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Q&A: IAEA Report Indicates Iran Moving Ahead on Nuclear Program
Editor’s note: Due to an error in posting on the website, an incorrect version of this interview was posted earlier today. Below is the corrected version. InsideIRAN interviewed Mark Fitzpatrick, a world-renowned nuclear expert who is the director of the…
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How Iran Keeps Assad in Power in Syria
Geneive Abdo
This article was first published in Foreign Affairs.The Iranian regime is one of the few remaining allies of the embattled Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad. For years, the United States has tried to sever the ties between the two countries, but the current crisis has only pushed them closer together. more»
Iran and Turkey find Common Ground in Attacks on Kurds
Kaveh Ghoreishi
The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are two factions opposing both Iranian and Turkish governments. For weeks, both groups have been under intense artillery and air strikes from Iran and Turkey. more»Iran Attacks Kurds to Deflect Attention Away from Regime Conflict
Kaveh Ghoreishi
The recent incursion by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps into Iraq’s Kurdish territory may seem a little less shocking if you have heard threats made by senior Iranian officials, including a high-ranking general, who had promised that Iran would resume shelling Kurdish villages in Iraq in order to destroy PJAK, the Party of Free Life in Kurdistan. more»Greens Issue Farsi Version of Manifesto
Editor’s note: The text below (pdf file) is the Farsi version of a new manifesto written by a group of active Greens in Iran. The authors provided this copy due to increasing requests for the Farsi version. more»
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Media Analysis
Iran Bans Two Reformist Publications
Reza H. Akbari
According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency, ISNA, Rouzgar daily, a reformist publication, and Shahrvand-e Emrouz, a weekly reformist news magazine, were banned by the order of the Tehran’s prosecutor office on September 5. more»Iran: No more Negotiations over Nuclear Fuel Exchange
Reza H. Akbari
Fereydoon Abbasi, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Director, announced that Iran will no longer negotiate about the production of nuclear fuel or its exchange with other countries. more»Khamenei Takes Victory Lap With New Instructions for Ahmadinejad
Shayan Ghajar
In a meeting with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet on August 28, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered two criticisms of the beleaguered executive in a public statement. Ahmadinejad, battling for political supremacy over Khamenei’s faction mere months ago, lost the struggle. Khamenei’s statement was published on his official site in its entirety, and summaries of the meeting were published on most official and semi-official news sites.
more»Grand Ayatollah Urges Boycott of Elections
Shayan Ghajar
On July 25, one of Iran’s most prominent dissident clerics, Grand Ayatollah Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib, issued a lengthy statement condemning the current political atmosphere in Iran and urging non-participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Grand Ayatollah, known for his outspoken criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also called for oversight of Khamenei’s position, as stipulated in the Iranian Constitution. On July 26, another prominent dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani, spoke out against political detentions, deeming them prohibited according to Islamic law. more»- View All Media Analysis »
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Critical Comments
Iran Shifts Its Rhetoric on Syria
Shayan Ghajar
Iran’s unwavering support for Syria has become axiomatic since the Arab wave of discontent began to shake Damascus. Iran has sent technical, material, and military support to Syria to help Bashar al-Assad quell protests. Syria’s strategic importance to Iran currently takes precedence over all the Islamic Republic’s other relationships. The Islamic Republic proved the primacy of its relationship with Syria by publicly claiming that Turkey, a trade ally and friendly neighbor of Iran, was fomenting Syria’s unrest by arming terrorist groups and engaging in secret talks with Israel.
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Iran and Turkey Divided over Syria
Shayan Ghajar
Though Turkey has invested a great deal of effort into its policy of maintaining good relations with neighboring states, the Arab winter of discontent has severely weakened the ability of the Turkish government to do so. Syria, which shares a border with Turkey stretching hundreds of miles, has proved particularly damaging to Turkey’s regional foreign policy. Forced to speak out on Syria’s burgeoning humanitarian crisis as Bashar al-Assad’s troops drive thousands to seek safety on the border between the two nations, Turkey’s stance has set it at odds with Syria’s staunch ally, Iran. more»
Ahmadinejad’s Fall Unlikely to Influence Nuclear Talks
Shayan Ghajar
While the unrelenting attacks on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continue to curtail his power, some analysts in the United States mistakenly argue that his fall from grace may prevent future nuclear talks between Iran and the West. However, it is more likely that Ahmadinejad’s marginalization will have little impact on the nuclear impasse, as neither he nor his enemies in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s faction have any motivation for real compromise on Iran’s enrichment program at present. more»
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