Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – The two candidates selected by the Conservative members of the British Parliament to replace Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, went head-to-head in their first TV debate organized by the BBC on Monday night, 25 July. The new selection of Conservative Party leader and therefore Prime Minister comes […]
On Nowruz, the Persian New Year: Can the United States and Iran Turn a New Page in Their Relations?
Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – Sunday 20th March is the vernal equinox, which has been traditionally celebrated by Iranians as Now Ruz (New Day), the Iranian New Year. It is also celebrated in many countries in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The first recorded mention of Now Ruz dates back to […]
Top Nine Policy Recommendations for U.S. in wake of Afghanistan Debacle
Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – I do not wish to rub salt into the wounds of US and British officials who are responsible for the humiliating debacle in Afghanistan, but there is no way of sugar-coating this appalling tragedy, especially for hard-pressed Afghans who have experienced war and occupation for over 40 years. In […]
America wants to be known in Mideast as Champion of Free Speech, so Why is it Censoring Iranian Websites?
Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – The Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency of the United States Department of Justice, in a statement on Tuesday 22 June announced that it had seized 33 websites and news outlets used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), and another three run by the “Iran-backed” […]
Iran: The Election Trump did succeed in Spoiling
Oxford, U.K (Special to Informed Comment) – Although Iran is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has regular presidential, parliamentary and local council elections, those elections are far from free and fair when judged by the standards of advanced democracies. The June, 2021 polls will be even more flawed, in large […]
On 41st Anniversary, has Trump’s Belligerence Strengthened the Iranian Government?
Oxford, UK (Special to Informed Comment) – On February 11, 2020, the Islamic Republic of Iran marks the 41st anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Thus, it has defied the Trump administration’s prediction of its demise for two years beyond its allotted time. In his speech at a conference of the MEK (Mojahedin-e […]
The Disunited Kingdom
The General Election in the United Kingdom on Thursday 12 December produced a major earthquake in British politics. Although opinion polls had shown either a narrow majority for the Conservative Party or a hung parliament, and the gap between the Conservative and the Labor parties had narrowed during the last few days of the campaign, […]
Forty Years Later, US and Iran still Haunted by Embassy Hostage Crisis
(Informed Comment) – The 4th November 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis that has dominated and poisoned Iran-US relations ever since. The event refers to the seizure of a number of US diplomats and other employees in the United States Embassy in Tehran by the so-called “Muslim Students Following the Imam’s […]
Britain’s Trump: The Further Failure of Right Wing Populism
(Informed Comment) – After only six weeks in office, Johnson’s grand plan to leave the European Union with or without a deal by 31 October has collapsed like a pack of cards and, instead, he may have the shortest term as prime minister in British history. So, unlike the United States, the cause of right […]
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