New Articles

On Aug. 30, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s inaugural address to the Non-Aligned Movement condemned nuclear weapons. The following is an excerpt from his speech.International peace and security are among the critical issues of today’s world and the elimination of catastrophic weapons of…

            On August 30, the U.N. nuclear watchdog criticized Tehran for failing to provide information and access to scientific personnel that would help resolve questions about Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) specifically warned that Iran had “…

On Aug. 28, the Republican Party ratified its party platform and nominated Mitt Romney as its 2012 presidential candidate. The platform warns that President Barack Obama’s “failed engagement policy with Iran will lead to nuclear cascade.” It also labeled Venezuela as an “increasing threat to U.S.…

Farzaneh Roudi         Iran has reversed its population policy and cut back an innovative program to bring down fertility rates that almost doubled the population two decades after the revolution. Alarmed by a rapidly aging population, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is now calling on…

Robin Wright Iran has jockeyed to regain international legitimacy and political leverage while hosting some 100 delegations at the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran. The Islamic Republic won a diplomatic tug-of-war with the United States when U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon agreed to attend…

On August 21, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland issued the following statement condemning Iran’s new education policy. Iranian Women Excluded From Major Areas of University Study  We have seen reports that 36 Iranian universities have banned women from 77 critical fields of…

Garrett Nada         The United States and Israel are at odds over the need for imminent military action against Iran because of widespread concern about its controversial nuclear program. In mid-August 2012, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks between the world’s six major powers and…

Garrett Nada         In August 2012, Israeli officials appeared increasingly divided over the need for imminent military action against Iran because of its controversial nuclear program. Israeli decision-makers and military elites now fall into three broad camps.          One group surrounding…

Haleh Esfandiari  Why are 36 Iranian universities now barring women from 77 academic fields, including engineering, accounting, education, counseling, and chemistry?   Rather than announcing across the board restrictions on women in higher education, the government has cleverly left it to…

On August 16, the Islamic Conference Organization-–a 57-member group of Muslim countries --suspended Syria’s membership in response to the government’s clampdown on internal opposition. Iran and Algeria objected to the OIC move, although an absolute majority of members approved it. Iranian…

Kevan HarrisWhat are the primary reasons that the Iranian rial has lost half of its value against the U.S. dollar in just one year? Iran’s currency was valued at about 10,000 rials to the dollar in the summer of 2011. It plummeted to more than 20,000 to the dollar in the summer of 2012. …

On August 14, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey held a joint press conference in Washington. They addressed Iran’s role in supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad. The following is a relevant excerpt. Q:  (Inaudible) Mr. Secretary, on…

On August 12, 2012, the United States offered aid to Iran after two earthquakes reportedly hit almost 200 villages near the northwest city of Tabriz. The early official Iranian reports cited more than 300 dead, 3,000 injured and some 16,000 left homeless. The United States has previously provided…

On August 10, the United States “imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector.” State Department Deputy…

On August 9, Iran hosted an emergency conference on developments in Syria. Envoys from 26 countries attended the one-day meeting including Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Benin, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman,…

On August 1, Congress voted to impose new sanctions on Iran that target companies aiding Tehran’s energy sector. The Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Human Rights Act of 2012 differs from President Obama’s July 31 executive order by targeting companies conducting business with Iran’s national…

On August 1, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that “all options” are on the table for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, including “military options.” At a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Panetta admitted that although sanctions are having a “biting” impact,…

On July 31, the State Department reported that Iran is the world’s “leading” state sponsor of terrorism. According to the Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, Tehran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force to support additional terrorist activities and “implement foreign policy goals…

On July 31, the Obama administration provided a briefing on the new U.S. sanctions on Iran. In this conference call, three government officials discussed President Obama’s new sanctions and the impact of existing sanctions on Iran’s government and economy. The following are excerpts from the…

On July 31, President Obama issued the following statement on new sanctions on Iranian oil and foreign financial institutions that facilitate transactions for Iranian banks. Today, the United States is announcing two significant steps that strengthen our efforts to pressure and isolate the Iranian…

Garrett Nada Iran has consistently supported President Bashar Assad since the uprising erupted in March 2011. Yet Iran’s tone on the Syrian crisis has noticeably evolved. Tehran initially subscribed to the official Syrian narrative; it described the protests as insignificant and orchestrated by…

The State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom report focused particular attention on Iran’s Baha’is, the country’s largest religious minority at between 300,000 and 350,000.   In releasing the report for 2011, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson…

On July 30, 2012, the U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom Report, which highlighted serious human rights violations in Iran. The new report outlines persecution of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic.At a briefing on the 2011 report, Ambassador-at-…

On July 29, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivered a much-anticipated speech on foreign policy in Jerusalem. His remarks to the Jerusalem Foundation focused on the U.S.-Israel relationship and the current state of affairs in the Middle East. The following are excerpts from the speech…

Helia IghaniThroughout July, a broad range of top political leaders, lawmakers and even military generals have publicly conceded that Iran faces growing economic hardships—with increasingly dangerous consequences. They have blamed both tightening international sanctions and years of government…

On July 18, the State Department expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of political prisoners in Iran. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued the following statement. We are concerned by recent reports that Kurdish activist Mohammed Seddigh Kaboudvand and human rights defender Nargess…

On July 10, reformist politician Abdollah Nouri openly challenged the benefits of Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The comments were striking because Nouri, a cleric, was long a regime insider with close ties to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini. He also served twice as Interior Minister…

On July 12, the United States announced broad new sanctions on Iranian front companies and banks linked to the proliferation of nuclear and missiles programs. The following is a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, with a link to the full list of targeted entities at the bottom.…

Erica Downs On June 28, the United States reported that China cut its imports of Iranian oil by 25 percent to avoid U.S. sanctions. What impact will the cutback have on China-Iran relations, both economically and politically?  Politically, the exemption from the Obama administration…

On July 3, the State Department issued the following statement condemning comments by Iran's vice president.We strongly condemn Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi’s vile anti-Semitic and racist comments on June 26 at the International Day Against Drug Abuse conference in Tehran. …