Saeed Jalili

July 6, 2024 | |

Mass Boycott by Voters Persists as Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran Presidential Election

At least 50 percent of Iranian voters boycotted the second round of the Islamic Republic’s presidential election on July 5, which resulted in a victory for Masoud Pezeshkian, touted...

July 1, 2024 | |

Iranian Election Registers Lowest Voter Turnout Since 1979

The Iranian presidential election on June 28, which now moves to a runoff vote between two candidates, recorded the lowest voter turnout in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s history....

June 27, 2024 | |

Iran’s Supreme Leader Pushes for ‘Maximum’ Turnout in Presidential Election Amid Voter Disillusionment

On the eve of Iran’s June 28 presidential election, the Islamic Republic’s leaders have bolstered efforts to drive voters to the polls. Yet the clerical regime faces widespread...

June 25, 2024 | |

Biden Administration Allows Iran to Run Absentee Voter Stations on U.S. Soil

The Biden administration is permitting Iran to set up absentee voter sites for its upcoming presidential election on U.S. soil, Voice of America (VOA) reported on June 22. Iranian...

February 20, 2022 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Saeed Ghasseminejad

Making Sense of Iran’s Three-Pronged Nuclear Fork In The Road

US officials have deployed an impressive array of metaphors over the past 10 months – from dwindling patience, to a diminishing runway, to a closing window – to describe the Biden administration’s...

July 15, 2021 | Saeed Ghasseminejad |

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...

July 8, 2021 | Alireza Nader, Saeed Ghasseminejad

The Middle East should be afraid of Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi

Iran’s newly elected president, Ebrahim Raisi, is known for his brutal and fanatical devotion to the Islamic Republic, a history that it would serve Middle Eastern nations well to remember in future...

June 14, 2021 | Saeed Ghasseminejad, Behnam Ben Taleblu

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...

June 9, 2021 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

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.

June 15, 2015 | |

Don’t Look to Iran to Cave on Nukes

Ever since Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) was established in 1989 it has been in charge of strategic decision-mak­ing in the Islamic Republic, includ­ing the direct...

May 29, 2015 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

Transformational Diplomacy

Many supporters of an Iranian nuclear agreement believe that a deal could help to moderate, even democratize, Iranian society. Barack Obama’s constant allusions to the transformative potent...

July 4, 2014 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

The Man And The Myth

Urbi et Orbi, the city and the world, Tehran and the globe. In his turban and clerical robe, softly speaking of peace, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, resembles a spiritual guide mor...

January 24, 2014 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

An Iranian Moderate Exposed

“To my esteemed enemy, Mohammad-Javad Zarif.” Iran’s former ambassador to the United Nations remains very proud of this dedication in his copy of Henry Kissinger’s ...

July 31, 2013 | Mark Dubowitz |

The Iran-Syria Nexus and its Implications for the Region

Introduction Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today about Iran&rs...

July 25, 2013 | Clifford D. May |

Wishing for an Iranian Moderate

There’s nothing wrong with wishful thinking — unless it gets confused with serious thinking. Policy makers and legislators have a professional responsibility to resist that temptation...

July 9, 2013 | John Hannah |

Iranian Election Reflections (Part 2)

Editor's note: This post is the second in a three-part series on Iran's recent presidential election....

June 21, 2013 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

Meet the New Mullah

Iranians aren’t wrong to celebrate the presidential victory of Hassan Rouhani. It is a (small) thumb in the eye of the country’s clerical ruler, Ali Khamenei. Leaving aside foreign af...

June 17, 2013 | Mark Dubowitz |

Why You Shouldn’t Get Too Excited About Rouhani

Good riddance: The end of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad era should be welcomed by all who want to see a free and democratic Iran and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing nuclear crisis with Tehran. But...

June 14, 2013 | Mark Dubowitz |

Iran Has a Presidential Selection, Not an Election

"Some people may, for whatever reason, not desire to support the regime of the Islamic Republic, but they certainly want to support their country," said Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in...

June 4, 2013 | Emanuele Ottolenghi |

Iran’s Next President Won’t Be a ‘Moderate’

Co-authored by Saeed Ghasseminejad When Iranian voters go to the polls to elect a new president on June 14, their choice will not matter in any real sense: Whoever wins the cont...