Iran

Now for the hard part

By Matthew Kroenig

Early Sunday morning in Geneva, the P5+1 and Iran announced that they had reached an interim deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Many are heralding the agreement as an historic breakthrough, and the deal does indeed buy us time, but it is much too early to declare victory. Indeed, the Iranian nuclear crisis might still very […]

Iran Nuclear Deal: Three Questions with Ambassador Nick Burns

By Nicholas Burns

Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program on Sunday in exchange for initial sanctions relief. Sounds like good news to many, who say the detente between Tehran and the West could help avoid war in the Middle East. But of course nothing is that easy, and already Israel has called the step a “historic mistake.” Which […]

Rouhani’s First One Hundred Days: Cautious Domestic Reforms as Nuclear Crisis Continues

By Yasmin Alem and Barbara Slavin

After eight turbulent years during which conservatives monopolized Iranian politics, the election of centrist cleric Hassan Rouhani on June 14, 2013, marked a new, yet in some ways familiar chapter in post-revolutionary Iranian politics. It was new in the sense that his sweeping victory demonstrated unprecedented popular desire for change and elite recognition of the […]

Looking Back on Hassan Rouhani’s First Hundred Days

Hassan Rouhani’s election as president of Iran in June led to an upsurge of speculation that Iranian policies, particularly in foreign policy, would begin to change The Iran Task Force of the South Asia Center on Nov. 20 presented a paper on Rouhani’s first hundred days by senior fellows Yasmin Alem and Barbara Slavin. They […]

French Foreign Minister Sees ‘Isolationist Tendency’ in US Foreign Policy

By Roger Cohen, New York Times

There is talk of the trauma of Aug. 31. On that Saturday afternoon President [Francois] Hollande took a call from President [Barack] Obama.

Progress in Iran Nuclear Talks Makes Some US Allies Nervous

By Barbara Slavin

Talks between six world powers and Iran resume next week in Geneva but the real drama may be occurring elsewhere as the United States tries to reassure Congress and nervous allies that an emerging deal is better than no agreement.

What’s the “Big Deal” with Iran? A View from the Gulf

By Mohammed Baharoon

A recent session of a global security conference in Washington, DC asked, “Can an Iran-US deal work?” Many in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are asking the same question but apparently questioning the extent and impact of such a deal.

Europe Loses Trust in Obama

By John Vinocur, Wall Street Journal

The U.S. president’s turnabouts on Syria and Iran—coupled with his policy fumbles at home—have diminished European allies’ traditional respect for the White House.

Has Iran Outfoxed Netanyahu?

By Rajan Menon

The much-anticipated breakthrough in the negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons has yet to materialize. But Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who believes that a wily Iran is outwitting its gullible interlocutors, isn’t breathing any easier; instead, he’s breathing fire. The statements from those involved in the talks (Iran and the P5+1) […]