COVID-19 virus on February 19, 2020. It soon became one of the world’s early epicenters. The coronavirus spread across Iran’s 31 provinces within a month. Over the first twelve months of the pandemic, nearly 1.6 million Iranians were infected and more…
One Year of COVID: Public Opinion
In February 2021, Iranians largely approved of their government’s handling of COVID-19, even though almost four out of five reported that they knew someone who was struck with or died from the disease. Public opinion polling conducted one year into the pandemic revealed contrasting trends. On…
U.S. Officials on Nowruz
On March 20, President Joe Biden and top officials wished a happy Nowruz, the Persian New Year, to Iran and other countries celebrating the ancient holiday around the world. Biden, unlike his predecessors, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, did not use the occasion to comment on the state of U.S.-Iran…
Iranian Leaders on Nowruz
On March 20-21, Iran’s senior leaders marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year and the first day of spring, with optimistic messages about the economy. President Hassan Rouhani declared that three years of “cruel and ruthless imposed economic war,” a reference to U.S. sanctions, against Iran would soon…
One Year of COVID: Politics of Vaccination
Updated: July 13, 2021
In March 2021, one year after the outbreak of COVID-19, Iran was just starting its vaccination campaign, which began on February 9, 2021. But most Iranians were warned that they would have to wait until early 2022 due to a vaccine shortage. Over the first twelve months of the pandemic, nearly 1.6…
DNI: Iran Tried to Influence U.S. Election
In a new report issued on March 16, U.S. intelligence charged that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei authorized a covert cyber campaign to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The campaign’s goal was to “undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects – though without…
U.S. Sanctions Two Iranians for Torture
On March 9, the United States designated two Revolutionary Guards interrogators in the first new sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on Iran. Ali Hemmatian and Masoud Safadri were involved in torturing political prisoners and protesters detained during anti-government protests in 2019 and…
News Digest: Week of March 1
March 1
Shipping: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for an explosion on an Israeli ship last week. An Israeli official told Reuters that limpet mines were used in the attack.
Sports: Iran's suspension from international judo events was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.…
Sanctions 7: Iran’s Economy by the Numbers
Iran’s economy has gyrated, often coinciding with the success or failure of international diplomacy. The fluctuations have been reflected in all basic data points, including the value of its rial currency, oil exports, gross domestic product (GDP) and inflation. U.S. sanctions have added to the…
Sanctions 8: Timeline of Sanctions
Since 2005, the United States has designated Iranian individuals, companies, and organizations for involvement in nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, support for terrorist groups, and human rights abuses. These designations have been made under the following presidential executive…
Sanctions 5: Trump's "Maximum Pressure" Targets
Between 2018 and 2021, the Trump administration imposed more than 1,500 sanctions on Iran or on foreign companies or individuals who did business with Iran. They targeted big institutions, such as the supreme leader’s office, the Revolutionary Guards and the Central Bank, as well as individuals.…
U.S. Sanctions Two Houthi Commanders
On March 2, the United States sanctioned two Houthi rebel commanders, Mansur al Saadi and Ahmad Ali Ahsan al Hamzi, for orchestrating attacks “impacting Yemeni civilians, bordering nations, and commercial vessels in international waters.” Al Saadi and al Hamzi “command forces that worsening the…
What Sanctions Iran Wants Lifted
The U.S. Institute of Peace interviewed Dr. Kenneth Katzman, a former CIA analyst, who is now an Iran expert at the Congressional Research Service. His responses are made in his personal capacity, not for the Library of Congress.
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Sanctions 1: Impact of Iran's Oil Exports…
U.S. Strikes Iran-Backed Militias in Syria
Updated: March 2, 2021
On February 25, the United States conducted airstrikes in eastern Syria against Iran-backed militias in the first military action by the Biden administration. The Pentagon said that warplanes struck “several facilities” used by Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada, two Iraqi Shiite…
News Digest: Week of February 22
February 22
Health: Tehran and Tokyo discussed using frozen Iranian financial assets in Japanese banks to purchase coronavirus vaccines. The Japanese ambassador in Tehran suggested the move during a meeting with Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdonnaser Hemmati, state media reported.
