Did Bad Economic Conditions Cause Iran’s protests?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Like other Iranian president before him, President Hassan Rouhani is having a bad second term. Only six months after his decisive re-election, protesters were in streets shouting “Death to Rouhani.” Then came a sharp fall in the… Continue Reading

Iran’s Protests: All About the Economy?

by Gareth Smyth In 2007, when the Iranian government introduced gasoline rationing, increasing the price to 11 cents a liter, some angry motorists torched gasoline stations. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that it showed “economic sanctions are working increasingly… Continue Reading

Trump, the American Ahmadinejad: Worse Than Expected

by Shervin Malekzadeh Twelve years ago, what now seems like a lifetime ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in New York City to deliver his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. Ahmadinejad’s decisive and surprising election a month… Continue Reading

Learning to Lose in Iran

by Shervin Malekzadeh Win or lose, it has become obvious that the fortunes of Hassan Rouhani and his administration remain bound to the memory of 2009 and the Green Movement. Calls for the release of the movement’s imprisoned leaders by… Continue Reading