Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
All topics-
Rising tension in the Middle East
Where are the USA and Iran heading?
Now the nuclear agreement in its present form no longer applies to Iran either. On Sunday it began enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent mark, thus exceeding the limit set by the agreement. Meanwhile, the economy is in ruins, poverty is spreading and Iranian security forces have announced tough action against possible protests. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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The Islamic Republicʹs existential crisis
Will Iran crack under the strain?
Iranʹs 2017–18 popular uprising heralded a new chapter in the history of the Islamic Republic that, in its fortieth year, is mired in acute and seemingly insurmountable domestic and foreign policy challenges, writes Ali Fathollah-Nejad. Seemingly, there is no end in sight
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Syrian conflict
The war in Syria is not over
Policymakers and media have recently taken to announcing the end of the war in Syria, concluding that the refugees could now begin to return home. Syrian author Tarek Azizeh, however, is convinced that as long as Assad controls the country, there will be no peace
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Trumpʹs challenge
Taking on Tehran
Forty years after the revolution that ousted the Shah, Iran’s unique political-religious system and government appears strong enough to withstand U.S. pressure and to ride out the country's current economic difficulties. So how should the U.S. minimise the risks to the region posed by the regime? By Richard N. Haass
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U.S.-Iranian tension
Iranʹs wartime commander
Once mocked as the "commander of the gossips" because he spread crazy ideas about the West in TV talk shows, Hossein Salami is now the new head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. The appointment of this – at least verbally – radical man took place shortly after Trump declared the corps a terrorist organisation. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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U.S.A and Iran
Trump – agent provocateur
The Iranian regime has worked hard to strengthen its national security within a supportive regional framework and would be no pushover in a conflict with the United States. On the contrary, Iranʹs response to any major military assault could result in an uncontrollable regional inferno. By Amin Saikal
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Countering U.S. sanctions with INSTEX
Europe throws Iran a line
In an attempt to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, Germany, France and Britain recently set up a new vehicle of non-dollar trade with the Islamic Republic. The policy is diplomatically valid, but in economic terms it may well prove too little, too late. By Maysam Behravesh
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The Republic of Iran turns forty
A theocracy at the crossroads
In its 40th year, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in a state of disintegration, says one of the country's strategists. The theocracy has arrived at a crossroads and the world cannot be indifferent to its future direction. Essay by Ali Sadrzadeh
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Iranian society
The Islamic Republic has a drug problem
Headlines about Iran usually focus on its nuclear deal with the global powers, its controversial missile programme, not to mention international sanctions. The deep-rooted domestic challenges that the country faces get less attention. One of them is a drastic rise in narcotics consumption in the past ten years. By Mitra Shahrani
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Military parade attack in Ahwaz, Iran
The Islamic Republic reels
Following this weekendʹs attack on a military parade in the southern Iranian city of Ahwaz, fears that the United States, Saudi Arabia and others may seek to destabilise the country by instigating ethnic unrest are rife, writes James M. Dorsey, raising the likelihood of a clampdown against opposition groups at home and abroad
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U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic
Playing poker with Iran
Iran and the U.S. seem to have reversed roles with the Trump administrationʹs decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. Iranʹs isolation before the agreement now contrasts with Americaʹs determination to swim against the global tide. By Hassan Hakimian
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A nuclear Middle East
Arab states court the atom
With more instability likely in the near future, the incentives for maintaining or acquiring nuclear weapons in the Middle East are destined to increase. One thing remains clear, however: as long as Israel is excluded, the objective of total nuclear disarmament in the region will never be achieved, writes Israel Rafalovich