Hassan Rouhani
All topics-
Nuclear talks with Iran
The long hoped-for breakthrough
The framework agreement reached at the end of the long negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme in Lausanne goes much further and is much more specific than latterly expected. Iran has pledged to drastically reduce uranium enrichment and made clear concessions concerning the duration of the planned deal and in the phased lifting of sanctions. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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Iran's foreign policy
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 Nirumand
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The Middle East in 2014
New regional power games
The rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has dramatically altered the regional order. While Iran and Turkey are becoming key political players in the crisis-torn area, the West continues to lose influence. An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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Nuclear negotiations with Iran
The nuclear waiting game
People in Iran in particular have been anxiously following the progress of the nuclear negotiations in Vienna. As if it were a sporting event, everyone made sure not to miss any new development and to keep a close eye on the score. Ultimately, however, things ended as they so often do: the match went into extra-time. By Adnan Tabatabai
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Interview with the Iranian theatre director Amir Reza Kohestani
"In Iran, art fills a void"
Amir Reza Kohestani is currently the most sought-after theatre director in Iran. David Siebert talked to him about censorship, the enthusiasm for theatre among young Iranians and the new cultural freedom under President Rouhani
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Iran's foreign policy in Yemen and Iraq
Arab fear of the "extended arm of Iran"
The recent capture of Sanaa by Zaidi fighters was celebrated in the Iranian media as a "victory for the revolutionaries". The Arab press, by contrast, accused Iran of trying to influence events in Yemen after already getting involved in Iraq and Syria. The conflict increasingly threatens to be seen as an exclusively Sunni–Shia power struggle. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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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 Nirumand
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The Iranian president and his political opponents
Rouhani under fire and on fire
One year into his tenure, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has entered the first precarious phase of his presidency. The challenges at home are becoming more urgent, his political adversaries more outspoken and the setbacks more frequent and severe. The turf war within Iran's political establishment is intensifying. By Adnan Tabatabai
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Iran's role in the Iraq conflict
An ally, but not a puppet
For many Sunnis in Iraq, the country's Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is a puppet of Iran. In the West too, the view that Tehran is pulling the strings in Iraqi politics is widely held. But what influence does Tehran really have in Iraq, and what role is it playing in the current crisis? Answers from Ulrich von Schwerin
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Five years after Iran's "Green Movement"
Past and present
On 12 June 2009, millions of Iranians began protesting against President Ahmadinejad's re-election. Five years after these protests were violently crushed and the "Green Movement" failed, this chapter of modern Iranian history is still not closed. By Faraj Sarkohi
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One year on from Rouhani's election victory
Surprise and disenchantment
A year on from his election victory, the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has a success story to show for himself that barely anyone would have expected him to pull off: the breakthrough in the nuclear talks with the West. However, Iran's economic situation remains difficult and there have been few improvements in terms of freedom of speech and human rights. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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Family policy in Iran
Children for the revolution
With slogans like "An Iran of 150 million" and "More children, more happiness", the leadership in Tehran is calling for higher birth rates – a U-turn in its family planning policy. What is still unclear is how the desired increase in the size of the population would contribute to solving the country's economic and social problems. By Marcus Michaelsen