Bahrain Maritime Security Conference Focuses on Iran’s Activities in Persian Gulf
By Ahmad Rafat
A two-day summit on maritime security in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormoz and the Sea of Oman, attended by senior diplomats from 63 countries, ended on October 22 in Manama,...
ANALYSIS: New EU Foreign Policy Chief Borrell Is Sympathetic to Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
Josep Borrell -- the current foreign minister of Spain, and soon-to-be High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy -- has, in the past, described Iran as a...
ANALYSIS: Europe Distances Itself from Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
Germany, Britain, and France have warned that they will withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, if Tehran were to continue to...
Shah’s First Wife, Princess Fawzia of Egypt, Is Remembered in Cairo Exhibition
By Ahmad Rafat
Fawzia Fuad (1921–2013) was an Egyptian princess who became the first wife of the late Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1939 when she was only 17 years old. The marriage, officially ended...
ANALYSIS: Iraq Is the New Battleground for Iran and Israel
By Ahmad Rafat
Israel has opened a new front in its war against Iran. After Lebanon and Syria, the conflict between the two countries has now spread to Iraq.
There have been a series of...
ANALYSIS: Iran’s Militia Networks in the Middle East and Africa
By Ahmad Rafat
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has given the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) one month to either integrate the Iraqi military or lay down its arms and become a political organization.
The PMF, also...
ANALYSIS: Death of Iranian Arab in Prison Raises Human Rights Concerns
By Ahmad Rafat
Benyamin Alboghbiesh, a 28-year-old ethnic Arab who along with his brother Mohammad Ali were arrested by security agents on May 26, has died under suspicious circumstances at the Intelligence Detention Center in...
BOOK REVIEW: The Lasting Legacy of Shapour Bakhtiar, Iran’s Late Prime Minister
By Ahmad Rafat
“The Lasting Legacy of Shapour Bakhtiar,” by Dr. Ebrahim Biparva, is a collection of articles written by various people about Shapour Bakhtiar (1914-1991), Iran’s last Prime Minister under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Dr....
European Banks Fined for Violating U.S. Sanctions on Iran
By Ahmad Rafat
On April 15, one of Italy’s biggest lenders UniCredit SpA and two of its subsidiaries settled a two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Treasury by agreeing to pay $1.3 billion...
Iranian Military Presence Near Golan Heights Alarms International Community
By Ahmad Rafat
In a surprise move on March 25, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. Mr. Trump announced his decision during...
