Trump MidEast Policy: Less “Revolutionary” Than Anticipated
February 13, 2017
By Peyman Pejman
On the campaign trail, then-candidate Donald Trump was as much bullish on foreign policy issues as he was on his grandiose domestic prescriptions. From building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico...
U.S. Toughens Stance on Iran
February 06, 2017
By Reza Taghizade
In his first week in office, President Trump signed an executive order on immigration barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Sudan, from entering...
Saudi Navy Seizes Boat with Weapons Near Offshore Oilfield-SPA
June 19, 2017
DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi navy seized a boat carrying weapons as it approached the kingdom's offshore Marjan oilfield in the Gulf on Friday evening, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on...
Iran Insists on Maintaining Strong Presence In Syria
November 14, 2017 Following the creation of a safe zone in southern Syria by Russia, Jordan and the U.S., Moscow has agreed to urge the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’s Qods Force to withdraw from...
The Profitable Illegal Bird Trade
October 26, 2016
The trafficking of birds remains a key component of Iran’s lucrative black market economy despite the government’s new tough measures to battle the illegal trade of wildlife. Wildlife smugglers readily risk paying...
Religious Minorities’ Role in Elections
April 24, 2017
By Ahmad Rafat
In an official letter, Ahmad Jannati, chairman of the Guardian Council, has argued in support of banning religious minorities from participating in Iran’s municipal elections. Jannati asserts that“ following a...
Kremlin says Iran attack shows needs to unite against terrorism
June 7, 2017
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that an attack on two targets in Tehran by armed men underlined the need for countries to pool their efforts to fight against terrorism,...
U.N. Special Rapporteur Criticizes Iran’s Human Rights Record
October 26, 2017 In her first address to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on October 25, Asma Jilani Jahangir, the U.N. Special Rapporteur, said that while Iran had taken steps to...
Supreme Leader Reaffirms Tax Exemption Status of Religious Foundation
December 17, 2016
The office of Ayatollah Khamenei, released a statement on December 13, 2016, reaffirming the tax exempt status of Astan-e Quds-e Razavi, the endowment that manages the shrine of Imam Reza. The tax privilege...
US-Russia Cooperation in Syria Alarms Tehran
January 31, 2017
By Reza Taghizade
Amid a flurry of executive orders issued in the first week of the new U.S. administration, Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon and the State Department to draw up plans...




