New Articles
Part 3: Europeans, Russia, & China on Nuclear Talks
Updated: December 20, 2021
European diplomats expressed frustration and concern that Iran backtracked on its earlier proposals in the diplomacy to get Tehran and Washington into full compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord. “Tehran is walking back almost all of the difficult compromises crafted after many months of hard work…
Part 2: Iran on Nuclear Talks
Updated: December 20, 2021
Iran accused the United States and the major European powers of trying to extract “maximum concessions” while yielding “minimum concessions” in the seventh round of talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. “Now, it is crystal clear that the U.S. reluctance to fully drop the sanctions is the main…
Justice Department: Iranian Weapons, Oil Forfeited
On December 7, the Justice Department announced the forfeiture of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen and oil bound for Venezuela. The property was obtained through three seizures:
On Nov. 25, 2019 and Feb. 9, 2020, U.S. Navy Central Command seized weapons from two flagless ships in the Arabian Sea,…
U.S. Sanctions for Human Rights Abuses
On December 7, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and entities in Iran, Syria and Uganda for repressing peaceful protestors, political opponents and innocent civilians. “Ahead of this week’s Summit for Democracy, Treasury is targeting over a dozen government officials…
Raisi: On 100 Days in Office
On December 5, President Ebrahim Raisi said that he was prioritizing the health and livelihood of Iranians. “Today, on the 100th day of the government, I have to announce that more than 100 million doses of [COVID-19] vaccine have been injected,” he said in a live television interview. “Today we…
Part 1: U.S. on Nuclear Talks
Updated: December 20, 2021
U.S. officials expressed frustration that Iran returned to nuclear diplomacy by rolling back compromises previously floated and demanding more concessions on U.S. sanctions. After a hiatus of five months, the world’s six major powers reconvened in Vienna to negotiate a return to the historic 2015…
Explainer: Iran's "Water Bankruptcy"
Kaveh Madani is an environmental scientist, former deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, and a former Vice President of the U.N. Environmental Assembly Bureau. He is currently the Head of the Nexus Research Programme at the United Nations University in Dresden (UNU-FLORES) and a research…
News Digest: Week of November 29
November 29
Nuclear: The world’s six major powers and Iran opened the seventh round of talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. Enrique Mora, the E.U. coordinator for negotiations, said that Iran agreed to build on the previous rounds. But Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s lead…
Polls: American Views on Iran, Nuclear Deal
Three public opinion polls probed American attitudes on Iran – both as a threat and in diplomatic efforts.
• The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute found that 46 percent of Americans want the Biden administration to be “more aggressive” toward Iran.
• The Chicago Council on…
Iran, World Powers on Vienna Talks
Updated: December 5, 2021
On November 29, the world’s major powers and Iran opened the seventh round of talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. From April to June 2021, Iran and the major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – held six rounds of talks. The goal has been to draft a roadmap…
Iran Stonewalls IAEA
On the eve of resumed nuclear diplomacy, Iran refused to cooperate with the U.N. watchdog agency responsible for monitoring its nuclear program. At the quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held from November 24 to 26, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the 35-…
Explainer: Problems for IAEA Monitoring in Iran
Updated: January 11, 2023
Davenport is the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association (ACA). Masterson, who contributed to the original article, was a research associate at ACA until March 2022.
What does the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitor in Iran?
IAEA Director General Rafael…
The Elders Call for Compromises in JCPOA Talks
On November 24, the independent group of global leaders called The Elders urged Iran and the world’s six major powers to “show courageous leadership and a willingness to compromise” in talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. The following is the full text of the press release.
The Elders call…
Profiles: Iran’s New Nuclear Team
Updated: November 28, 2021
The Raisi government’s two top officials on nuclear issues reflected Iran’s increasingly assertive stance on both diplomacy with the outworld and developing capabilities at home. Both are known as hardliners. Both have been deeply critical of the United States.
Ebrahim Raisi and Mohammad Eslami at…
Explainer: Iran’s Centrifuges
Updated: January 11, 2023
This article is based on an Iran Watch report by the Wisconsin Project. The full report can be found here.
