U.S. Policy
On March 9, a group of 47 Republican senators warned Iran's leaders that a nuclear deal signed during President Barack Obama’s tenure could be revoked by the next president or modified by a future Congress. “We will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved…
The following are responses by President Obama, administration officials and Democrats on the GOP letter to Iran’s leadership. President Barack Obama “I’m embarrassed for them. For them to address a letter to the ayatollah... who they claim is our mortal enemy, and their basic…
On March 9, Secretary of State John Kerry asked Iran’s government to work cooperatively to ensure the safe return of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson to the United States. Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 2007. He was reportedly investigating cigarette smuggling while…
On March 4, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry said that Iran and the world's six major powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States - made progress after the latest round of nuclear negotiations in Montreux, Switzerland. But he noted that "there are still significant…
On March 3, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against a potential nuclear deal with Iran in an address to Congress in Washington, D.C. Administration officials and several Democratic lawmakers were critical of the speech. President Barack Obama claimed that Netanyahu "has not offered any…
On March 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned attendees of the 2015 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference that Iran “vows to annihilate Israel.” If Tehran develops nuclear weapons, “it would have the means to achieve that goal,” he said in Washington, D.C…
On February 14, the U.S. State Department called for the immediate release of 2009 presidential candidates and opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. The former speaker of parliament and former prime minister, as well as Mousavi’s wife, have been under house arrest for four…
Iran and the world’s six major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States – held a series of nuclear talks in January and February. Negotiators offered few details, but some officials remained optimistic. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two sides had made “…
On February 5, President Barack Obama said that the United States is doing everything it can to bring Pastor Saeed Abedini, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen held captive in Iran, home to Idaho. In January 2013, Abedini was sentenced to eight years in prison after working with Iranian Christians to set…
Several U.S. lawmakers have challenged the Obama administration’s approach to nuclear talks with Iran. President Obama "expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told Republicans on January 21. "Two words: Hell no...We're going…