New Articles
Part 1: History of Terrorism Against Iran
Updated: January 5, 2024
Terrorism has been a recurrent challenge for Iran since the 1979 revolution. The perpetrators, targets and frequency have fluctuated. The early attacks killed hundreds of government officials, including a president, prime minister, cabinet ministers, and dozens of members of parliament. Attacks…
Part 3: World Reacts to U.S. Sanctions
Updated: November 6, 2018
Top representatives from the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said they regretted the U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran. In a joint statement, foreign ministers and finance ministers pledged to protect European companies doing legitimate business with the Islamic…
Part 2: Iran Responds to U.S. Sanctions
On November 5, President Hassan Rouhani condemned the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran. “We have to make Americans understand that they cannot talk to the great Iranian nation with the language of pressure and sanctions. They have to be punished,” he told officials from the Ministry of…
Part 1: U.S. Reimposes Sanctions on Iran
Updated: November 8, 2018
On November 5, the U.S. Treasury reimposed sanctions on Iran that had been lifted or waived in January 2016 under the nuclear deal. The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels — its largest ever single-day action targeting the Iranian…
Iranian Reaction to U.S. Sanctions
In the runup to the reimposition of U.S. sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of disregarding its international obligations. “The US is, in effect, threatening states who seek to abide by [U.N.] resolution 2231 with punitive measures,” he wrote in an op-ed in the Financial…
Mattis on Iran’s Role in Yemen, Syria
On October 30, Secretary of Defense James Mattis criticized Iran’s role in fueling the conflict in Yemen. He also called for a ceasefire in Yemen within 30 days. “Yemen has had more problems than any people deserve to carry, and we're calling on all the parties, specifically the Houthis and the…
What Impact Will New U.S. Sanctions Have on Iran?
By Elizabeth Rosenberg
Elizabeth Rosenberg held senior roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2009 to 2013, where she helped oversee the tightening of international sanctions on Iran. She is now a Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center…
Denmark Accuses Iran of Assassination Plot
Updated: November 1, 2018
On October 30, Denmark’s intelligence agency alleged that Iran plotted to assassinate an Iranian Arab opposition figure on its territory. Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen both called the plot “totally unacceptable.” Denmark called for European…
Pompeo on New Iran Sanctions
In two interviews, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized that U.S. sanctions are aimed at changing the Iranian government’s behavior. “Our aim is not to harm the Iranian people, but to change the behavior, the malign activity of this regime,” he told Laura Ingraham on October 31. On November 5…
Trump on 35th Anniversary of Marine Barracks Attack
On October 25, President Trump commemorated the 35th anniversary of the bombing on the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The country had been embroiled in a civil war since 1975. In 1982, President Reagan dispatched U.S. troops to Lebanon on a peace-keeping mission. On October 23, 1983, a truck…
U.S. Sanctions Taliban, Iranian Supporters
On October 23, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned nine individuals associated with the Taliban, including Iranian supporters. The United States acted in partnership with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the other member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting…
U.S. Sanctions Network Behind Basij Militia
Updated: October 17, 2018
On October 16, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned a network of 20 businesses for providing financial support to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The Bonyad Taavon Basij network is an example of how the IRGC and Iranian military forces have…
Rouhani: U.S. Seeks Regime Change
On October 14, President Hassan Rouhani said the Trump administration is the most hostile U.S. administration it has faced in four decades. “Of course, enmities existed, but now, the worst have gathered in the White House,” he said in a speech marking the beginning of the academic year at Tehran…
U.S. Treasury Advisory on Iran’s Illicit Financial Activities
On October 11, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Treasury issued a detailed advisory on Iran’s attempts to exploit the U.S. financial system. It was intended to help financial institutions to detect illicit transactions tied to the Islamic Republic and avoid exposure to U.S.…
Khamenei: Iran’s Economy Will “Defeat” U.S. Sanctions
On October 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserted that Iran’s economy is strong enough to “defeat” U.S. sanctions. He delivered a defiant address to a stadium filled with thousands of members of the Basij paramilitary. Khamenei criticized President Donald Trump for “wishful thinking”…
New U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy on Iran
On October 4, President Donald Trump vowed to “roll back Iran’s global terrorist network” in his announcement of a new counterterrorism strategy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also cited Iran as a key threat. “Terrorist groups and networks such as al-Qa`ida, ISIS, and Iranian-supported terrorists…
Zarif in New York: On the U.S., Syria, Israel
Robin Wright had two interviews with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his week-long trip to the United Nations in New York. One was one-on-one, and the second was with a group of journalists. The following are excerpts arranged by issues.
U.S. Policy and Potential for…
Attack on Iranian Opposition Group Rally Thwarted
Updated: October 10, 2018
Belgian security authorities thwarted a bombing attack targeting an Iranian opposition group’s rally just outside of Paris on June 30. Some 25,000 attended the “Free Iran 2018-The Alternative” event in Vellepinte. High profile speakers included former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives…
U.N. Court: U.S. Must Ease Sanctions on Iran
On October 3, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered the United States to ease sanctions on Iran for humanitarian reasons. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and imposed a first round of sanctions on Iran in August. A second round of…
State Department Report 7: Iran's Environmental Issues
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 6: Iran's Human Rights Abuses
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 5: Iran's Threat to Cybersecurity
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 4: Iran's Threat to Maritime Security
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 3: Iran's Illicit Financial Activities
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 2: Iran's Missile Programs
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
State Department Report 1: Iran’s Support for Terrorism
On September 25, the State Department's Iran Action Group released a report detailing Iran’s support of terrorism, missile program, illicit financial activities, threat to maritime security, threat to cybersecurity, human rights abuses, and exploitation of the environment. “Today, the United States…
Part 2: Rouhani on U.S. at U.N.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani repeatedly rebuked the Trump Administration—for abandoning the historic 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and “bullying the world”— during his four-day visit to the U.N. General Assembly. “The government of the United States—at least the current administration—seems…
Part 1: Trump on Iran at U.N.
Updated: September 26, 2018
On September 25, President Donald Trump blasted Iran’s leaders for corruption, supporting terror, and fomenting instability in the Middle East. "Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death and destruction," he said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly. "Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to…
European Union and Iran to Create Mechanism to Maintain Trade
On September 24, E.U. High Representative Federica Mogherini chaired a meeting on the nuclear deal’s implementation attended by the Chinese, French, German, Russian, U.K., and Iranian foreign ministers. “The participants considered ways forward to ensure the full and effective implementation of the…
Part 3: Pompeo, Bolton on Iran During U.N. Week
Updated: September 26, 2018
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted Iranian sponsorship of terror and proliferation risks posed by Tehran in the runup to opening of the U.N. General Assembly. “We are determined to stop that behavior and to change the way the Iranian regime inflicts horrors all around the world,” he told…