Iran has produced thousands of gas centrifuges that are essential to its nuclear program. Centrifuges are cylindrical machines that spin uranium gas at high speeds to produce fuel for nuclear…
Iran and World Powers on Renewed Diplomacy
Updated: November 24, 2021
Iran has made maximalist demands ahead of nuclear talks with the world’s six major powers scheduled for November 29. Iran expects the United States to “recognize its fault in ditching” the 2015 deal, lift all U.S. sanctions imposed after the withdrawal in one go, and guarantee that no other U.S.…
U.S. Defense Officials on Iran
Updated: December 12, 2021
Under the Biden administration, U.S. defense officials have prioritized deterring Iran and its myriad proxies. Iran’s activities are “the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East,” General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in June 2021. At the same time, U.S.…
U.N. Watchdog Reports Iran Stonewalling
In a report in November 2021, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran had twice turned back inspectors at a facility that manufacturers parts for centrifuges used to enrich uranium. The facility in Karaj, outside Tehran, may be again manufacturing parts for advanced centrifuges. Since February…
U.S. Sanctions Iran for Election Hacking
Updated: November 19, 2021
On November 18, the United States sanctioned six Iranian men and one company, Emennet Pasargad, for attempting to interfere with the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Sectary of State Antony Blinken said that the move represents “the collective efforts of the Department of the Treasury, the…
Iran-backed Hackers Target U.S. Infrastructure
On November 17, U.S., Australian and British cybersecurity agencies said that an Iran-backed hacking group was targeting the transportation and healthcare sectors in the United States as well as Australian organizations. The hackers were trying to access firms’ computer networks by exploiting…
US, E3 and GCC on Iran, Regional Tensions
Updated: November 18, 2021
On November 17, the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned Iran for supporting militias and proliferating weapons across the region. Ballistic missiles and drones “have been used by Iran or its proxies in hundreds of attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure in…
News Digest: Weeks of November 15 & 22
Updated: November 22, 2021
November 15
Domestic: A magnitude-five aftershock hit the Bandar Abbas region in southern Iran and caused one death. Two earthquakes had hit Iran one day earlier.
Maritime: The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that an Iranian naval helicopter had circled the USS Essex in the Gulf of Oman on…
Iran Tests Drones and Missiles During War Game
Iran tested a wide variety of weapons, including cruise missiles, torpedoes and suicide drones, during an annual war game between November 7 and 9. The Zolfaghar-1400 exercise, named for Imam Ali’s sword, was held around four key waterways – the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, the Red Sea and…
Profiles: Pro-Iran Militias in Iraq
Since 2003, Iranian influence has deepened in Iraq through a wide array of Shiite militias. Several militia leaders and politicians spent years in exile in Tehran during Saddam Hussein’s reign in the 1980s and 1990s. One of Iraq’s most powerful armed groups, the Badr Organization, was formed in…
News Digest: Week of November 8
November 8
Nuclear/Diplomacy: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh outlined Iran’s demands for the United States ahead of the resumption of nuclear talks on November 29. Washington “must lift the oppressive sanctions completely and effectively.” And it must “guarantee that no…
Role of Iran Proxies in Kadhimi Attack
On November 7, three quadcopter drones were launched at the home of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi inside the well-guarded Green Zone in Baghdad. Kadhimi was unharmed, but six guards were reportedly wounded. “Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future…
Iran: 42 Years After U.S. Embassy Takeover
Demonstrators burn an American flag in TehranOn November 4, thousands of Iranians chanted “Death to America” outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran on the anniversary of the embassy’s seizure in 1979. Iran held more than 800 rallies where demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags. Many…
News Digest: Week of November 1
Saeed Khatibzadeh
November 1
Health: Iranian state television said that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Adbollahian had tested positive for COVID-19. But his general condition was “good,” and he continued to work while in quarantine, according to the foreign ministry.
Diplomacy: Foreign Ministry…
Israel-Iran Cyber War, Gas Station Attack
Updated: July 31, 2023
Iran blamed Israel and the United States for disrupting sales at gas stations nationwide on Oct. 26, 2021. The cyberattack disabled a system that allows millions of Iranians to use government-issued cards to buy fuel at a subsidized price. Card users reportedly received the message “cyberattack…
Biden on Iran at G20 Summit
On October 30, President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said that the 2015 nuclear deal could be restored quickly if Iran changes course. “We call upon President [Ebrahim] Raisi to seize this opportunity and return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a…