by Derek Davison Three European nations scrambling to salvage the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) announced on January 29 the formation of a new “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) to preserve their commercial ties with… Continue Reading
by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj There is a telling line in Thomas Erdbrink’s recent report on Iran’s roiling currency crisis. Erbrink speaks to Kaveh and Reihaneh Taymouri, whose monthly household income fell from about $1,400 to just $90 following the collapse of… Continue Reading
by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj “The Iranians have to suffer.” This is the message U.S. officials have relayed to their European counterparts as negotiations stall over Iran sanctions. Despite all the assurances that U.S. sanctions do not target the Iranian people, despite… Continue Reading
by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj In an op-ed published last week in the German newspaper Handelsblatt, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas declared that the “the US and Europe have been drifting apart for years.” Nowhere is this clearer than in the disagreement… Continue Reading
by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj “Today, Russia and China effectively shelter Iran from complete isolation and provide it with political support, defence assistance, and economic ties it cannot receive elsewhere.” That is the primary contention of a new book by Dina Esfandiary,… Continue Reading