Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

March 30, 2015 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Analysis: To confront Iran’s jingoism and domestic repression, change its regime

The self-immolation death of an Iranian Arab last week in the province of Khuzestan offers a window onto the court of a neglected alternative to an Iran on the brink of nuclear weapons breakout:...

March 9, 2015 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Are Booming German-Iran Business Relations Hurting Israel?

Fresh trade data show Germany’s industry secured a windfall in revenue due to the easing of Iran sanctions. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, German exp...

March 3, 2015 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Merve Tahiroglu FDD Policy Brief

Bursa-Bound: Ahmadinejad’s Trip to Turkey

On February 26, an Iran Air flight landed in Istanbul carrying a prominent passenger in seat 19F: former Iranian President...

January 28, 2015 | FDD Policy Brief |

Rouhani, a Nuclear Deal and the IRGC

Even in the...

January 27, 2015 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Analysis: Is Germany Ignoring the Lessons of the Holocaust?

Berlin - German politicians and world leaders marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Tuesday with didactic warnings about preserving the memory of the Holocaust. ...

January 26, 2015 | Mark Dubowitz

Perspectives on the Strategic Necessity of Iran Sanctions

Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Brown, members of the Committee, on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am honored to be testi...

January 12, 2015 | Ali Alfoneh Business Insider |

Iran’s ‘Reformist’ President Is Shielding Powerful Revolutionary Guard From Anti-Corruption Campaign

A joke is making the rounds in Tehran. In it, the Iranian press confront President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just before he leaves office with a report declaring Iran the second-most corrupt c...

January 6, 2015 | Claudia Rosett The Tower |

How Iran and North Korea Became Cyber-Terror Buddies

In late November 2014, cyber-warfare burst into the American public consciousness when Sony Pictures Entertainment was the victim of a massive cyber-attack. Hackers leaked Sony’s corporate...

December 29, 2014 | Michael Ledeen |

The Iranian Death Spiral (Continued)

I don’t believe that economic misery brings down regimes.  The pidgin Marxism that passes for serious analysis among all too many of our deep thinkers would have us believe that misery...

December 22, 2014 | Emanuele Ottolenghi, Saeed Ghasseminejad

Iran’s Repressive Apparatus Gets a Raise

To pay for it, Rouhani will have to tax a disgruntled middle class. Luckily he’ll have well-paid Guards to quash any potential unrest. Hasan Rouhani submitted his...

December 12, 2014 | |

North Korea and Iran: Partners in Cyber Warfare?

North Korea has denied any involvement in the massive hacking attack last month on Sony Pictures Entertainment, and absent evidence c...

November 28, 2014 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Is the Price of Watermelons Relevant to Iran’s Nuclear Crisis?

The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, famously said the 1979 Islamic Revolution was “not about the price of watermelons.” To parse...

November 19, 2014 | Mark Dubowitz

Examining What a Nuclear Iran Deal Means for Global Security

Download the full testimony text here Chairman...

November 5, 2014 | Emanuele Ottolenghi, Saeed Ghasseminejad FDD Policy Brief

Iran’s Hidden Unemployment Figures

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani came into office in August 2013 promising better governance and economic reform. His administration launched investigations into corruption, which flourished...

October 24, 2014 | |

North Korea Takes a Tip from Iran’s “Charm Offensive”?

North Korea is engaged in a blitz of diplomatic activity, summed up by the New York Times as Pyongyang’s “Diplomatic Charm Offensive.” Earlier this month, Nor...

October 23, 2014 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War

For a conflict that still captivates much of Iran’s ruling elite, the Iran-Iraq War gets very little attention in the United States. Over the years, we’ve...

October 23, 2014 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Book Review: Dancing With the Iranian Devil

To understand the foreign policy goals of European engagement with Iran during its nascent phase, it is worth recalling a joke of the time. In 1984, Germany’s then-foreign mi...

October 20, 2014 | Michael Ledeen |

The Obama-Khamenei Alliance

Never mind the negotiations with Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear weapons program. Far more urgent developments are afoot. While the foreign ministers were busily counting how many c...

October 10, 2014 | Behnam Ben Taleblu FDD Policy Brief |

Khamenei’s Expanding Nuclear Redlines

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is at it again. Following a recent unsuccessful prob...

October 7, 2014 | FDD Policy Brief |

Iran Sanctions Relief Backfires, Benefitting the IRGC

Sanctions relief, according to the White House and supporters of the current negotiating strategy with Iran, empow...