Ali Khamenei

The Twilight of Ali Khamenei

Iran’s supreme leader is not gone, but his power has been greatly reduced since Oct. 7, 2023.

Iran Drops the Façade of Tolerance Toward Persian Jews

Without consequences or outside pressure, the regime could revert to the same violent persecution that marked the early years of the Islamic Revolution.

Learning the Right Lessons From ‘A House of Dynamite’

Within three days of its debut on Netflix, “A House of Dynamite” rocketed to the top of the streaming service’s charts, with more than 22 million views. In the film, a nuclear-armed ballistic missile,...

Iranians Challenge the Regime by Celebrating Cyrus the Great

A tribute to an ancient and pre-Islamic king is now a form of protest against a modern Islamist theocracy. October 29 marked Cyrus the Great Day, celebrated by Iranians across the country. Though not...

Meet the Muslim Brotherhood

Working to reestablish the caliphate for almost a century

The Regime’s Reformists Are Back, but Iranians Rejected Them Long Ago

Once more, the Islamic Republic cloaks repression in the guise of reform. The Islamic Republic, which has long banned public dancing, unveiled women, and mixed-gender celebrations, is now projecting an...

Qatar’s Calculated Bet on the Islamic Republic

Qatar’s wealth and prestige are built on the incompetence of the rulers of Iran’s Islamic Republic. As long as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his gang of fools are in charge in Tehran, Doha...

Don’t Fall for the Islamic Republic’s Attempt at “Christian-Washing”

On a recent trip to Israel, Mark Walker, President Trump’s nominee to be Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, did not mince words about the administration’s priorities. “We want...

In Iran, Western journalists prioritize access over truth

Jon Snow, the longtime British broadcaster, once spoke at a London roundtable about his trips to Tehran. Asked how Channel 4 gained such easy access to Iranian officials, he paused and replied, “They...

Iran threatens nuclear weaponization ambitions

Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri, the president of Iran’s Shahid Beheshti University and one of the Islamic Republic’s prominent nuclear scientists, offered a rare glimpse into Tehran’s calculus behind weaponization. During...

Hezbollah holds massive ‘Sayyed’s Generations’ scouting event in Beirut

On Sunday, October 12, Hezbollah hosted a massive scouting event in Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Lebanon’s largest sporting complex. The event was dubbed “The Sayyed’s Generations”...

Freedom for Iran: Learning From U.S. Support for Polish Anti-Communists in the 1980s

UN Security Council Rejects Late Effort to Extend Iran Sanctions ‘Snapback’ Deadline

Push to Delay Rejected: The UN Security Council on September 26 rejected a last-ditch proposal put forward by Russia and China to delay the reimposition of UN sanctions against...

Snapback Sanctions Against Iran: Will Donald Trump Play His Ace?

Iran is in a vulnerable position. President Trump should seize the moment to sink Iranian oil revenues and force Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Rejects Negotiations Over Country’s Nuclear Program as Snapback Deadline Looms

Khamenei Rejects Talks: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected direct talks with the United States over the future of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program,...

US designates 4 Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

The US State Department designated four Iran-backed militias in Iraq as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on September 17. These militias, Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada,...

The Most Powerful Man in Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei’s Ideological Tenets, Scope of Power, and Confrontations with the West

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Husseini Khamenei inherited and amassed incredible power across decades at the helm of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He holds dominion over Iran’s three branches of government and commands the armed forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which serves as Iran’s primary means for exporting the revolution. The Iranian economy is also largely governed by the state, with the Ayatollah and the IRGC controlling oil revenue and the country’s charitable foundations which account for billions of dollars in assets. No high-level decision making in Iran is done outside of his purview. ...

IAEA Chief Calls for Iran’s Compliance With Obligations Under Key Nuclear Treaty

Iran’s NPT Obligations Not Optional: The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, stated ahead of a September 8 meeting of the IAEA’s...

Following Australian Proscription, Time To Tighten the Terrorism Sanctions Noose on the IRGC

It was a decision years in the making. Canberra will now proscribe the entirety of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. On August 25, Australian Foreign Secretary...

US allies can halt Iran’s nuke rebuilding scheme NOW — but face a ticking clock

President Donald Trump can keep Iran from rebuilding its nuclear weapons program — but he’ll have to act fast. By Friday, the president must spur Britain, France and Germany to trigger the “snapback”...