Edith Novy
After the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) adopted a resolution on November 27, which urges Iran “to comply fully and without delay with its obligations” (http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/
Board/ 2009/gov2009-82.pdf), Iran blatantly disregarded international opinion. Iran’s leaders not only failed to answer questions, it threatened to expand its nuclear program and to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). more»
Mahmood Monshipouri
SAN FRANCISCO – The latest technical proposals to emerge from meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to defuse the standoff over Iran’s nuclear project represent a clear and convincing victory for diplomacy over the cold war rhetoric that had seen Tehran denounced repeatedly by the Bush administration as part of an “axis of evil.” Under the emerging agreement—still to be ratified by Washington and Tehran and far from a done deal—Iran would ship low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia for further enrichment that would then be returned to Iran for use in medical research and treatment. This development occurred despite that fact that Iran is capable of producing the appropriate fuel on its own, and it speaks volumes about the reach and effectiveness of diplomacy. more»
Tara Mahtafar
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN—Iran’s internal crisis has done more than thrust the legitimacy of the Islamic political system under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei into the public spotlight. It also has begun to chip away at one of the ruling hardline elite’s few successful policies in recent years—its high-stakes gambit with the West over nuclear power and its implied threat of developing a nuclear bomb. more»
Maurizio Martellini and Riccardo Redaelli
COMO, Italy –By its very nature, the Islamic Republic of Iran is unpredictable. Its unwieldy political system and fractious political elite complicate any attempt at understanding Iranian political trends, aspirations, perceptions, and goals. Iranian political language is replete with tactical poses, rhetorical stances, and contradictory tones. more»
Keyhan Kasravi
BERLIN/TEHRAN—Since the rise of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the radical faction to power in the Islamic Republic in 2005, Iran’s nuclear issue and the possibile consequences of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons have received much more attention in the West than in the past. more»
