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Iran & South Asia #2: India Readjusts Ties
Sunil Dasgupta What is the status of relations between India and Iran? New Delhi has had relatively close ties to Tehran since the mid-1980s, but India has recalibrated relations over the last few years as Iran became the litmus test for its ties with Washington. India has also…
Zarif: Sanctions Would Kill Nuclear Deal
The following article first appeared in Time magazine. Robin Wright In a wide-ranging interview with TIME in Tehran on Dec. 7, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif spoke to writer and Iran expert Robin Wright about how the Geneva nuclear deal came together, how the…
Kerry Warns Congress Against New Sanctions
On December 10, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Congress to hold off on imposing new sanctions while world powers seek a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. “We’re asking you to give our negotiators and our experts the time and the space to do their jobs,” he said at a…
Poll: Americans Support Deal but are Skeptical
Six in ten Americans support the interim deal on Iran's controversial nuclear program, according to a new AP-GfK poll. But 44 percent of respondents are not confident that it will lead to a more comprehensive plan to ensure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. And a slight majority of…
Iran & South Asia #1: Pakistan’s Delicate Balancing Act
Interview with Moeed Yusuf What is the status of relations between the Pakistan’s Sunni-dominated government and Iran’s Shiite theocracy under the new leaders, who both were elected in mid-2013? How do Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif get along? On…
Rouhani Calls for National Consensus
On December 7, President Hassan Rouhani called for national consensus on his goals to improve relations with the outside world and reinvigorate the economy. He also pledged to defend Iran’s nuclear program in a speech at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University. “Nuclear energy is our absolute…
Poll: Americans Divided on Nuclear Agreement
Some 43 percent of Americans disapprove of the interim deal on Iran’s nuclear program while 32 percent approve, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center and USA Today. The remaining quarter of respondents did not offer an opinion. Half of the Democrats polled approve of the…
Report: Iran’s Missiles Raise Tensions in Gulf
Iran has raised tensions in the Middle East by increasing the number, range and capability of its rockets and missiles, according to an updated report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Tehran’s “missile and rocket forces help compensate for its lack of effective air…
Zarif Tries to Calm Nervous Gulf States
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tried to calm Gulf states nervous about the Geneva nuclear agreement and Iran’s regional aspirations. Zarif kicked off his first official tour of the Sunni sheikhdoms with a visit to Kuwait on December 1. “Be assured that the nuclear deal is in…
Poll: Iranians Split on Syria Policy
A slight majority of Iranians think their government is having a negative impact on developments in Syria, according to a newly released Zogby Research Services poll. The Iranian government, however, has been a staunch defender of Bashar al Assad’s government since the conflict erupted…
Poll: Iranians Prioritize Jobs and Political Reform
Iranians want their government to focus on the economy and political reforms this year, according to a newly released Zogby Research Services poll. The top issues Iranians want addressed are expanding employment opportunities, advancing democracy and protecting personal and civil rights…
US and Israeli Leaders Split on Nuclear Deal
Top U.S. leaders defended the interim deal on Iran’s nuclear program while their Israeli counterparts criticized it at the 2013 Saban Forum in Washington. President Barack Obama, Secretary John Kerry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman were among the…
Zarif Defends Deal in Speech to Students
On December 3, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif outlined the merits of the Geneva nuclear deal at a crowded Tehran University auditorium. “Those that are afraid of negotiations…that see themselves as too small, they think they are too weak. They don’t believe in the power of the…
Rouhani’s Next Test: Empty Coffers
Kevan Harris What is the status of Iran’s economy three months after President Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration? In a televised interview marking his first 100 days, President Rouhani acknowledged that the state coffers were virtually empty when he assumed the presidency. The government did…
Poll: Americans Back Geneva Deal 2-to-1
Americans support the interim nuclear deal with Iran by a two-to-one margin, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Some 44 percent of respondents backed the agreement, and 22 percent opposed it. When asked what Washington should do if the deal fails, only 20 percent of Americans…
New Rouhani Video: He Mimics Obama in Yes We Can Message
To mark President Hassan Rouhani’s first 100 days in power, his supporters posted a music video that appears to be inspired by President Obama’s 2008 “Yes We Can” video. It is especially striking because music generally and female performers specifically were banned after the 1979…
Rouhani’s 100 Days: As Told in His Tweets
On November 26, President Hassan Rouhani assessed his achievements during his first 100 days in office. Rouhani claimed progress in curbing inflation, relaxing government control on society, securing an interim nuclear deal and drafting a citizens’ rights charter. “We pride ourselves on being…
Kerry and Zarif: Selling the Deal in Video Pitches
The following are two videos featuring Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Kerry’s video pitch was posted on November 26. Zarif’s interview with Iranian state television was broadcast on November 25 and then posted with English subtitles.
