Russian-Iranian Relations: Troubled Ties

by Mark N. Katz On March 14, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov talked about how Russian-Iranian relations had reached a “new level,” and how Moscow has “been persistently developing friendly relations with Iran.” Moscow and Tehran have, as is well… Continue Reading

The Latest on Non-Nefarious Iranian Behavior

by Paul R. Pillar One of the arguments recited most frequently by those wanting to keep Iran ostracized in perpetuity—so frequently that it has achieved the status of cliché—has been that the partial sanctions relief provided for in the agreement… Continue Reading

Iran’s Prospects and a Role for Europe

by Francois Nicoullaud and Peter Jenkins At this point nuances of interpretation in relation to the outcome of the first round of 2016 elections to Iran’s parliament (Majles) are possible, and the results of a second round are awaited. Nonetheless, it… Continue Reading

Rouhani’s Post-Election Openings and Challenges

by Ellie Geranmayeh Despite their limited choice, Iranian voters opted to back a strategy that diluted the power of radical hardliners within the Islamic Republic rather than conceding the political game to them. Last week’s election results strengthened the alignment… Continue Reading

Iran’s Struggle with Air Pollution

by Mehrnaz Samimi Iran’s pollution, a decades-old issue, has steadily increased in recent years, claiming lives and damaging healthy lungs. Iran’s most recent official statistics concludes that, on average, one person dies of pollution-related causes in the capital, Tehran, every… Continue Reading