Experts on Today’s Riots in Iran

Mark Dubowitz – FDD Executive Director and Director of FDD's Iran Energy Project

Battle Rial is underway. Sanctions were designed to put the regime to a choice between an atomic weapon and its political survival. The assumption is that the regime, facing imminent economic collapse, would cry uncle and compromise at the negotiating table. A plunging currency and riots are a possible sign that the regime doesn't have the economic weapon, in the form of large foreign exchange reserves, to forestall an economic meltdown. Now is the time for the administration, congress and EU leaders to put their sanctions policy to the test their by blacklisting Iran's central bank, prohibiting most exports to Iran, and passing measures to accelerate capital flight from Iran. Nothing will strip Iran of its foreign exchange reserves faster than steps to encourage Iranians to look for foreign safe havens for their savings. Let's turn the sanctions dial up to ten and see how strong Supreme Leader Khamenei's nuclear resolve really is.

So You Want to Be a Sanctions-Buster – Foreign Policy – 8/10/2012

Battle Rial – Foreign Policy – 6/28/2012

An Underwhelming Approach to Iran's Nuclear Ambitions – Washington Post – 5/22/2012

Tearing Down Iran's Electronic Curtain – The Wall Street Journal – 4/13/2012

Reuel Marc Gerecht – FDD Senior Fellow and former specialist at the CIA's Directorate of Operations

Ahmadinejad Shows His Soft Side in UN Speech – The Daily Beast – 9/27/2012

The Most Dangerous Man in the World – The Weekly Standard – 8/20/2012

How Washington Encourages Israel to Bomb Iran – The Wall Street Journal – 3/25/2012

Economic Regime-Change Can Stop Iran Bomb – Bloomberg – 1/16/2012

Contact: David Donadio at [email protected] or (202) 207-0190