Iran

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a major and extremely embarrassing foreign policy speech in Cairo on Thursday, which is probably inconsequential since his major talking points departed from the positions of his president, Trump. Also, aside from some generals and kings and princes, nobody in the region agrees with anything he said. Pompeo’s message […]

Iran

What is Behind Iran’s Anti-Corruption Protest Drive?

Mina Yousefi

By Mina Yousefi | – (International Center for Non-Violent Conflict ) – For a little over a year, Iran has witnessed a new wave of civil resistance, which had been brewing in various towns and cities around the country since the 2009 Green Revolution. Corruption and economic hardship—-although not entirely new problems—-are the two main […]

Featured

Trump’s Remark that Iranians ‘Can do what they want’ in Syria Mocked in Mideast

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Christian-owned Lebanese daily al-Nahar (The Day) mocked Trump’s remark this week that Iran can do whatever it wants in Syria after the US military withdrawal (“they can do what they want there, frankly”). A columnist for the newspaper, Monalisa Fariha, entitled her piece, “Iran will get out of Syria […]

Iran

Under Trump’s Pressure, Iran’s Khamenei moves to Ensure Rightwing Successor

Golnaz Esfandiari

( RFE/RL) – By appointing a conservative ally to head the influential Expediency Council, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears to have made a move to strengthen the hard-line camp and weaken the moderates — and also may have cleaned up his line of succession. “This is not good news for the moderates within […]

Iran

Rightwing Iran’s Policy in post-US Syria is to Block Kurdish Left

Middle East Monitor

By Maysam Behravesh | – US President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement last week of the withdrawal of American troops from Syria caught many people off guard, including his own administration officials. It actually prompted the resignation of Defence Secretary James Mattis. The surprise, however, was perhaps greater in Tehran’s corridors of power. Less than two […]

Featured

India Doubles Iran Oil Imports: Are Trump’s Sanctions Cratering?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – India’s imports of petroleum from Iran in October doubled in value terms to $1.42 billion in October, year over year. Likewise, during the first 8 months of 2018, the value of India’s oil imports from Iran was double that of the same period in 2017. Even in volume terms, imports […]

Iran

Defying Trump Sanctions, Iraqi President will Double Iran Trade to $22 bn/ Yr

TeleSur

According to officials, last week Iraq came to an agreement with Iran to exchange Iraqi food items for Iranian gas and energy supplies. Iraq’s President Barham Salih, on Saturday, started an official visit to neighboring Iran which aims to foster positive political and economic relations between the two countries. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani welcomed Salih […]

Iran

Trump’s New Iran Oil Sanctions may Hurt Americans more than Iran

The Conversation

By Gregory Brew | – (The Conversation) – The Trump administration has formally imposed new sanctions on Iran aimed at hindering Iran’s oil exports – a move that had been in the works for six months. The U.S. government has also made a second, more surprising, announcement: It’s granting eight countries waivers that will let […]

Iran

Erdogan: Turkey will not abide by US sanctions on Iran

Middle East Monitor

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that his country rejects the US sanctions on Iran and will not abide by them, Anadolu news agency reported. “US sanctions on Iran are wrong. For us, they are steps aimed at unbalancing the world; we don’t want to live in an imperialist world” Erdogan told reporters in […]