As conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi begins his presidency, what direction is Iran’s foreign policy likely to take? There are multiple ways to try to answer this fundamental question. One could, for instance, take a look at the individuals who are likely to advise Raisi on foreign policy issues. Judging by …
Read More »Will Russia Succeed in Taking Aleppo Airport Out of the Grip of Iran?
The recent signature of a memorandum of understanding in the Aleppo International Airport might accentuate the rivalry between Iran and Russia, according to Syria Television. In late July, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the regime’s General Civil Aviation Corporation in Syria and a transport and logistics company …
Read More »Report: Iran Most Dangerous Actor in Syria, but its Success is Limited
A report by Center for Contemporary Studies identified Iran as the “most dangerous” player in Syria, but claims that Tehran’s success in the country remains limited, according to al-Modon. According to a study prepared by the Center for Contemporary Studies, Iran is the most prominent and dangerous actor in Syria, …
Read More »Iran Says It Won’t Accept Any Limitation To Its Oil Exports
Iran’s ambassador to the Vienna-based international Kazim Gharibabadi said Iran will not accept any limit to its exports of oil when the situation normalizes with the lifting of the most draconian US sanctions on the country. Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharibabadi, reiterated the …
Read More »New Iranian President Raisi Sworn In Before Parliament
Ebrahim Raisi took his oath before parliament on August 5 to complete his inauguration making him Iran’s new president. He comes to office facing an economy battered by U.S. sanctions, a growing health crisis, fast-rising regional tensions, and difficult negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. A …
Read More »‘US Sanctions Against Iran Must Be Lifted’, Raisi Demands
“We support any diplomatic plan that achieves this goal,” he said, insisting that his country’s nuclear program is peaceful. During the inauguration ceremony held on Thursday, President Ebrahim Raisi assured that U.S. sanctions against Iran must be lifted. “We support any diplomatic plan that achieves this goal,” he said, insisting …
Read More »A Way Forward With Iran? Options for Crafting a U.S. Strategy
Any discussion of a Biden administration strategy on Iran must begin with an analysis of how previous U.S. administrations have approached the threat posed by Iran. From the very start of the Islamic Republic forty-one years ago, U.S.-Iran relations have been fraught with mistrust, animosity, threats, and occasional active hostilities, …
Read More »Britain’s Top General Calls for Retaliation on Iran for Drone Strike
Britain’s top military commander, General Nick Carter, said Wednesday that Western powers need to retaliate for a suspected Iranian drone strike on an oil tanker, which killed a British security guard and the ship’s Romanian captain — otherwise Tehran will feel emboldened. Speaking to the BBC, Carter, chief of the …
Read More »Hijackers leave vessel in Gulf of Oman, British navy group says
Military says ‘incident complete’ after reports of armed men commandeering ship near UAE; details surrounding episode remain unclear The British navy says the hijackers who boarded a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman have left the targeted ship, without elaborating. The notice …
Read More »Israel considers options after drone attack on ship blamed on Iran
The drone attack against an Israeli-managed oil tanker last week revealed Israel’s soft underbelly at sea, and forces its leadership to consider how to retaliate. Had Prime Minister Naftali Bennett been Israel’s defense minister or just a member of its Security Cabinet, he would have surely banged on the table …
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