U.S. Offers Aid on Coronavirus Outbreak

In a break from two years of its maximum pressure campaign, the United States offered Iran humanitarian aid to help with the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak. “This offer of support to the Iranian people, which has been formally conveyed to Iran through the Government of Switzerland, underscores our ongoing commitment to address health crises and prevent the spread of infectious diseases,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on February 28. He added that medicine donations are exempt from U.S. sanctions.

Some of the information in this article was originally published on February 28, 2020.

Iran's Response to Coronavirus

As of March 2021, more than year after the first COVID cases were reported, Iranian leaders struggled with public messaging. The government had responded slowly to the outbreak of the coronavirus and then scrambled to catch up as it spread quickly across the country. Top government officials initially refused to acknowledge the severity of Iran’s outbreak, one of the early hotspots outside China.

Some of the information in this article was originally published on February 28, 2020.

Coronavirus, a New Jolt to Iran's Economy?

Adnan Mazarei

At a time of horrific economic pressure resulting from U.S. sanctions, a recession, high inflation, and the mismanagement of its own finances, Iran could ill afford another blow to its stability. Now one has come in the form of a public health crisis caused by the coronavirus. On top of the 19 deaths and 139 infections reported so far—which could be an understatement from underreporting—the disease has shut down schools, universities, and some public spaces, likely sowing fear, political discontent, and mistrust.

Iranian Media on Election 2020

Iranian newspapers have been divided in their coverage of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for February 21. Reformist papers initially focused on the Guardian Council’s disqualification of 90 incumbent lawmakers and the vast majority of reformist candidates. Reformist papers also highlighted President Hassan Rouhani’s criticism of the stringent vetting, which worked in favor of hardliners. One daily, Aftab-e Yazd, commented on the mass disqualification with the headline, “Conservatives’ Hot Competition with Conservatives,” on February 12. 

Iran Sentences Eight Environmentalists

On February 18, an Iranian revolutionary court finalized the sentences of eight environmental activists by upholding tough prison terms for “cooperating with the hostile state of the U.S.” and “collusion to act against national security.” One of the eight is Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian who also holds U.S. and British citizenship. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the longest term. Other activists received sentences ranging from four to 10 years, as follows:

Will U.S.-Iran Tensions Spark Afghan Proxy War?

By Belquis Ahmadi, Barmak Pazhwak and Michael V. Phelan

Rising tensions between the United States and Iran—illustrated and exacerbated by the January 3 assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani—are rippling out beyond the Middle East. Now, American officials are voicing growing concern about Iranian activities in Afghanistan. In recent weeks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Iran is supporting militant groups in the country and seeking to undermine the peace process between the U.S. and the Taliban. A top U.S.