Iran

Iran’s uranium gambit is a dangerous negotiating tactic

On July 6, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran was moving ahead with manufacturing “uranium metal enriched to 20 percent U-235 [uranium’s most fissile isotope],” the latest in a series of steps violating Iran’s commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). While Tehran maintains that …

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Joseph Daher: Iran Failed to Translate Political and Military Influence into Sizable Economic Gains

Joseph Daher is a researcher specializing in political economy. He wrote extensively on Syria and Lebanon, and most notably authored “Syria after the Uprisings, The Political Economy of State Resilience.” He is affiliated with the European University Institute and its Wartime and Postconflict in Syria program. The Syrian Observer: Recent …

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Iranian dissidents to visit Israel next week – why?

Iranian expats support Israelis in light of the latest attacks by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are sponsored by Iran. A delegation of Iranian dissidents and expatriates plans to pay a solidarity visit to Israel next week with officials from the Trump administration. The mission is being organized by …

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US says nuclear talks to continue, despite alleged Iran kidnapping plot

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington is “ready to go” ahead with talks, after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the task of renegotiating the deal had been handed over to the next administration. The United States will continue to negotiate a mutual return to the landmark Iranian nuclear accord, …

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Iran Drives Development of Persian Gulf–Black Sea International Transport and Transit Corridor

Back in 2016, Iran put forward a regional initiative to expand the Persian Gulf–Black Sea International Transport and Transit Corridor, which, in addition to the Islamic Republic itself, involves Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria and Greece. This multimodal corridor begins from the Gulf and southern Iran, heads northward …

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Iran will not return to nuclear talks before new government is formed in Tehran

Iran has indicated that it will not return to talks aimed at a U.S. return to the 2015 nuclear deal until after a new government headed by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes office next month, U.S. officials said Wednesday. The United States and its European partners had been awaiting word from …

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Bedouin Israeli millionaire charged with spying for Iran

Businessman Yaqoub Abu al-Qia’an, who was briefly a Knesset candidate in right-wing Telem party, accused of providing information to Iranian intelligence via a contact in Lebanon A Bedouin Israeli millionaire who briefly ran for Knesset with former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon was charged on Monday with passing information to Iranian …

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Pompeo speaks at conference by controversial Iran opposition group

Slovenia’s prime minister and other former US officials also speak at virtual event held by Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. Former Obama and Trump administration officials as well as Slovenia’s premier attended a Sunday event held by the controversial Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e Khalq, leading to criticism. The organization’s Free Iran 2021 World Summit …

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Iran says US prisoner swap negotiations underway

The Iranian comments followed US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley’s pledge that the United States would not accept a partial deal that does not bring home all four detained Americans from Iran. Iran said Tuesday that negotiations are ongoing over a possible prisoner exchange with the United States as …

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Confrontation between US, pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq poses challenges for Russia

While Moscow does not yet have the resources to eliminate Iranian influence in Syria, it would be in its interests to at least prevent the expansion of the activities of pro-Iranian paramilitary structures. On the evening of June 27, the United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on targets …

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