By Amir Basiri The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss Iran's Sunday ballistic missile test, its second after the signing of the July 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, and its first since the inauguration of President Trump. While world powers … [Read more...] about UN Security Council must take tough stand on Iran’s ballistic missile test
Syria
Analysis: The Iranian regime and evolution of ISIS
By Heshmat Alavi Special to Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 31 January 2017 Support for international terrorism received a major boost the moment the mullahs hijacked Iran’s 1979 revolution. After a very short-lived period of a so-called open political atmosphere, their thugs organized in the … [Read more...] about Analysis: The Iranian regime and evolution of ISIS
Iran’s Trepidation Over Entering Uncharted Trump Territory
By Heshmat Alavi US President Donald Trump posted a statement only minutes after his inauguration indicating the administration’s intention to launch a “state-of-the-art” missile-defense system to help protect allies against possible attacks from Iran and North Korea. This only adds to the … [Read more...] about Iran’s Trepidation Over Entering Uncharted Trump Territory
Iran Sabotages a Syrian Ceasefire
By Heshmat Alavi Despite the boasted rhetoric about the agreement reached in the Astana talks over the Syria ceasefire, this latest stage unveiled the limits involved parties face in bringing an end to the six-year war. Even Russia’s chief negotiator at the discussion reached the point of … [Read more...] about Iran Sabotages a Syrian Ceasefire
Iran’s Plasco Catastrophe: Who Is Responsible?
The horrific inferno that engulfed Tehran’s iconic Plasco building, rendering a heartbreaking scene of a 20-story building crumbling to the ground, and accidentally broadcasted live on state TV, came as a catastrophic shock for all Iranians. To add to the pain, dozens of brave firemen who rushed to … [Read more...] about Iran’s Plasco Catastrophe: Who Is Responsible?
Donald Trump’s Possible Iran-To-Do List
One year into the highly boasted Iran nuclear deal, the work of the Obama administration dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the world witnessed how Iran returned the favor. Tehran continued to cause havoc across Syria with a conglomerate of Shiite militias rampaging and … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s Possible Iran-To-Do List
Why is Iran, with the 2nd largest reserves, importing natural gas?
By Heshmat Alavi The sheer fact that Iran, sitting on the world’s 2nd largest natural gas reserves, second only to Russia, is forced to import up to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year from Turkmenistan, its northern neighbor, sheds interesting light on the regime’s true economic … [Read more...] about Why is Iran, with the 2nd largest reserves, importing natural gas?
How Team Trump Can Counter Obama’s Iran Legacy
By Heshmat Alavi If the Iran nuclear deal — crafted and profoundly advocated by former US President Barack Obama — was meant to mature the mullahs, it failed miserably. With a new administration under President Donald Trump taking the helm in Washington, Iran is acting in ways never intended as a … [Read more...] about How Team Trump Can Counter Obama’s Iran Legacy
Appeasement of Iran Must End
By Shahriar Kia A tumultuous year lies ahead. With a new administration taking the helm in Washington, the French elections upcoming, then the sham “elections” in Iran, and unprecedented developments in the making in the Middle East and on the international stage. 2017 has begun with enormous … [Read more...] about Appeasement of Iran Must End
What Is Iran’s Policy-Making Mechanism?
By Heshmat Alavi As we close in to the Iran presidential election -- read "selection" -- a more precise look at the policymaking mechanisms at work in this very peculiar theocratic system is necessary. The regime in Iran, with Hassan Rouhani as its president, has been eager to portray an image of … [Read more...] about What Is Iran’s Policy-Making Mechanism?