Iran-Backed Militias Stage Failed Coup in Iraq
By Ahmad Rafat
On May 26, Iraqi security forces arrested Qassim Mahmoud Musleh, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) military commander for the western province of Al Anbar, in Baghdad, on terrorism charges.
Sabah al-Wafi, a senior...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Nuclear Talks In Vienna Reach Deadlock
By Ahmad Rafat
The fifth round of talks on the U.S. rejoining the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, concluded in Vienna, Austria, without producing concrete results.
The...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s June Elections Loom Over Vienna Talks, U.S. Rejoining Nuclear Deal
By Ahmad Rafat
A fifth round of talks on the U.S. rejoining the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, is currently taking place in Vienna. Former U.S....
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Zarif Concludes European Tour to Revive Nuclear Deal, Sell Oil
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif concluded his tour of several European countries, which had begun in Damascus, with a visit to Dublin, in Northern Ireland.
In what may be his last official...
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...
Natanz Explosion: A Game Changer?
By Ahmad Rafat
Ellie Cohanim was the U.S. deputy special envoy to monitor and combat anti-semitism at the U.S. State Department during the Trump administration, and the Department’s first Iranian-born Jewish representative.
While working for the...
ANALYSIS: Iran and China’s Controversial 25-Year Deal
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed a 25-year accord between the two countries on March 27 in Tehran. Many Iranians inside and outside the country...
ANALYSIS: Iran Will Play No Role in Syria’s Future
By Ahmad Rafat
When Syrian people poured into the streets on March 15, 2011, demanding sweeping political reforms, they did not expect their anti-government protests to spark a devastating civil war that still rages today.
The...
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...
ANALYSIS: How Accurate Are Opinion Surveys of Iranians Conducted From Abroad?
By Ahmad Rafat
On Feb. 24, the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy Center for International and Security Studies (CISSM) published a study titled “Iranian Public Opinion in the Biden Era,” which, according to...
