Shayan Ghajar

Amidst the ongoing debates on initiating a new round of sanctions on Iran, a massive project to link Caspian region natural gas sources to Central and Western Europe has gone largely unmentioned. Plans for a new pipeline spanning from the Caspian to Central Europe were finalized last month in a conference with Turkish officials and construction will begin in 2011. The majority of the pipeline’s natural gas supply, evidence shows, is likely to come from Iran. more»

Shayan Ghajar

President Obama’s nuclear summit last week was part of a series of efforts aimed at convincing China and Russia to join American efforts for international sanctions on Iran. Three weeks ago, administration officials announced China was ready to begin serious discussions soon regarding sanctions on Iran. In recent days, however, more and more evidence is mounting to the contrary, indicating any support from China for international sanctions on Iran is highly unlikely. more»

Shayan Ghajar

President Obama’s push for U.N. sanctions on Iran is gaining in intensity this week with the meeting of numerous heads of state in Washington’s nuclear summit, April 11-13. Although the U.N. Security Council neglected to include the issue in its April agenda, the President is urging the world’s nuclear powers to call on Iran to accede to demands for increased transparency and proof that its nuclear aspirations are peaceful. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already responded in less than civil terms, calling Western leaders “retarded” and deciding to host his own nuclear summit in Tehran. more»

Shayan Ghajar

Concern over Iran’s desire to possess nuclear weapons has intensified in light of an article indicating Iran may begin construction on two more nuclear enrichment facilities and could be planning even more. The increasing tension over the topic has led to renewed calls for military action from various sources. However, a multitude of experts on Iran, international politics, conflict, and global economics conclude that an attack on Iran would be extremely counterproductive, both in terms of setting back Iran’s nuclear program and in weakening the central government or encouraging regime change. more»

Shayan Ghajar

Iran is home to a staggeringly diverse population, with a wide variety of languages and cultures. Due to centuries, if not millennia, of cultural exchanges, intermarriages, and the inherent fluidity of identity in such a pluralistic nation, “ethnicity” does not necessarily hold the same racial baggage that it does in Western cultures, and a family’s self-described ethnicity may change from one generation to the next. Nevertheless, certain minority cultures in Iran are restricted from publishing in their native languages, and face educational and economic disadvantages. Academics and political figures active in promoting their cultures face arrest, and are occasionally executed. Consequently, many Iranian minorities feel antagonized by the current government and support political causes to increase their cultural rights and representation. more»