ANALYSIS-Frustrated Khamenei Pushed for Saudi-Iran Deal Clinched in China
By Parisa Hafezi, Aziz El Yaakoubi and James Pomfret
DUBAI, March 16 (Reuters) - Eager to end its political and economic isolation, Iran had been trying for two years to restore ties with its long-time rival Saudi Arabia, an Arab heavyweight...
ANALYSIS: What Is Iran’s Role in the Future of Lebanon?
By Ahmad Rafat
The head of Lebanon’s Maronite Church, Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, has warned against the perils facing the country and has called for early parliamentary elections.
“Lebanon is facing its biggest danger,” Patriarch al-Rahi...
ANALYSIS – Coronavirus and Sanctions Hit Iran’s Support of Proxies in Iraq
July 2 - Iran’s financial and military support for Shi’ite proxy paramilitary groups in Iraq, a linchpin of its regional foreign policy, has been dramatically disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. sanctions, according to people...
ANALYSIS: Road to Renewed Iran Nuclear Deal Likely to Be Long and Bumpy
By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - It took seven years from the summer's day in 2008 when a top U.S. diplomat first sat down with his Iranian counterpart until the two...
ANALYSIS: Biden Would Face Uncertain Path to Detente With Wary Iran
By Parisa Hafezi and Arshad Mohammed
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Joe Biden plans to scrap what he calls the "dangerous failure" of President Donald Trump's maximum pressure policy on Iran should he win the U.S. election,...
Islamic Republic Faces Challenges As It Prepares Response to Haniyeh Killing
By Ahmad Rafat
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political office, was killed in Tehran on July 31. In response, the Islamic Republic quickly announced its plan to take retaliatory action against Israel, even though...
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 Future of the Iran Nuclear Deal
London, October 24, 2017 Key Points from a Meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Iran: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA,) held at the House of Commons (Committee Room 12.)
Introduction In a well-attended 90-minute meeting...
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: Iran’s Elections Are Setback for Khamenei
By Ahmad Rafat
On June 28, Iran held an election to choose a successor for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19 while returning from a visit...
