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Khamenei Sets Conditions for Europe to Preserve Nuclear Deal
On May 23, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued six conditions that must be met by Europe for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal. He demanded that Europe secure “a resolution against the U.S. violation” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of…
Pompeo Testifies Before Congress on Iran
Updated: May 24, 2018
On May 23 and 24, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department Budget for 2019. The hearings came days after Pompeo unveiled a new strategy to counter Iran after the U.S. withdrawal from the…
Iran to Stay in Syria Despite Russian Call to Withdraw
On May 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for foreign forces to withdraw from Syria at a press conference with Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Russia's envoy to Syria clarified Putin's comments the next day, saying they applied to Turkish, U.S., Iranian, and Hezbollah forces. The Russian…
US Sanctions Iranians for Supporting Yemen’s Houthis
On May 22, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned five Iranians for providing ballistic missile-related technical expertise or transferring weapons to the Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. The five individuals were associated with…
Europe Reacts to Pompeo Demands
Updated: May 24, 2018
European leaders questioned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's reasoning for the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and his call for a new, all-encompassing Iran deal. "Secretary Pompeo’s speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA has made or will…
Iran Responds to Pompeo Demands
Updated: May 25, 2018
Iranian leaders rejected outright Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s demands for dramatic changes in Tehran’s foreign policy and nuclear program. “It is in no way acceptable that a man who had been working in a spy center for years tells Iran and other countries what to do,” President Hassan Rouhani…
Pompeo Issues Demands for New Iran Deal
Updated: May 23, 2018
On May 21, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined the Trump administration’s new strategy for dealing with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal. He warned Iran that the United States will apply military and economic pressure, including the “strongest sanctions in history,”…
US Sanctions Hezbollah Leaders and Financing Network
On May 16, the U.S. Treasury Department partnered with seven member states of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center to designate Hezbollah senior leadership, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. “Under the dictates of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF),…
Future of the Deal II: Intense Diplomacy
Updated: June 7, 2018
Since the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the United States and Iran have engaged in rival diplomacy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his British, French and German counterparts during the course of several days. “The Secretary underlined that the United States and our European…
The Shadow War: Iran Against Israel in Syria
Since 2013, Israel has launched more than 100 airstrikes against Iran’s forces and its allies in Syria. What’s happening?
Israel has long been wary of Iran’s power projection in the Levant, particularly in Syria. Ties between Tehran and Damascus have been close since the 1979 revolution, but the…
US Sanctions Iran Central Bank Chief
Updated: May 23, 2018
On May 15, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four individuals and one bank for moving millions of dollars on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to the Lebanese militia and political movement Hizballah. One of the individuals was Valiollah Seif, Iran’s Central…
Future of the Deal I: Zarif’s Letter to the UN
On May 10, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemning the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. "These acts constitute a complete disregard for international law and the United Nations…
Poll: Iranian Attitudes on Nuclear Deal
In a poll conducted before the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, a majority of Iranians said they would support retaliation against the United States if it abrogated the accord. The IranPoll survey also showed that 92 percent of Iranians had no confidence that the United States would live up…
US Sanctions Iran Currency Exchange Network
On May 10, the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) moved to disrupt an extensive currency exchange network that helped fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the elite unit responsible for operations abroad. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned nine…
Israel Hits Dozens of Iranian Targets in Syria
On May 10, Israeli jets struck some 70 Iranian targets in Syria in response to rocket fire attributed to Iran. It was Israel’s largest attack carried out in Syria since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson. “We will not allow Iran to establish a…
Exiting the Deal Part 9: Iranian Media Coverage
Updated: May 30, 2018
The U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal was the top story in Iranian newspapers on May 9, the day after President Donald Trump’s announcement. His decision produced common cause among Iran’s diverse political cartoonists through the end of the month. The Islamic Republic has a broad political…
Exiting the Deal Part 8: Middle East Responds
Updated: May 14, 2018
On May 8, President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Israel and the Gulf states welcomed Trump's decision. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's decision as an "historic move" and praised his "courageous leadership…
Exiting the Deal Part 7: Experts Analysis
Foreign policy and nonproliferation experts issued a range of reactions to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. Some critics of the accord thought the move was risky. "I would've preferred to see a US-E3 agreement first," Mark Dubowitz, CEO of…
Exiting the Deal Part 6: Obama Officials React
Updated: May 11, 2018
On May 8, President Trump withdrew from the landmark Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. Former President Barack Obama and other officials from his administration criticized Trump's move. "Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an…
Exiting the Deal Part 5: Congressional Remarks
Updated: May 9, 2018
Members of Congress were divided over President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal. Many Republicans and Democrats criticized the president's decision or at least regretted not being able to reach a supplemental agreement with European allies. U.S. diplomats had been quietly…
Exiting the Deal Part 4: World Reacts
Updated: May 10, 2018
Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union reaffirmed their commitment to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the wake of President Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord and reimpose sanctions on Iran. "As long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it is doing so…
Exiting the Deal Part 3: Iran Responds
Updated: May 14, 2018
On May 8, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal. In a televised address, Rouhani said Trump “is not loyal to international commitments” and that his behavior disgraces the American people. Rouhani said he has ordered the…
Exiting the Deal Part 2: US Treasury on Sanctions
On May 8, the U.S Treasury Department issued guidance on how it will implement President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions. “Sanctions will be reimposed subject to certain 90 day and 180 day wind-down periods,” explained Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a…
Exiting the Deal Part 1: Trump Remarks
Updated: May 14, 2018
On May 8, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "The fact is this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will," Trump said in his address. "The agreement was so…
Last Minute Scramble on JCPOA
Updated: May 8, 2018
On May 6, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson traveled to Washington D.C. for two days of talks with the Trump administration on Iran, North Korea, Syria and other major international issues. He was due to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and others.…
Rouhani: Iran Could Remain in Nuclear Deal If US Withdraws
On May 7, President Hassan Rouhani suggested that Iran could remain in the 2015 nuclear deal even if the United States withdraws. “What we want for the deal is that it's preserved and guaranteed by the non-Americans,” he told officials in Mashhad, the country’s second largest city. Rouhani was…
Zarif: Iran Won’t Renegotiate Nuclear Deal
On May 3, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. He also clarified Iran’s position on renegotiating the accord or a possible supplemental deal. “Let me make it absolutely clear once and for all: We…
Part 3: Iran’s Growing Influence in Iraq
Two Middle East experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace, Elie Abouaoun and Sarhang Hamasaeed, discuss Iran’s evolving role in Iraq with Garrett Nada.
What are the major phases that Iraq has gone through since the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime? What has Iran’s involvement been during…
Poll: Public Support for Iran Deal at Record High
Updated: May 8, 2018
A majority of Americans support the Iran nuclear deal and think the United States should not withdraw, according to polls conducted by CNN, Morning Consult and Politico. But a CBS News poll found that many Americans don't know enough about the 2015 accord to say what the United States should do.…
Experts and Former Officials Respond to Israeli Claims
Updated: May 7, 2018
On April 30, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented evidence that Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons program. He also charged that Iran is still working to "expand its nuclear weapons know-how for future use," despite the 2015 nuclear deal. Former U.S. officials and nuclear…