Cracks in the Core? The Meaning Behind Iran’s Assassinations
As Iran’s economic, regional, and domestic standing deteriorates, senior and junior officials alike will begin to realize that the regime cannot ensure their safety.
Assembly of Experts for Leadership
Iran’s ‘election’ seeks to consolidate regime control
Iran’s Guardian Council, a 12-person body appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that approves candidates for office, permitted six out of 80 potential candidates to run in the special presidential...
Op-eds
Why Does Iran Hold So Many Elections?
Constant—and highly stage-managed—elections are a useful tool for Iran's theocratic leadership to remain in power.
Op-eds
Iran’s Presidential ‘Election’ Seeks to Consolidate Regime’s Control
Iran’s Guardian Council, a 12-person body appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that approves candidates for office, has permitted six out of 80 potential candidates to run in the special presidential...
Policy Briefs
Reading the Tea Leaves on Iran’s Other “Election”
The newly “re-elected” Assembly of Experts will play a large part in determining Iran’s post-Khamenei leadership.
Op-eds
Khamenei’s Strategy to Dominate the Middle East Will Outlive Him
Iran’s aging supreme leader is ensuring that any successor will stay the course.
Op-eds
Iran to Hold Parliamentary Elections but May Face Low Turnout
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 called for mass turnout in Iran’s elections on March 1. Yet even government polling indicates that the majority of...
Flash Briefs
What Does the Rise of Baqeri Mean for the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Ebrahim Raisi, who will take office on August 8 as president of the Islamic Republic in Iran, met with India’s foreign minister last week, with two top officials in tow: Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran’s...
Policy Briefs
Biden Should Not Lift Sanctions Against Iranian Presidential Candidate Ebrahim Raisi
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in congressional testimony last week that if Iran and the United States re-enter the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),...
Policy Briefs
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
Remember, Iran’s Terror Network Is Global
“They are warriors who have no borders… They are warriors who show their presence wherever needed.” That’s how Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the Qods Force, the special...
Op-eds
Iran’s regime stokes more antisemitism amid Gulf tensions, ADL report
"A Persian-language cartoon published by Fars News in April solely blamed the Jewish people or Israel for tightening U.S. sanctions on Iranian energy exports."
Op-eds
It’s time to hold Iran accountable for terrorism in Argentina
Excerpt Twenty five years ago this month, the world watched in horror as rescuers in Buenos Aires picked through the rubble of a Jewish community center, searching for survivors of a su...
Op-eds
Thirty years into rule, Khamenei continues centralizing power in Iran
June 4 marks the 30th anniversary of Seyyed Ali K...
Op-eds
Iran launched Christmas crackdown on persecuted Christian minority
The Islamic Republic of Iran unleashed yet another crackdown on the country’s struggling ...
Op-eds
Let Rouhani and Khamenei Fight
Iran’s Islamic revolutionaries criticize each other regularly, but recently the level of invective among the ruling elite has reached new heights. The vicious infighting between President H...
Op-eds
Iran’s latest unfree and unfair election
News must be new but it needn’t be surprising. The decidedly unsurprising news out of Iran last week: There was an election (of sorts) and the winner was Hassan Rouhani, the...
Op-eds
Mohsen Qomi: A Revolutionary Diplomat on the Rise
FDD Research
Memos
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,...