Rouhani Begins Second Term

Khamenei and RouhaniOn August 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed Hassan Rouhani as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, kicking off his second term. Rouhani won 57 percent of the vote, compared with 38 percent for his closest rival, in the May 19 election.

Some of the information in this article was originally published on August 3, 2017.

US Sanctions on Iran: 2017

Since Donald Trump took office in January 2017, the United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities for connections to Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for terror or human rights abuses. The first set of sanctions came just two weeks after President Trump’s inauguration. Details regarding sanctions and designations imposed by the Trump administration are outlined below.

 

Some of the information in this article was originally published on July 31, 2017.

CIA’s Mike Pompeo on Iran

On July 20, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said that Iran’s implementation of the nuclear deal has been “grudging” and “minimalist.” At the Aspen Security Forum (an annual gathering of government officials, industry experts and journalists), he argued that the nuclear deal has not fostered stability in the region or led Iran to “become a reentrant to the Western world.” Pompeo said that Iran has been using proxy forces to expand its influence in the region and become the kingpin. The following are excerpted remarks on Iran.

Poll: Iranians on Rouhani, Domestic Issues

Majorities of Iranians think President Hassan Rouhani has been successful in improving foreign relations and getting sanctions removed. But the president, reelected in May, has a mixed record on domestic issues, according to a new study by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll. Half of respondents said they thought economic conditions were getting worse as of June. Only 35 percent of Iranians said Rouhani was successful in reducing unemployment.

Poll: Iranians on Nuclear Deal, Foreign Policy

Iranian approval of the nuclear deal increased during the May 2017 presidential election. “Two in three Iranians approve of the agreement, while about a third oppose it,” according to a new study by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll. But most Iranians do not believe the United States will live up to its obligations under the agreement.