Sanctions Continue to hit Average Iranians

The US-led sanctions regime isn’t directly targeting Iran’s healthcare system but reports continue to suggest that critically-ill Iranians are being affected. The Al Jazeera English clip above squares with Najmeh Bozorgmehr’s Financial Times article from September about how sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank are… Continue Reading

UN Chief: Sanctions “affecting humanitarian operations” in Iran

This is becoming a recurring theme: sanctions are affecting the supply of humanitarian essentials for Iranians regardless of special waivers. Reuters has the report: “The sanctions also appear to be affecting humanitarian operations in the country,” Ban wrote in the report,… Continue Reading

Beyond the Post-NAM Spin

The end of the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran has been an occasion for pundits on all sides to engage in post-game spin. In Iran, the spin began right in the middle of the summit when Iranian television mistranslated… Continue Reading

Yariba, Uribe! “Plan Colombia” for Gaza report?

It’s quite obvious why Israelis would be pleased with the choice of outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as Vice Chair of the UN panel appointed by Ban Ki-Moon to investigate Israel’s interception of the Gaza flotilla on May 31. What’s in it for the Turks? Continue Reading