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Rouhani at UN on ISIS, Nukes & US
President Hassan Rouhani arrived in New York on September 22 to attend the U.N. General Assembly opening. He spoke at several public and private events before and after delivering his address on September 25. A translation of his speech is included…
In Tweets: Rouhani’s Trip to New York
President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to New York for the 2014 U.N. General Assembly has been meticulously documented on his quasi-official Twitter account. The following are tweets in chronological order beginning with his arrival on…
Report: Iran’s Effective Breakout
The issue of Iran’s “breakout” capability, the time needed to obtain enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb, is a central issue in negotiations with the world’s six major powers. But a new report by the Arms Control Association argues that “effective…
Report: Arab Minority Faces Discrimination
Iran’s Arab minority has suffered from political, economic and cultural discrimination under multiple administrations, according to a new report by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. Arabs make up approximately two percent of Iran’s population of 80…
US & Iran Meet in New York
U.S. and Iranian officials have met in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the nuclear talks and the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, at…
Updated US Report on Iran Sanctions
The following is a summary from the Congressional Research Service’s latest edition of its report on Iran sanctions by Kenneth Katzman. Strict sanctions on Iran’s key energy and financial sectors harmed Iran’s…
Zarif in New York: ISIS, Nukes & US
On September 16, Iran’s foreign minister arrived in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly and continue talks with the world’s six major powers on the nuclear issue. During two wide-ranging interviews and an event, Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed Tehran’s…
"Happy" Video Dancers Sentenced
Six young Iranians have been received a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment and 91 lashes for appearing in a video singing along and dancing to Pharrell William’s “Happy.” The director was also sentenced to one year in…
Key Quotes from Earlier U.N. Speeches
U.N. General Assembly openings have been a forum for some of the most dramatic exchanges between Iran and the international community. Several of Iran's top leaders have used the venue to criticize the world order and the United States. But…
Survey: Iranians Ready for Nuclear Deal
A new survey found that the majority of Iranians would support a nuclear deal that includes key requirements of the world’s six major powers. Some 79 percent of Iranians are open to an agreement in which Iran pledges to never…
Iran's Leaders on Iraq Crisis and ISIS
Iran’s policy on Iraq has evolved as the Islamic State (IS) has taken more territory since June. President Hassan Rouhani and one his advisors initially suggested Tehran could cooperate with Washington on countering IS…
Khamenei Undergoes Prostate Surgery
With unusual candor, the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has released a stream of pictures of the cleric after he underwent prostate surgery. His office claimed the minor procedure was completed in half an hour…
UN: Mixed Progress on Iran Nuke Program
Iran has begun fulfilling additional commitments it made in July to rollback its nuclear program, according to the latest quarterly report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Iran has downblended or converted all of its uranium that was…
Fall Push on Nuke Talks
With the deadline for a final nuclear deal looming in 10 weeks, the pace of diplomacy on Iranian nuclear talks is picking up. The United States and Iran held their third round of bilateral talks on September 4 and 5 in Geneva. The last round was on…
Rouhani on ISIS, Nuke Talks
On August 30, President Hassan Rouhani vowed to resist U.S. sanctions in a televised press conference. But he also said Iran would continue nuclear talks with the world’s six major powers. “We hope that we will reach [an] agreement... the tyrannical sanctions must be…
New US Sanctions and Iran’s Response
On August 29, the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department sanctioned more than 25 individuals, companies and banks for supporting Iran’s nuclear program, helping Iran evade sanctions or supporting terrorism. The punitive…
Kerry Calls on Iran to Release US Citizens
On August 29, Secretary of State John Kerry called on Tehran to release three U.S. citizens detained in Iran and one that went missing on Iranian soil. The following is the full text of the statement. …
UN: Iran Complying with Interim Nuke Deal
On August 20, the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported that Iran has continued to meet its commitments under the interim deal that was implemented in January and extended through November. Iran has halted its most sensitive…
Human Rights Watch: Locked Up in Karaj
More than 60 prisoners in Karaj, near Tehran, are serving terms for exercising their fundamental rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The organization also suspects that due…
From Baby Boom to Baby Shortage
Garrett Nada Iran has a numbers problem. Over the past 35 years, Tehran’s family planning policy has gyrated so radically—from encouraging too many babies to producing too few—that the Islamic Republic faces existential economic…
Iran's Leaders on Iraq Crisis and ISIS
Iran’s policy on Iraq has evolved as the Islamic State has taken more territory since June. Tehran has welcomed the nomination of Haidar al Abadi to replace Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. The Islamic Republic has backed Maliki, a Shiite…
Rouhani: To Hell with Critics of Diplomacy
In an annual address to Iranian ambassadors, President Hassan Rouhani called critics of his approach to nuclear talks cowards. “As soon as there is talk of negotiations they say 'we are trembling,'” said Rouhani in comments broadcast live…
US and Iran: New Nuclear Talks
On August 7, a high-level U.S. delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns (left) met with Iranian officials in Geneva. It was the first meeting of officials from the two sides since the world’s six major powers and Iran failed to produce a final…
US Negotiator Warns Against New Sanctions
On July 29, Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the status of nuclear talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers. “We believe strongly that it is worth taking…
US Treasury: Iran Remains in Economic Hole
On July 29, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Iran’s economy. The following are excerpts with a link to the full text. The State of the Iranian…
Economic Trends: June and July
The most important developments in June and July were India’s payments of two more installments of $550 million to Iran for previous oil purchases. The interim nuclear deal enabled the repatriation of $4.2 billion in oil revenues to…
US Report on Iran's Religious Freedom Abuses
Iran’s government reportedly continued to imprison, harass intimidate and discriminate against people based on religious beliefs in 2013, according to an annual report by the U.S. State Department. …
Four Journalists, Three Americans Detained
Three American journalists, including The Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, have reportedly been detained in Tehran. Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, director general of the Tehran Province Justice Department, confirmed July 25 that “…
Senators Seek Congressional Review of Any Nuclear Deal with Iran
On July 23, five Republican Senators announced the following plan to require President Obama to seek Congressional approval of any nuclear deal with Iran. The following is a press release posted by the Senate Committee on Foreign…
The World According to Khamenei
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now claims that the escalating crises in Gaza and Iraq are the fault of the West and Israel. The United States and its allies are trying to undermine Iran and the progress of Muslim nations, according to his revolutionary narrative.…