Iran

Despite Sordid Past, Nuclear Deal can Repair US-Iran Relations: An open letter to Congress and the White House

Francis A. Mlynarczyk, Jr. and Walter M. Cadette | (Informed Comment)| – – Washington has an opportunity to repair its tattered relations with Iran. The opportunity is there on the premise that Washington, in fact, makes good on its P5+1 commitments to lift economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for circumscriptions on Iran’s nuclear program. […]

Alawites

Iran’s Support for Syria Pragmatic, not Religious (or, Who are the Alawites?)

contributors

By Ari Heistein | (Informed Comment) | – – The Shia government in Teheran and the Alawi regime in Damascus have had warm relations since Iran’s Islamic Revolution, and many attribute that to a common affinity for Shia Islam. While Alawis have embraced their relatively recent inclusion in the Muslim world, for the vast majority of their history […]

Iran

Did Ayatollah Sistani just save Iraq from Iran-backed militias by pushing Gov’t Reforms?

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org)| – – During last week’s protests, secret plans were made to use demonstrations to topple the government. But a senior Shiite spiritual leader seems to have stepped in at the last minute to save the country from chaos. At the end of July thousands of locals took to the […]

Barack Obama

Straws in the Wind: Obama has likely already won re: Iran Deal

contributors

By Carlyn Meyer | (Informed Comment) | – – Republicans have derided President Obama as weak and incompetent for years. Summer 2015 is shaping up to be pay-back time. As President Obama played the Iran issue with his usual cool, he managed to tie an iron noose around the GOP’s neck. Hawks are losing the […]

Barack Obama

Why is the GOP listening to Netanyahu on Iran? They just hate Obama & anything he does

contributors

Hamid Zangeneh | (Informed Comment) | – – We have been bombarded with a great deal of punch and counterpunch with regard to the nuclear deal reached between Iran and 5+1 countries. It is somewhat difficult to separate facts from fictions, especially when it comes from fear-mongers/warmongers who oppose the deal. Here are some general […]

Iran

The Nuclear Deal has turned Tehran into Diplomatic Capital of Mideast

contributors

By Javad Heirannia / Farhang Jahanpour | (Tehran Times) | – – TEHRAN – Farhang Jahanpour, a former Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University, says the confirmation of the nuclear deal between Iran and major powers by the UN Security Council is of “enormous importance”. “The new Security Council Resolution 2231 passed unanimously on 20 […]

Featured

Top Iran General Endorses Nuclear Deal with US, UNSC

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Iranian Chief of Staff Major-Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said Saturday that despite some reservations, he saw 16 major advantages to the Iran deal. He didn’t mention any specific disadvantages. Firouzabadi said, “The armed forces have the largest number of concerns about the effect of the accord on […]

Gulf

How Iran Deal Could Change the Middle East

contributors

By Benjamin Tua | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – Washington’s rapprochement with Iran has opened the door for major realignments from Israel to Afghanistan. Similar to the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, ethno-sectarian fights will inevitably remold the Middle East and reshape the boundaries for new nation-states. The profound changes occurring in […]

Barack Obama

Senior Iranian Official Reveals Details About Secret Talks With U.S.

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari | (RFE/ RL) | – – “When Rohani learned about the details of the talks, he couldn’t believe it,” says Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s head of its Atomic Energy Organization. Iranian President Hassan Rohani has been credited with easing tensions between Tehran and Washington and helping secure a nuclear deal with world […]