New Articles
Military Parade Attacked in Ahvaz
Updated: October 1, 2018
On September 22, four gunmen attacked a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. At least 29 people were killed, including women and children, and some 70 others were injured. At least eight were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel, according to Iranian officials. The…
Former U.S. Officials Challenge Trump Policy
On September 23, a bipartisan group of more than 50 American national security experts encouraged the Trump Administration to combine pressure and diplomacy in its approach to Iran. “The Trump Administration’s Iran strategy is to assert maximum economic, political and military pressure to change…
State Department on Iran’s Missile Proliferation
On September 20, Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook outlined U.S. concerns regarding Iran’s missile program. It “remains among the most significant challenges to broader nonproliferation efforts in the region and is an enduring threat to…
U.S.: Iran Is Leading State Sponsor of Terror
On September 19, the U.S. State Department reported that “Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2017,” including support for several militant groups across the Middle East. “Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts…
U.S. Sanctions Thai Company Connected to Iran Airline
On September 14, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Thailand-based My Aviation Company Limited for acting for or on behalf of Mahan Air, an Iranian airline previously blacklisted for support for terrorism. “Treasury is cutting off yet another service provider acting on behalf of Mahan Air, a sanctioned…
U.N. Watchdog: Iran is Complying with Nuclear Deal
On August 30, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran was complying with its obligations under the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It was the second quarterly report released by the watchdog since the United States withdrew from the…
U.S. Closes Consulate in Southern Iraq, Blames Iran
Updated: October 3, 2018
On September 28, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered the evacuation of diplomatic personnel from the U.S. consulate in Basrah in southern Iraq. The announcement followed rocket attacks directed toward the Basrah consulate and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier in the month. Pompeo held Iran…
Trump Chairs U.N. Meeting on Iran
President Donald Trump is scheduled to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran during the General Assembly, the annual gathering of world leader. Trump will address “violations of international law and general instability Iran sows throughout the entire Middle East region,” said the U.S.…
Rouhani, Putin and Erdogan Meet on Syria
Updated: September 7, 2018
Presidents Hassan Rouhani, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Tehran on September 7 to discuss the final battlefront in Idlib province and Syria's political future. The summit is their third on Syria. In November 2017, they met in Sochi, Russia, and in April 2018 they met in Ankara,…
State Department Creates Iran Action Group
Updated: August 19, 2018
On August 16, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of the Iran Action Group, which will be “directing, reviewing, and coordinating all aspects of the State Department’s Iran-related activity, and it will report directly” to him. “Our hope is that one day soon we can reach a new…
Special Representative Brian Hook on Iran
Updated: June 16, 2020
On August 16, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of the Iran Action Group to direct, review and coordinate all aspects of the State Department’s Iran-related activity. “Our hope is that one day soon we can reach a new agreement with Iran. But we must see major changes in the…
Khamenei: No War and No Talks with U.S.
On August 13, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected President Donald Trump’s offer of unconditional talks. He said the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal was “clear proof” that Washington cannot be trusted. Khamenei gave several reasons for why Iran would not negotiate with the…
Congressional Research Service: Iran’s Threats and Oil Markets
In response to the U.S. decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran, President Hassan Rouhani threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the transit of oil and natural gas from the Middle East to world markets. Iranian leaders also threatened to…
Part 3: World Reacts to U.S. Sanctions
Updated: August 8, 2018
On August 6, the E.U., French, German, and U.K. foreign ministers expressed their determination to “protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran” — despite the reimposition of U.S. sanctions. In a statement, the leaders also reiterated their support for the 2015…
Part 2: Iran Responds to U.S. Sanctions
Updated: August 13, 2018
On August 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the reimposition of U.S. sanctions. “I believe we will manage to pass this critical juncture as well, as we did in the past. The difference is that the current juncture is not as difficult as the previous ones, because now only…
Part 1: U.S. Reimposes Sanctions on Iran
Updated: August 8, 2018
On August 6, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order reimposing sanctions on Iran. The move was consistent with his May 8 announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of nuclear-related sanctions. “These actions include reimposing sanctions on Iran’s…
Parliament Study Finds Drop in Support for Hijab
The Center for Human Rights in Iran, an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization working to protect and promote human rights in Iran, released the following analysis, which is republished here with permission.
