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 →
Three experts discuss whether the contentious history of U.S.-Iranian relations stems more from unrealistic American expectations and missed opportunities, or from the Islamic Republic’s strategic decision to oppose Washington’s interests. On September 7, Jay Solomon, James Dobbins, and Dennis Ross addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Solomon is the chief foreign affairs correspondent… Keep reading →
The surprise visit may have been intended to shore up various aspects of the Saudi-Pakistani defense relationship, perhaps including their suspected arrangement regarding access to nuclear weapons. On August 28, Saudi deputy crown prince Muhammad bin Salman (aka MbS) made an unexpected three-hour stopover in Islamabad on his way to China and Japan. The Asia… 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 →
Few people understand that Iranian banks do not live up to the standards U.S. agencies require of all foreign financial institutions, and that this shortcoming has nothing to do with the nuclear deal. On April 25, following the first post-Implementation Day meeting of the joint P5+1/Iranian committee in Vienna, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated… Keep reading →
The United Nations and United States recently took significant new steps to expand sanctions on North Korea.
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 →
Implementation Day under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran came on January 16, 2016 and certain nuclear-related secondary sanctions on Iran have now been lifted.
As you may well have seen from the extensive media coverage this weekend, following certification by the IAEA that the Government of Iran had met its obligations under the P5+1 Nuclear Agreement, the United States and European Union have now relaxed substantial portions of their sanctions regimes against Iran.
