Iran’s NPT Withdrawal Option

by François Nicoullaud The risk of failure in the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program has increased after the most recent meetings in Oman and Vienna. The resolution of the key remaining points of contention—about Iran’s enrichment capacity and,… Continue Reading

Sanctions and Symmetry in the Iran Negotiations

by Paul R. Pillar Notwithstanding the obvious asymmetries in soon-to-resume nuclear negotiations with Iran (it’s Iran’s nuclear program, not the U.S. one, that is being restricted; it’s the United States, not Iran, that is sanctioning someone else’s economy) the perceptual… Continue Reading

Is Iran’s Rial in Free Fall?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani The decision announced last Monday in Vienna to extend the talks aimed at a compressive agreement on Iran’s nuclear program for an additional seven months has resulted in Iran’s currency taking dive. In one week, the rial lost… Continue Reading

Will Falling Oil Prices Force Iran’s Hand in the Nuclear Talks?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani The timing of the fall in global oil prices could not have come at a worse time for the government of Hassan Rouhani in Iran. A decline of 30% in oil revenues, which he noted in a recent… Continue Reading

Security Council Resolutions: Barrier to Iran Nuclear Deal?

by François Nicoullaud Paris, France—This is not the first time that we may have trapped ourselves when drafting UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that were intended to trap another country—in this case, Iran. The present situation recalls in some respects… Continue Reading