By Heshmat Alavi Eight years of Barack Obama’s tenure has come to an end. We are also winding down on the first, and maybe last, term of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. This should mark the long overdue end of the U.S.-Iran appeasement doctrine, based on a mirage of “reformists” and/or … [Read more...] about Time to end the Iran “reformist-moderate” hoax
Bashar Assad
Iran’s Middle East ambitions more dangerous than nuclear threat
By Shahriar Kia The Syrian people’s six-year uprising for freedom from decades of dictatorship in their country, now evolving into a regional war and global crisis, is proof of two undeniable facts: First, proving the international community’s inaction and a failed Western policy in the face of … [Read more...] about Iran’s Middle East ambitions more dangerous than nuclear threat
Iran Threatens the Syria Ceasefire Effort
By Heshmat Alavi Following nearly six years of bloody warfare and an atrocious takeover of Aleppo by the Russia-Iran-Assad axis, the world has finally reached a relatively reliable settlement in this war-ravaged country. Unfortunately, Iran continues to pose a serious threat to this yet shaky and … [Read more...] about Iran Threatens the Syria Ceasefire Effort
The main takeaway from Iran’s ‘grave sleepers’ phenomenon
By Shahriar Kia Iran, and the entire world for that matter, was shocked and appalled over images of homeless Iranians resorting to sleeping -- and even living -- in pre-dug graves to escape freezing winter cold conditions. As mainstream media correctly covered this previously unknown aspect of life … [Read more...] about The main takeaway from Iran’s ‘grave sleepers’ phenomenon
Crimes in Aleppo: Iran must be ousted from Syria
By Alejo Vidal Quadras | Dec. 29, 2016 The unspeakable scenes we witnessed in Aleppo -- the massacre of women, children, doctors and other innocents -- broadcast to us almost live by the civilians trapped in the siege will go down in history along with Darfur, Srebrenica or Rwanda as major … [Read more...] about Crimes in Aleppo: Iran must be ousted from Syria
Why did Iran publish images of their general Qasem Soleimani in Aleppo?
Heshmat Alavi Special to Al Arabiya English Sunday, 25 December 2016 Text size A A A Seeing images of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, touring the ravaged city of Aleppo proves the utter failure of US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy vis-à-vis Iran. … [Read more...] about Why did Iran publish images of their general Qasem Soleimani in Aleppo?
Aleppo tragedy is a stark reminder of the price of Western neglect
The carnage in Aleppo is a much stronger reminder than we should have ever needed about the importance of a change in Western foreign policies. President Obama’s attempt to “reorient” U.S. foreign policy has in practice turned into the outright abandonment of the U.S. role in the Middle East. And … [Read more...] about Aleppo tragedy is a stark reminder of the price of Western neglect
The Need For A New Approach On Iran
As the world recently marked International Human Rights Day, it should be known that the regime in Iran considers its deplorable human rights dossier as its main weakness. For years the international community has been forced to believe in the existence of “moderates” and “hardliners” in Iran. … [Read more...] about The Need For A New Approach On Iran
What is Iran’s ‘national treasure’ in Iraq?
Heshmat Alavi, Special to Al Arabiya English Monday, 19 December 2016 Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently described Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a conglomerate of extremist Shiite militia groups, as the country’s “national treasure.” This entire entity is believed to be … [Read more...] about What is Iran’s ‘national treasure’ in Iraq?
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE THE SYRIAN REBELS?
The fall of Aleppo will go down in history as the shame of global policymakers. BY GIULIO MARIA TERZI ON 12/15/16 AT 5:39 PM With the city of Aleppo now almost completely overrun by forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, social media has made the carnage obvious. Western politicians … [Read more...] about WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE THE SYRIAN REBELS?