Iran’s budget and banking system are being held hostage by unaccountable revolutionary institutions like the IRGC, but for some reason the IMF is not calling Tehran out on the glaring lack of transparency. On February 27, the International Monetary Fund released its annual report about the Iranian economy. The report is important not only for… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON – Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which rolls back the Iranian nuclear program and verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. To reach Implementation Day last year, Iran had to ship out 25,000 pounds of its enriched uranium, dismantle two-thirds of… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ahn Chong-ghee, Co-Chairs of the U.S.-ROK High Level Bilateral Commission (HLBC), met in Washington, D.C. last week to review the HLBC’s ongoing activities. The HLBC was established by the 2015 U.S.-ROK “Agreement… Keep reading →
In deciding whether to formally prohibit plane sales that already seem commercially infeasible, Washington should consider one question: if the Islamic Republic is going to shoot itself in the foot, why refuse it the gun? In the continuing debate about the proposed Boeing and Airbus plane sales to Iran, the focus has been on whether… Keep reading →
Cairo’s expensive nuclear deal with Moscow will likely increase the country’s economic burden and susceptibility to Russian influence. Egypt is reportedly on the cusp of finalizing a $25 billion loan from Russia to construct a civilian nuclear power facility near Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast. While the new plant will help Cairo satisfy the country’s… Keep reading →
The United Nations and United States recently took significant new steps to expand sanctions on North Korea.
The Supreme Leader used his Nowruz address to launch a strong attack on the United States and make Rouhani the scapegoat for continued American pressure, which augurs poorly for U.S.-Iranian cooperation. In his twenty-sixth Nowruz speech in Mashhad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated his radical anti-American position and implicitly criticized Iran’s nuclear negotiating team for violating… Keep reading →
(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Korea Cho Tae-yul announced the launch of the High Level Bilateral Commission (HLBC). In their roles as HLBC Co-Chairs, Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall and Vice Minister Cho also announced that the first meeting of the HLBC will… Keep reading →
The recent warning by the Financial Action Task Force to banks about dealings with Iran shows that the end of nuclear sanctions was only the start of a long process. In its first public statement on Iran since sanctions relief went into effect following implementation of the nuclear deal last month, the Financial Action Task… Keep reading →
As in past elections, the Guardian Council seems poised to disqualify thousands of registered Majlis candidates, and its procedures for doing so are revealing. On February 26, Iran will hold elections for parliament (also known as the Majlis or Islamic Consultative Assembly) and the Assembly of Experts. Initial reports indicate that thousands of candidates have… Keep reading →