Iran’s Parliamentary Research Center (PRC) has released a report showing…
President Trump on Iran
Updated: April 30, 2020
Donald Trump’s election produced dramatic change in U.S. policy starting in 2017. Since taking office, his administration has taken a tough stance on the Islamic Republic. In his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, he called Iran's government a “murderous regime” and “a corrupt dictatorship…
Secretary Mattis on Iran
Updated: May 21, 2019
Secretary of Defense James Mattis is a major player in the formation of U.S. policy on Iran. He has repeatedly criticized the Islamic Republic for supporting militant groups across the Middle East and meddling in other countries’ affairs. “Iran has simply got to find that it's got a better path…
Trump Willing to Meet with Iran Leaders
Updated: July 31, 2018
On July 30, President Donald Trump said he was willing to meet with Iranian leaders anytime with no preconditions. “If we could work something out that’s meaningful, not the waste of paper that the other [Iran nuclear] deal was, I would certainly be willing to meet,” he said at a joint press…
Senators Urge Europe to Comply with US Sanctions
Senator CruzTen Republican senators, led by Ted Cruz (R-TX), sent a letter to the British, French and German ambassadors in Washington urging their countries to comply with U.S. sanctions and to deepen Transatlantic cooperation against Iran. “First, these statutes align with your governments’…
State Department Official on Iran, Weapons of Mass Destruction
On July 27, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Yleem Poblete argued that 2015 Iran nuclear deal “was flawed at both the technical and political levels, and at the practical level.” In remarks about Syrian and Iranian compliance with the Nuclear Non-…
Religious Freedom Ministerial Statement on Iran
Updated: July 30, 2018
On July 24-26, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington. Foreign ministers, international organization representatives, religious leaders, civil society leaders, and other stakeholders gathered to promote religious freedom and discuss ways to…
State Department on US Policy After the Nuclear Deal
On July 25, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Ford said the United States is fully invested in achieving a “comprehensive new deal” with Iran that would address issues beyond its nuclear program. “Normal nations do not engage in prolonged proxy wars…
Pompeo Blasts Iranian Leaders for Corruption
On July 22, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compared Iran’s leaders to mafia bosses who “line their pockets” with wealth while the average person “cries out for jobs, reform, and opportunity.” In a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Pompeo criticized Iran’s government for human rights…
Rouhani and Trump Trade Barbs
Updated: July 26, 2018
On July 22, President Hassan Rouhani warned President Donald Trump against taking hostile actions toward Iran. “Don’t play with the lion’s tail; you will regret it,” Rouhani said at a meeting of Iranian diplomats. The Islamic Republic’s “enemies must understand well that war with Iran is the mother…
Iran Sues United States Over Sanctions
Updated: September 6, 2018
On July 16, Iran filed a lawsuit against the United States at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the reimposition of U.S. sanctions. Iran alleged that the United States violated a treaty signed in 1955, more than two decades before the Islamic Revolution and the subsequent souring of…
NATO Concerned by Iran’s Missiles, Support for Terror
On July 11-12, representatives from the 29 member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met in Brussels to discuss collective defense, crisis management, and modernizing the alliance. The joint declaration from the summit expressed concern over Iran’s ballistic missile program…
Pompeo on Iran in Syria
On July 10, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States will not tolerate Iran’s presence in Syria. “There’s no reason to have military forces on the ground there. And we’re going to undertake, along with our partners, a comprehensive program to diminish that activity,” he told The…
US Sanctions Bahrain-based Group
On July 10, the U.S. State Department designated al Ashtar Brigades (AAB), an Iran-backed group committed to overthrowing Bahrain’s government, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. As a result, the all of AAB’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction were blocked. “From…