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Treasury Dept: Sanctions Far from Being Lifted
On February 4, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the limited sanctions relief for Iran included in the interim nuclear deal. The following are excerpts from his statement. …
Kerry and Zarif: Meeting in Munich
On February 2, Secretary of State John Kerry discussed upcoming nuclear negotiations with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. After the bilateral meeting, Zarif told conference attendees Tehran realizes it is at a “…
Western Countries Flood Tehran
More than two dozen delegations of lawmakers, officials and businesspeople have visited Iran since the interim nuclear agreement was brokered in November 2013. Many Western countries and South Korea are particularly hopeful that Iran and the world’s six major powers – Britain, China,…
Hillary Clinton on Iran: Give Talks a Chance
Hillary Clinton reportedly wrote a letter opposing new sanctions in response to an inquiry from her former Senate colleague, Carl Levin. Levin had written to Clinton in January, asking for her insight as former Secretary of State, on whether new sanctions would help diplomatic efforts to…
US Intel Assessment
On January 29, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Iran’s nuclear program and regional aspirations. Clapper warned that new sanctions could “undermine prospects of a successful comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran.”…
Iran and Asia 2: Japan Is Torn, Oil Hungry But Anti-Nuke
Garrett Nada
As an oil- hungry island nation, Japan’s position on Iran is fraught with inherent tensions. It has to balance an existential thirst for oil — to fuel industries, cars and homes — against a moral abhorrence of nuclear weapons, especially as the only country devastated by the world’s…
Iran and Asia 1: China Is The Quiet Giant
Yun Sun
China is the quiet giant in the latest diplomatic campaign to prevent Iran from getting a bomb. As Tehran’s largest trading partner, Beijing has enormous political and economic leverage over the Islamic Republic. As a veto-wielding member of the United Nations, its position can also…
Erdogan in Tehran : Iran is Second Home
On January 29, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Iran to strengthen bilateral economic ties and ease tensions over the Syrian crisis. Erdogan made the trip amidst a sweeping corruption probe that has led to the arrest of dozens of businessmen and politicians allegedly…
State of the Union: Obama on Iran
On January 28, President Barack Obama warned Congress that he would veto a new sanctions bill that could jeopardize diplomacy with Iran. In his State of the Union address, Obama attributed the halting of Iran's controversial nuclear program to “American diplomacy, backed by pressure,” …
Thousands Suffer from Chemical Weapons Quarter Century Later
The following article first appeared in Time magazine.Robin Wright Hassan Hassani Sa’di has been dying from chemical weapons for almost 30 years. The Iranian still remembers the moment he realized Iraqi warplanes were dropping more than regular bombs. “I knew,” he says, “…
The Elders in Tehran: To Advance Dialogue
On January 27, the independent group of global leaders called The Elders began a three-day visit to Iran to “encourage and advance the new spirit of openness and dialogue between Iran and the international community.” The delegation, led by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan,…
Polls: Americans Support Nuclear Deal
The majority of Americans support the interim agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, according to two new polls. An AP-GfK survey found that 60 percent of participants approve of the agreement. But 47 percent are not confident that it will lead to a more comprehensive plan to ensure Iran…
Kerry at Davos: Addresses Iran Issues
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke extensively about Iran at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The first excerpt below is from his January 24 address to the gathering. The second excerpt is from a January 23 interview with Al Arabiya. Today, we believe that there are…
Rouhani at Davos: Invites Oil Execs, Speech in Tweets
On January 23, President Hassan Rouhani invited oil companies to invest in Iran in an address to some 30 executives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Without international engagement, objectives such as growth, creativity and quality are unattainable,” Rouhani said. “…
Rouhani at Davos: "Nothing Impossible" on US Relations
On January 22, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would respond positively to U.S. actions that help “eradicate animosity” between the two countries. He acknowledged the difficulty in improving U.S.-Iran relations but added that “nothing is impossible” in an interview with Swiss…
Rouhani Tweet Streak on Syria Peace Talks
