Thursday, May 21, 2026

ANALYSIS: Islamic Republic Faces Imminent Return of International Sanctions

By Ahmad Rafat Europe has issued a final warning to Iran, urging the Islamic Republic to take immediate action to prevent the reactivation of the "snapback" mechanism and the reimposition of international sanctions that were...

ANALYSIS: Islamic Republic Looks to China, Russia to Avoid Isolation

By Ahmad Rafat   Under intense U.S. sanctions and facing the looming reimposition of international penalties through the “snapback” mechanism triggered by France, Germany, and the UK (E3), the Islamic Republic of Iran has once again...

ANALYSIS: Islamic Republic Faces Paralysis If West Toughens Sanctions

By Ahmad Rafat The Islamic Republic of Iran currently finds itself engulfed in a multitude of crises: a deepening water shortage as reservoirs run dry; an electricity crisis marked by relentless blackouts; the fallout from...

Twelve-Day War With Israel Deepens Crisis in Islamic Republic

By Ahmad Rafat The twelve-day war with Israel, which took place between June 13 and 24, has intensified the political crisis engulfing the Islamic Republic -- a regime established following the 1979 anti-monarchy revolution led...

ANALYSIS: How The Islamic Republic (IRI) Is Striving to Rebuild the ‘Axis of Resistance’

By Ahmad Rafat In late June, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), made an unannounced visit to Baghdad. At the same time, representatives from several groups, including Lebanon’s...

ANALYSIS: The Islamic Republic and the Trump Doctrine

By Peter Apps WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - As some 20 Islamic Republic's ballistic missiles headed for the U.S. airbase at Al Udeid in Qatar last month following U.S. strikes against Iran, the only U.S. personnel at...

ANALYSIS – U.S. Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites Set up ‘Cat-and-Mouse’ Hunt for Missing...

By Francois Murphy and John Irish VIENNA, June 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iranian nuclear sites creates a conundrum for U.N. inspectors in Iran: how can you tell if enriched uranium stocks, some of them near weapons...

ANALYSIS – Big Questions Loom over Trump’s Announcement of Israel-Iran Ceasefire Deal

By Matt Spetalnick, Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump sent U.S. bombers to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last weekend, he was betting he could help ally Israel cripple Tehran’s nuclear program while...

OPINION: What Iran Nuclear Deal Reveals About Talking to Theocrats

By Kambiz Zare The latest rounds of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program highlight a fundamental reality: in politics—as in war and in dealmaking—success often depends on timing and on bold, decisive action. Recognizing the right...

ANALYSIS: Reaching A Deal in Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks Will Be Tough

By Ahmad Rafat On the anniversary of the death of Ruhollah Khomeini -- the founder of the Islamic Republic -- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei firmly rejected the idea of halting uranium enrichment, a demand...