ANALYSIS: How the Gaza Conflict Is Helping Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
The unfolding tragedy in Israel and the Gaza Strip shows just how quickly the Middle East can combust in the flames of war. It also makes clear that ordinary people are paying...
ANALYSIS: Will Global Sanctions Be Reimposed on Islamic Republic of Iran?
By Ahmad Rafat
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—the three European signatories (E3) to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal – have officially triggered the “snapback” mechanism restoring all...
U.S. Keeps Military Option on Table As It Seeks to Reboot Iran Nuclear Talks
By Ahmad Rafat
U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration have reiterated their commitment to rejoin the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal. Yet it is unclear...
Islamic Republic Executed 834 People In 2023, Up 43% From 2022, Report Says
By Ahmad Rafat
The Iranian authorities intensified their use of the death penalty in the aftermath of nationwide protests, executing a staggering 834 people in 2023, a 43 percent increase from the year before, according...
Iran at the Venice Biennale: A Visit to the Iranian Pavilion
By Ahmad Rafat
Iran is among the 85 countries taking part this year in the Venice Biennale, the world's largest and oldest art fair. The 57th Biennale opened on May 13 and runs through November...
ANALYSIS: Iran May Have to Negotiate With U.S. If It Loses Europe’s Support
By Ahmad Rafat
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has repeatedly said that the purpose of the new and stricter sanctions against Iran, which went into effect on November 5, was to “get the government...
ANALYSIS: What Obama Writes About Iran In His Bestselling Memoir
By Ahmad Rafat
Former U.S. President Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land has been a mega-bestseller since its release on Nov. 17. As of late December, more than 3 million copies of the 751-page tome...
ANALYSIS: The Mystery of the Bandar Abbas Explosion
By Ahmad Rafat
On April 26, an explosion rocked Bandar Abbas, one of Iran’s key commercial ports, in the southern province of Hormozgan. The blast claimed more than 100 lives and left more than 1,400...
ANALYSIS: Efforts to Reboot Iran Nuclear Deal Are Faltering
By Ahmad Rafat
For the past few months, European and American officials have warned that the “window of opportunity” for reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran is “closing fast.”
Speaking to French lawmakers on July...
ANALYSIS: A Marriage of Convenience Bolsters Iran’s Mideast Presence
By Ahmad Rafat
The Lebanese press and broadcast media have reported extensively on the recent marriage between Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of General Ghasem Soleimani -- the slain commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’...
