Archive
Below is an excerpt from President Obama's State of the Union address on Jan. 24"We will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to… Read More
President Obama’s Statement on EU’s New Iran Sanctions, on Jan. 23 I applaud today’s actions by our partners in the European Union to impose additional sanctions on Iran in response to the regime’s continuing failure to fulfill its international obligations regarding its nuclear program. These… Read More
Interview with Yasmin Alem How do the numbers of registered candidates compare to previous elections? The number of candidates who registered for the 2012 parliamentary elections is at its lowest since the 1996 elections. Only 5,395 individuals registered to run for parliament, a… Read More
Patrick Clawson What does the unprecedented new European Union oil embargo on Iran mean in practical terms? The direct impact of the new EU oil embargo is relatively limited. Economists like to say that oil is "fungible," that is, oil not sold to the EU could be sold to other countries, and… Read More
The European Union on Jan. 23 imposed new sanctions on Iran. The following is the EU press statement, with the full conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council below.Iran: New EU sanctions target sources of finance for nuclear programme Given the EU's serious and… Read More
Under the Amended Iran Sanctions Act, the United States on Jan. 11 sanctioned three companies for doing business with Iran's energy sector, expanding the range of punitive American action on the international stage. The following is the State Department announcement. Secretary of State… Read More
Annika Folkeson Tension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks following new U.S. sanctions and Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are quotes on the tensions between Tehran and Washington. IRAN Vice president… Read More
Annika FolkesonTension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions and Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are key facts on Iranian oil. Iran holds the world’s fourth-… Read More
Annika FolkesonTension has increased between Iran and the United States over the past weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions and Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. The following are key facts on the Strait. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's… Read More
The Rand Corporation issued a report in December entitled “Israel and Iran: A Dangerous Rivalry” by Dalia Dassa Kaye, Alireza Nader, and Parisa Roshan. Alireza Nader is a contributing author to “The Iran Primer.” Excerpts from the summary are posted below, with a link to the entire report.… Read More
Interview with Yasmin Alem The daughter of the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of "spreading propaganda against the ruling system." The trial of Faezeh Hashemi took place behind closed doors in December 2011. Hashemi is a… Read More
Michael Singh
Iranian officials grabbed global headlines in recent days by threatening to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s traded oil passes. Iran sought to back up its threats by holding a 10-day military exercise in the Persian Gulf and… Read More
On Dec. 20, the United States issued new sanctions against front companies linked to Iran’s missile program. The following rundown was released by the Treasury Department. The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of 10 shipping and front companies… Read More
Michael Elleman For the outside world, one of the biggest mysteries about Iran is what really happened on Nov. 12, when a massive explosion went off at a sprawling military base just 25 miles from Tehran. The truth could provide pivotal information about the status of Iran’s missile program—a… Read More
Matthew Levitt On Nov. 28, a U.S. District court issued a little-noticed ruling that effectively links Iran to al Qaeda on terrorism. It specifically named both Iran and Sudan for an indirect supporting role in the 1998 twin bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, acts… Read More
On Dec. 13, the United States sanctioned two senior Iranian military officials for being responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Iran: Hassan Firouzabadi is chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Abdollah Araqi is deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard… Read More
The following is a letter to the U.N Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, from Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, sent on Dec. 8. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful … Read More
On Dec. 6, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman gave a briefing about the launch of the “virtual embassy Tehran” to provide a means for the United States to communicate directly to Iranians. The following are excerpts. This initiative is designed to enhance our… Read More
On Dec. 1, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The following are two excerpts, with links to their full statements below… Read More
Interview with Yasmin Alem What is Iran’s parliamentary election schedule until the March poll? Election activities began in December as Iran’s Election Commission announced that the Ministry of Interior established election headquarters in all 31 provinces.… Read More
The following is an interview by the Council on Foreign Relations with USIP fellow and Iran Primer editor Robin Wright:
The attack on the UK embassy in Tehran (BBC) on November 28 reportedly by Iran's Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary wing, has led to heightened tensions between Iran and the… Read More
According to a 2011 Gallup poll, the U.K., U.S., and EU did not enjoy much approval in Iran even before they tightened sanctions there, escalating tensions. Nine percent of Iranians approved of U.K. and U.S. leadership when Gallup surveyed in February and March 2011 and not many more approved… Read More
On Dec. 2, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made extensive remarks about Iran to the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center. The following are excerpts. Iran’s continued drive to develop nuclear capabilities, including troubling enrichment… Read More
The Stimson Center project, “Iran and America: A Dialogue about Disability,” held in partnership with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, BlueLaw International LLP, and several Iranian organizations was a cross-cultural… Read More
On Dec. 1, the European Union issued the following statement to explain its new sanctions on Iran: The Council adopted the following conclusions:1. "The Council reiterates its serious and deepening concerns over the nature of Iran's nuclearprogramme, and in particular over the findings on… Read More
Annika Folkeson After the Iranians stormed the British embassy in Tehran on Nov. 29, Britain closed the Iranian embassy in London and expelled all Iranian diplomats. Britain also evacuated its diplomats in Tehran. The new tensions followed… Read More
Mark N. Katz What role is Russia playing - helper or hinderer – in international diplomatic efforts on Iran, and why? The major Western powers now view Moscow as hindering their efforts to squeeze Iran. Between 2006 and 2011, Russia agreed to six U.N. Security Council resolutions… Read More
Annika Folkeson The Republican candidates for president outlined their positions on Iran during two foreign policy debates on Nov. 12 and Nov. 22, 2011. In alphabetical order, the following are excerpts of their statements on issues such as sanctions, military… Read More
The following are excerpts from National Security Advisor Tom Donilon’s speech about U.S. policy on Iran at the Brookings Institution on Nov. 22, 2011. In January 2009, Tehran believed, and many in the region believed, that Iran was ascendant. Internally, the Iranian regime faced no… Read More
President Obama’s Statement on New Iran SanctionsToday, my Administration has taken yet another step to further isolate and penalize Iran for its refusal to live up to its international obligations regarding its nuclear program. For years, the Iranian government has failed to abide by its… Read More