U.S. Iran Relations

Hekmati: Iran’s latest political pawn

January 11th, 2012

Geneive Abdo and Reza H. Akbari

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on CNN.

If there were any doubt that Iran has sentenced a young Iranian-American to death purely for political reasons, Amir Hekmati’s family has now provided convincing evidence of Iran’s true motives.

Tensions Escalate Between the United States and Iran

January 9th, 2012

Reza H. Akbari

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of the most important developments reported in Iran on January 9 regarding the escalating tension between Tehran and Washington.

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Q&A: Iranian Government Faces Economic Turmoil and Public Panic

January 9th, 2012

Editor’s note: InsideIran’s Reza H. Akbari interviewed Hossein Askari, the Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs at George Washington University. He is the author of books on the Iranian and other Middle Eastern economies.

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Iran is trying to save face, not wage war

January 4th, 2012

Geneive Abdo

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on CNN.

As Iran issued another threat on Tuesday, this time to take action if the U.S. Navy returns an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, it might seem that the government in Tehran is begging for a military attack.

Iran Refuses to Back Down Over New Sanctions

November 22nd, 2011

Reza H. Akbari

Iranian authorities dismissed the new set of sanctions imposed by the United States, labeling the move as an ineffective attempt to deter Iran from its nuclear ambitions.

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Questions Surround Alleged Terror Plot

Shayan Ghajar

On October 11, United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced the dismantling of an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi and Israeli ambassadors in Washington D.C. which he described as having been “directed and approved by elements of the Iranian government and, specifically, senior members of the Quds Force.” However, despite the flurry of American officials decrying the alleged high-level Iranian government involvement in the plot, serious questions surrounding the case remain unanswered.
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Hikers’ Case Casts Doubt on Ahmadinejad’s Credibility, Authority

Shayan Ghajar

The freeing of the two remaining American hikers from prison in Iran has occurred just before Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. However, rather than serving as a convenient public relations maneuver to bolster the Iranian executive’s image during his sojourn to the United States, the conclusion to the hikers’ detention has only served to highlight Ahmadinejad’s ultimate irrelevance in determining and expressing Iran’s policies. more»

Azeri Uprising Triumphs Over Government Crackdown

Shayan Ghajar

Determined protesters in Iran’s ethnic Azeri region have managed to accomplish something unparalleled by other protest movements in Iran since the disputed 2009 presidential elections: securing a concession from the government. Unlike the other mass protests that have wracked Iran in recent years, the demonstrators have not demanded free elections or the release of political prisoners. Instead, the thousands of Azeris gathering in Iran’s northwestern cities demanded that Lake Urmia, an enormous saltwater lake of incalculable ecological, cultural, and economic significance, be saved from its current slide towards oblivion. more»