Covering topics ranging from security and politics to business and society, IranSource draws on written analysis and multimedia content to inform a broader public conversation about Iran from an array of angles and perspectives.

It aims to identify the challenges, opportunities, and policy conundrums facing the US-Iran relationship and present a range of options to address them.

Editor: Holly Dagres

The views expressed in IranSource are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

Learn more about Iran

Arab States of the Persian Gulf Must Choose Between Paths Proposed By Iran and Israel

IranSource
Nov 20, 2024

2025 will be a decisive year for Iran’s nuclear program

Diplomatic deadlines and regional factors will force Iran to decide soon whether to strike a deal or seek a nuclear weapon. Either choice will have major ripple effects.

Read More

Arab States of the Persian Gulf Must Choose Between Paths Proposed By Iran and Israel

IranSource
Nov 20, 2024

How to wrestle with an ayatollah 

By
Khosro Sayeh Isfahani

If one looks closely, the ancient Persian sport of wrestling might have answers to understanding how to contain Iran

Civil Society
Freedom and Prosperity

Arab States of the Persian Gulf Must Choose Between Paths Proposed By Iran and Israel

IranSource
Nov 1, 2024

How the death of Abdul Malik al-Houthi could impact the Houthis and Iran

By
Emily Milliken and Caitlin Miller Hollingsworth

While Abdul Malik al-Houthi is still alive today, his death in the near term would impact the Houthi’s ability to operate and widen a leadership vacuum within Iran’s Resistance Axis.

Conflict
Iran

Content

IranSource

Feb 22, 2017

Arab States of the Persian Gulf Must Choose Between Paths Proposed By Iran and Israel

By Mehran Haghirian

Two very different dialogue proposals are on the table for the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, one from a historic enemy, Israel, proposed in conjunction with a crucial partner, the United States. The other is from a historic rival, Iran, which shares the same neighborhood and faith. The choice the Arab countries ultimately make could […]

Iran

IranSource

Feb 21, 2017

Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s Celebrity Warlord

By Sina Azodi

Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds (Jerusalem) Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, is among the most popular public figures in Iran, where supporters see him as a selfless national hero who has been fighting Iran’s enemies.

Iran

IranSource

Feb 16, 2017

Poor Quality Gasoline Deadly for Iranians

By Vida Balikhani

Every year about 70% of the fatalities in Tehran are caused by respiratory and heart failure that is directly or indirectly associated with the air pollution. Nationwide, 80,000 people died prematurely due to pollution in 2012, according to official figures.

Iran

IranSource

Feb 9, 2017

Behind Iran Leader Khamenei’s Mild Response to Trump

By Shahir Shahidsaless

Having spent only a week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a wholesale ban on travelers from Iran and six other Muslim-majority nations. His rationale: fighting “radical Islamic terrorists.” Two days later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out a ballistic missile test. The White House responded to […]

IranSource

Feb 3, 2017

US-Iran Tensions Could Boost Hardline Presidential Candidates

By Adam Weinstein

This week a photo of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared on social media in front of the ruins of Persepolis. Ahmadinejad’s supporters quickly spread the photograph on Facebook and Twitter with election-like endorsements, even though his candidacy for another term as president has been tacitly barred by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran

IranSource

Jan 30, 2017

Trump Order Initiates Unnecessary Conflict and Ends a New Horizon with Iran

By Mehran Haghirian

Iranians are in shock and dismay following the implementation of President Trump’s executive order halting refugee acceptance and banning entry of people from seven Muslim majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia.

Iran

IranSource

Jan 25, 2017

The U.S. is Pushing Iran Toward China

By Ivy Yang

On December 1, 2016, Congress passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act. Tehran vowed to retaliate, and said it considered the extension a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed with six major powers in 2015 to restrict the development of Iran’s nuclear capability in exchange for global sanctions relief.

IranSource

Jan 23, 2017

Iran’s Plasco Tragedy: Flames Put Out by Tears

By Mehrnaz Samimi

No stranger to tragedy, Iranians renew their passion and compassion in the wake of calamities, such as the fire and collapse of the iconic Plasco Building in central Tehran on the morning of January 19.

IranSource

Jan 17, 2017

Will Trump Block Iran Bid to Join World Trade Organization?

By Vida Balikhani

The nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that went into full implementation a year ago had raised hopes that Iran might be able to realize a long-held desire to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani attends Iran's Assembly of Experts' biannual meeting in Tehran March 8, 2011. Rafsanjani lost his position on Tuesday as head of an important state clerical body after hardliners criticised him for being too close to the reformist opposition. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS)

IranSource

Jan 9, 2017

What does the death of Rafsanjani mean for Iran’s political landscape?

By SHAHIR SHAHIDSALESS

Iran’s former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, died on January 8. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the pragmatic centrist former president of Iran, who died Jan. 8 after a heart attack, was one of the pillars of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

Load More