Geneva Deal I: Final Terms and Fact Sheet
On November 24, Iran and the world’s six major powers reached a historical interim agreement on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. Iran committed to halting the most sensitive aspects of its program and allowing expanded U.N. nuclear inspections in return for modest sanctions relief. The…
Geneva Deal II: President Obama on Merits of Talks
On November 23, President Barack Obama welcomed the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program as an important first step that would cut off Tehran’s most likely paths to a bomb while creating time and space for more negotiations. “Iran, like any nation, should be able to access peaceful…
Geneva Deal III: Iranian Reaction
Iran’s leaders have hailed the interim agreement as a victory and start of a new era for Tehran and its relations with the outside world. In a televised statement, President Hassan Rouhani called the nuclear deal an important “first step” toward solving an “unnecessary crisis” and…
Geneva Deal IV: Congressional Reaction
U.S. lawmakers issued wide-ranging reactions to the news of the interim agreement on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Many senators and representatives were skeptical about Tehran’s intentions. “Apparently, America has not learned its lesson from 1994 when North Korea fooled the…
Geneva Deal V: Israel and the Gulf Reaction
On November 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the interim agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program, calling it a “historic mistake.” He argued that sanctions “have been given up in exchange for cosmetic Iranian concessions.” President Shimon Peres directed his softer…
Geneva Deal VI: Experts on Terms
The following briefs analyze the terms of the interim deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. International Crisis Group The Iran Nuclear Accord: First Step in a Long Journey The International Crisis Group strongly welcomes the 24 November agreement…
Geneva Deal VII: Nuclear Diplomacy in Iranian Tweets
The chain of events that ultimately produced Iran’s nuclear deal with the world’s six major powers played out in a string of tweets between June 17 and November 24. The tweets began shortly after President Hassan Rouhani’s election and culminated with Foreign Minister Moh Zarif’s…
The Iran Deal: A Humanizing Breakthrough
Robin Wright In 1981, I stood at the foot of the plane that flew the 52 Americans held hostage 444 days in Iran to freedom in Algiers. They were all pasty-faced and captive-weary as they disembarked into the cold January night. It was after midnight. Tehran had delayed their…
Breaking Taboos
The following article was originally published as Viewpoints No. 45 by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Haleh Esfandiari The Rouhani government, barely 100 days old, has delivered what no other Iranian government had achieved since the initiation…
US Polls on Iran Nuclear Deal
Nearly two-thirds of Americans support an agreement with Iran that would lift sanctions in return for Tehran restricting its nuclear program, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Some 72 percent of Democrats surveyed support such a deal compared with 57 percent of…
Obama Briefs Congress, Appeals on Iran Deal
On November 19, President Barack Obama appealed to key Democratic and Republican senators to support an interim deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. In a statement issued afterwards, the White House said "The initial, 6-month step of the P5+1 proposal would halt progress on…
Political Cartoons Reflect US-Iran Gap
The new diplomatic initiative between Iran and the world’s six major powers has inspired cynical political cartoonists on all sides. But the sharpest cartoons have run in the Iranian and American press. They reflect longstanding suspicions between the two nations, which have not had…