Author: Bahman Nirumand

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Signpost pointing in opposite directions, towards Iran and towards Syria (photo: Fotolia/xstock)

Iran's foreign policy

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All options are open

Is Iran part of the problem or part of the solution to the conflicts in the Near and Middle East? There are actually good arguments for both points of view. By Bahman NirumandMore

Saudi Arabia and Iran after the death of King Abdullah: No prospect of rapprochement The West's strategy in the Middle East: Hollow allianceThe Middle East in 2014: New regional power gamesNuclear negotiations with Iran: The nuclear waiting gameIran's foreign policy in Yemen and Iraq: Arab fear of the "extended arm of Iran"
Two photos showing two women wearing different types of veils in front of a holy site in Iran (photo: Mehr)

Moderates versus hardliners in Iran

New freedoms, old prohibitions

Just over a year ago, the cleric Hassan Rouhani was elected president of Iran. Since then, moderate Muslims and radical Islamists have been locked in a permanent clinch. By Bahman NirumandMore

The Iranian president and his political opponents: Rouhani under fire and on firePower struggle in Iran: Rouhani's balancing actDomestic Political Reforms in Iran: The Door to Freedom Remains Shut
In this Oct. 2, 2010 file photo, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, holds up the hand of his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad after he awarded Iran's highest national medal to Assad, in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran (photo: AP)

Syria and Iran

Two Lone Friends

The leadership in Tehran is currently doing everything in its power to prop up the regime in Damascus. If Bashar al-Assad falls, Iran too will find itself dangerously isolated and is unlikely to be able to withstand the pressure of sanctions, says Bahman NirumandMore

Abdullah Iskandar on the Damascus Bomb Attack: The Syrian Regime's Strategic FailureHezbollah and the Uprising in Syria: Can the ''Party of God'' Weather the Arab Spring?The Armenian-Syrian Musician Hrach Macoushian: ''It is Craziness to Support Assad!''
Bashar al-Assad (photo: AP)

Uprising against the Ba'ath Regime in Syria

Assad's Strong Hand

The Syrian regime continues to count many supporters both at home and abroad. This means there would be little point in launching a military intervention, says Bahman NirumandMore

Assad in Isolation: Saudi Criticism of Syria Shows Waning Regional SupportResistance to the Assad Regime: Iron Hand and Bloody Reform