Iran

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Iranian news agencies announced Saturday that the government had released four dual nationals (Iranian-Americans with both passports). A fifth release was later reported. The release is another major diplomatic victory for President Obama and Sec. of State John Kerry, and is good news indeed for the […]

Iran

The Saudi-Iranian crisis reveals a deep power struggle in Tehran

contributors

By Kamran Matin | (The Conversation) | – – Ever since Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shia dissident Nimr al-Nimr was met with violent protests at the Saudi embassy in Iran, the two already hostile countries have been at diplomatic loggerheads. But while Saudi Arabia’s actions suggest a unity of purpose at the highest level, the […]

Iran

In Cartoons: How Iranians, Saudis See Each Other

contributors

By Joanna Paraszczuk and Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/RL ) | – – Cartoonists on each side of an Iranian-Saudi diplomatic dispute are highlighting what they perceive as the other's double standards. The confrontation over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric has sent tensions between the regional rivals soaring. Nimr al-Nimr's execution on terrorism […]

Bashar al-Assad

From Putin To Khamenei: A Koran Copy With Its Own History

Juan Cole

By RFE/RL | – – It may not be the original version of the first . . . edition of the Koran, dating back 1,500 years, but it’s still quite a book. In a meeting heavily publicized by Russian media, President Vladimir Putin on November 23 gave Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei one of the […]

Featured

Al-Zawahiri Calls for al-Qaeda- ISIL Axis against Russia & US

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – al-Hayat [Life] reports that on Sunday, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for unity between al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in the face of American, Russian and Shiite forces in Syria. Al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the US, succeeded Usama Bin Laden when […]

Featured

Iran’s Attendance at Syria talks in Vienna marks its Emergence as Regional Power

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia will both attend an international summit on Syria and speak diplomatically about its future for the first time. It won’t be easy, since Iran has 1500 troops on the ground supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia is […]

Featured

Iran helping build “New Syrian Army;” ISIL fighters Fleeing to Iraq from Russian Airstrikes

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Alarabiya television is reporting 16 new casualties in Syria since October 9 among Iranian fighters there. There are thought to be some 1,500 Iranian military personnel in Syria, though some of these are actually Afghans. Several of those Iranian personnel killed during the past 2 years […]

Iran

Ahmadinejad’s Ex-Bodyguard Among Growing Number Of Iranians Killed in Syria

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/ RL ) | – – A onetime bodyguard for former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has been killed in Syria while fighting Islamic State (IS) militants, according to Iranian media reports. Abdollah Bagheri Niaraki was killed October 22 while “fighting terrorists” in the suburbs of the northern city of Aleppo, […]

Iran

Could Nuclear Deal hand power to Reformists inside Iran?

contributors

By Farhang Jahanpour | (Inter Press Service) | – – OXFORD, Oct 19 2015 (IPS) – As in most countries, in Iran too there are hardliners and moderates. All polls show that a large majority of Iranians support the nuclear deal (or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 (the United […]