On January 22, President Hassan Rouhani said that Syria peace conference in Geneva “has already failed before it has started” because of the “lack of influential players in the meeting.” He criticized the gathering for inviting “states which sponsor terrorism and those responsible for…
Iran Disinvited from Syria Peace Talks
On January 20, the United Nations revoked its invitation to Iran to attend the peace talks on Syria. The following are statements by the United Nations, the State Department and Iran. Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on developments related to…
Day 1 of Nuke Deal: US, IAEA, EU Remarks
The nuclear deal between Iran and the world’s six major powers went into effect on January 20. The following are comments by the United States, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, and the European Union. As part of the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced it will double…
Iran to Attend Syria Peace Talks
On January 19, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced that Iran had been invited to join the peace talks on Syria. The following is his statement, followed by a comment from the State Department. U.N. Secretary General's Press Stakeout Ladies and Gentlemen, Good…
Feinstein on Iran in Senate Speech
On January 14, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) made the following speech on the Senate Floor. The statement was partly to block the proposed Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act (see link at bottom). But it also more broadly tackled the bigger issue of Iran’s future direction, and even…
White House: Details of Implementing Iran Nuclear Deal
On January 16, the White House released the details of implementing the nuclear deal signed by Iran and the world’s six major powers. The following is the White House statement with a link to the European Union's factsheet. Summary of Technical Understandings Related to the…
Nuclear Deal to Start January 20
Iran and the world’s six major powers agreed to begin implementing the Geneva nuclear agreement on January 20. Iran and the so-called P5+1 —Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States— had reached a historic interim agreement in November 2013. Tehran had committed to…
White House: New Sanctions Amount to War Resolution
On January 9, the White House warned that a new Iran sanctions bill proposed in the Senate could push the United States toward war with Iran. The “Iran Nuclear Weapon Free Act” is co-sponsored by more than one-half of the 100 Senators, largely Republican but including several key…
Photos: People, Places and Political Sites
Robin Wright captured a cross section of images from Iran on the eve of the revolution’s 35th anniversary. The pictures include exclusive images from inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as well as leading ayatollahs and some of the many visual contradictions in the Islamic Republic. Click on…
Inside Iran with Robin Wright and David Ignatius
Two long-time Middle East experts have recently returned from Iran. Their discussions with cabinet members, ayatollahs, hardliners, members of parliament, economists, opposition figures and ordinary Iranians offer rare insights into Iran’s increasingly vibrant political scene since…
Iran’s Leaders Alarmed by Sunni-Shiite Tension
Iran’s top religious and political leaders are alarmed by growing Sunni-Shiite tension in the Middle East. Tehran is especially worried about the influx of Sunni militants into Syria, al Qaeda’s resurgence in Iraq, and Sunni-Shiite clashes in Lebanon. Sectarian violence is “the most…
Facts and Figures on Sunni-Shiite Balance
The rivalry between Shiite Iran and Sunni Arab states reflects the deepest schism in the Islamic world. The split dates back to the seventh century, when the sects disagreed over the issue of leadership after the Prophet Mohammed’s death. Shiites believed that the Prophet should have…
Rouhani Tweets on Freedom of Arts
On January 8, President Hassan Rouhani appealed for loosened censorship of the arts in an address to six art and cultural guilds. “Art without freedom is meaningless,” he told the gathering of prominent Iranian artists. “Every system has its red lines, but it's absolutely essential for…
Rouhani Op-ed on “Moderation and Common Sense”
The Daily Star, a Lebanese English-language daily published the following op-ed by President Hassan Rouhani on December 31, 2013. When I campaigned to become president of Iran, I promised to balance realism and the pursuit of the Islamic Republic’s ideals – and won Iranian voters’…
Mohammed Chatah’s Open Letter to President Rouhani
Mohammed Chatah, a former Lebanese finance minister, wrote the following open letter to President Hassan Rouhani in late December 2013. But Chatah was killed by a car bomb on December 27 before he could gather signatures from Lebanese lawmakers. The letter originally appeared in The…