Ali Larijani, Iran’s Rejected Hardliner
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. On May 15, Ali Larijani, the former speaker of Iran’s parliament, registered to run for president. Ten days later, the Guardian Council – an unelected, 12-member...
Ali Larijani
Khamenei is Iran’s most important voter, and he wants more extremism, not less
Elections have consequences, even in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nobody knows this better than Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the country’s most powerful person and most important “voter.” Through...
Op-eds
Why the Coming Iranian Elections Will Challenge the Biden Administration
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seems inclined to promote a candidate who will quash dissent over someone who could work with the West.
Op-eds
Iran Is More Than Persia
Ethnic Politics in the Islamic Republic
Monographs
Trump’s Iran Achievement
Among Donald Trump’s proudest achievements as president was his withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), his predecessor’s nuclear agreement with Iran. The...
Op-eds
Iran’s Parliament Chooses Khamenei Loyalist as Speaker
Iran’s parliament on Thursday chose Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf as its new speaker, replacing Ali Larijani, who had held the post since 2008. A former air force commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard...
Policy Briefs
German Jews urge Green Party MP to resign from ‘antisemitic’ BDS group
Last year, the Bild paper in Germany said Green Party member Claudia Roth made “antisemitism socially respectable” by enthusiastically meeting with the head of Iran’s quasi-Parliament Ali Larijani.
Op-eds
European lawmakers demand sanctions on Iran for human rights abuses
Members of the European Parliament have called on trade conditions with Iran to hinge on Tehran improving its appalling human rights record. “Iran is a country where women are imprisoned for being women,”...
Op-eds
Hezbollah and its Allies Win more than Half the Seats in Lebanon’s Parliament
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared a “great political and moral victory for the resistance”...
Press Releases
Germany at odds with US on condemning Hezbollah in Iran talks
Germany’s government has refused to agree to a key U.S. demand to designate the entire Lebanese Islamic militia Hezbollah -- and not just a piece of it -- a terrorist organization as part o...
Op-eds
German Ambassador Praises Iranian Holocaust Denier, Politician
Germany’s ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran Michael Klor-Berchtold praised last week Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s quasi-parliament and a well-known denier of the Holocaus...
Op-eds
Fear of US Sanctions Ends German Companies Fueling Iranian FM’s Plane
Energy and oil companies refused to refuel Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s airplane ahead of his trip to the Munich Security Conference in mid-February to avoid violations of US sanc...
Op-eds
Russia’s Middle East Offensive
Even before Russian bombers launched strikes into Syria from an Iranian air base last month, it was clear that one of President Barack Obama’s more dubious foreign policy legacies would be...
Op-eds
The Obama Administration Gambled On Tehran’s Moderation — And Failed
A year ago, the Obama administration made a gamble, striking a nuclear accord with Tehran that it hoped would transform its behavior, leading to a thaw in bilateral relations and a more stable Mi...
Op-eds
Supreme Leader’s Confidant Is Re-elected Parliament Speaker
Iran’s parliament re-elected Ali Larijani as parliamentary speaker on Tuesday. Larijani,...
Policy Briefs
The Death of Iran’s Islamic Left
Co-written by Ray Takeyh Democracy in the Islamic Republic is a peculiar institution: it is designed to reinforce the legitimacy of the theoc...
Op-eds
Iran’s Make-Believe Moderates
Barack Obama and his tireless secretary of state sold the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in part as a means to reinforce Iranian “reformers," "moderates," and "pragmatists."...
Op-eds
Hardliners Set to Dominate Iran’s February Elections
The Obama administration hopes that the Iran nuclear deal reached last July can “strengthen the hand” of Iran&rs...
Policy Briefs
The Twisted Tehran-Moscow Axis
When Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani addressed the participants at the October 15 Valdai Club (the topic was “War and Peace”) he was wearing black, as is traditional among...
Op-eds
Tehran-Moscow Axis: Tactical or Strategic?
Co-authored by Flemming Splidsboel Hansen Ali Larijani wore black as a sign of mourning the Ashoura days of Shiite passion, as he addressed the participants at the October 2015...