U.S. Iran Relations

Iran’s Economic Vulnerability: Self-Inflicted, not Sanction-Driven

November 10th, 2009

Hossein Askari

WASHINGTON—Iran analysts recently have focused on Tehran’s economic vulnerability as the system’s Achilles’ heel. They are right on this point. But they, and a clear majority of Iranians, are wrong in believing that sanctions are the reason for Iran’s dismal economic conditions. more»

U.S. Engagement with Iran Legitimizes Authoritarian State

October 26th, 2009

Hossein Askari

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration now can boast that it has delivered on another one of its campaign promises—engaging Iran. After meetings in Geneva and in Vienna, the administration seems to be well on its way to tying the knot with yet another authoritarian state. more»

Gasoline Embargo on Iran: Another Sanction Destined to Fail

October 8th, 2009

Hossein Askari

WASHINGTON—Today’s calls for “crippling sanctions” on Iran—a country that has been sanctioned by the United States for the past thirty years and by the United Nations for about three years—if negotiations fail should be called in question. What have ongoing sanctions achieved? Why do these Iran policy experts in New York and Washington calling for a gasoline sanction think that it will accomplish what the U.S. government has been unable to accomplish with previous sanctions? more»

A Policy Suggestion When Iran Talks with the West: Invite the Green Movement

September 23rd, 2009

Kazem Alamdari

LOS ANGELES–The United States and its allies correctly have pledged to engage with Iran. That is good news; there is no viable alternative. However, considering that the results of the June 12 in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner are widely disputed, any talks should include a leader of the opposition movement. Who can say with certainty that Ahmadinejad, not Mir Hossein Moussavi, the leader of the Green Movement, is truly Iran’s president? more»

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Iran, EU Mull Over Possibility of Renewed Nuclear Talks

Shayan Ghajar

Responding to an invitation to continue nuclear talks from EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in mid-June, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili responded early July 7 in a letter to the EU representative agreeing to open the possibility for renewed discussions starting September 1. more»

Turkey and Brazil Feel Fallout, After New UN Sanctions Highlight Competing Diplomatic Strategies with U.S.

Shayan Ghajar

From Turkey’s vantage point, the Tehran Declaration brokered by Turkey and Brazil on May 17 was an unprecedented breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to gain any token of cooperation from Iran regarding its nuclear program. Turkey and Brazil’s heads of state hailed the compromise as a victory for diplomacy and a sign of the changing structure of international politics. For the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution, they say, Iran has compromised with the West over its nuclear program. more»

Persistence, Not Protest, Marks Election Anniversary

Shayan Ghajar

Anyone who expected massive demonstrations in the streets of Tehran on the one-year anniversary of the controversial election that brought millions of Iranians into the streets to protest in numbers unseen since 1979, will be sorely disappointed. Tehran’s streets, by all accounts, are largely empty of overt signs of resistance. Police numbers are overwhelming, as multiple videos purportedly taken June 12 show, and protests remained sporadic, small in numbers, and primarily confined to universities. Tehran police claimed the arrest of 91 demonstrators, according to the Iranian Student News Agency, a government-affiliated news site. more»