Nuclear: …
Part 4: Restoring Limits on Iran's Nuclear Program
In February 2021, the Arms Control Association outlined the steps Iran would have to take to pull back from its breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal, initiated in May 2019, and return to full compliance. The following is its detailed rundown.
A year after former U.S. President Donald Trump…
Part 3: Europe, Russia and China on U.S. Moves
Updated: February 24, 2021
Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – the five other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – largely welcomed the Biden administration’s three moves to jumpstart diplomacy with Tehran on its nuclear program. On February 18, the United States said it would meet with Iran and the five major world…
Part 2: Iran Rejects US Offer of Talks
Updated: March 3, 2021
On February 28, Iran rejected the U.S. offer to attend a meeting of the so-called P5+1 countries – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – to chart a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program. Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the Biden…
Part 1: Biden’s Opening Bid on Iran Diplomacy
Updated: March 1, 2021
On February 18, the Biden Administration announced three opening moves to jumpstart diplomacy with Iran, with the goal of new talks that will ultimately lead to steps by both Iran and the United States to fully comply with their obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal. The three moves include:
The…
U.S. ‘Prepared’ for Talks with Iran
On February 18, the United States told its European allies that it was ready for talks with Iran over returning to the 2015 nuclear deal. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany to discuss Iran, Yemen, ISIS and Iraq, among other issues. “If…
News Digest: Week of February 15
February 15
Border: A massive fire at the Iran-Afghanistan border was extinguished after burning for three days. The fire erupted on February 13 when a fuel tanker exploded at the Herat border crossing. The explosion was large enough to be viewed from space. At least 20 people were injured by the…
Iran’s Missiles: Timeline of Attacks
Updated: April 14, 2024
Iran’s missile program, which dates back to the monarchy, has been an increasingly important military staple since the 1979 revolution, as the Islamic Republic’s warplanes became obsolete. In the mid-1980s, Tehran acquired Scud missiles from Libya, Syria and North Korea and also began adapting the…
Iran’s Missiles: Military Strategy
Assaf Orion is a senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and director of the Israel-China research program. He is also an international fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Orion, a retired brigadier general, was responsible for strategic…
News Digest: Week of February 8
February 8
Diplomacy: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with U.N. Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths in Tehran. The two discussed backing a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen and reopening the Sanaa airport.
Military: Iran, Russia and China announced that they would conduct joint naval drills in the…
Revolution at 42: Leaders on the Anniversary
Khamenei visits Khomeini's mausoleum on Feb. 1
On the 42nd anniversary of Iran’s revolution, its leaders focused heavily on the future of the nuclear deal and potential new diplomacy with the United States. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded that Washington lift sanctions before…
Revolution at 42: In Photos
On February 10, 2021, Iran marked the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with a socially distant parade featuring thousands of car, motorcycles and bicycles at Azadi Square in Tehran. The annual commemoration, which normally draws tens of thousands to hear official speeches, was limited to…
Sanctions 1: Impact on Iran's Oil Exports
Henry Rome is a senior analyst on Iran, Israel and global macro issues at Eurasia Group. Follow him on Twitter @hrome2.
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Sanctions 2: What Iran Wants Lifted
Sanctions 3: Iran's Economy in 2020
Sanctions 4: The "Chilling Effect" of U.S. Sanctions on Iran
Sanctions 5: Trump's "…
Revolution at 42: U.S.-Iran Relations
Iran celebrates the anniversary of its 1979 revolution and the so-called “10 Days of Dawn” between February 1 and 11, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile. John Ghazvinian is the author of the new book “America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present.” Born in Iran, Ghazvinian is…