Monday, May 4, 2026

ANALYSIS: Why Iran Is Negotiating With the European Union

By Ahmad Rafat   The Islamic Republic — represented by Majid Takht Ravanchi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s under-secretary for European and American Affairs — has resumed negotiations with the European Union. Ravanchi recently met with his...

Collapse of Assad Regime Deals Severe Blow to Islamic Republic

By Ahmad Rafat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's dictatorial regime has collapsed in the space of a little over a week. A coalition of anti-government forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – which is listed as...

ANALYSIS: How the Iran-Backed Houthis Rule in Yemen

By Maggie Michael and Amr Alfiky ADEN, Yemen, Oct 15 (REUTERS) - Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi paramilitary has been lionized at pro-Palestinian protests around the world and on social media for its missile strikes on Israel over the...

ANALYSIS: How Iran’s Government Has Weaponized Sexual Violence Against Women Who Dare to Resist

By Mina Fakhravar / The Conversation In Iran’s 2022–2023 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, women’s bodies quite literally became battlefields. The protest movement erupted after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa (Jina) Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s...

ANALYSIS: With Trump Back In White House, U.S.’s Iran Policy Will Change

By Ahmad Rafat Donald Trump’s victory in the recent U.S. presidential elections and his return to the White House in January may lead to significant changes in the Middle East. While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei...

ANALYSIS: Pakistan’s Vision for the Future

“Pakistan’s Vision for the Future” International Institute for Strategic Studies London, February 13th, 2018 OVERVIEW The meeting was chaired by Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia. Dr. Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Interior and Planning, Development and Reform, was...

ANALYSIS: Iran’s Ruling Factions Are Deeply Divided On Nuclear Deal

By Hamed Mohammadi Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met the Vatican’s Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and Secretary for Relations with State, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, in Vatican City on July 13. Mr. Abdollahian assured...
Josep Borrell and Federica Mogherini

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: Iran Prepares for Fresh Round of Nuclear Talks

By Ahmad Rafat On Nov. 27, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, dubbed the “father of Iran’s nuclear program,” was killed by unknown attackers who reportedly used a “remote control weapon” to fire on his car on Mostafa Khomeini...
Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces

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...