The “Maximum Pressure” Policy is the Illegitimate Child of Diplomacy

by Bahman Fozouni The September 14 strikes against Saudi Arabia’s Khurais oilfield and Abqaiq processing facility, which the U.S. government quickly pinned on Iran, as well as President Trump’s decision to substantially increase sanctions against Iran in response, are sobering… Continue Reading

Is Iran’s Economy Sliding?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Last April, in a column for this blog I predicted that sanctions are very unlikely to force Iran to renegotiate the multilateral nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In particular, I argued that… Continue Reading

Why Ayatollah Khamenei Has Blocked Negotiations with the U.S.

by Kayhan Barzegar Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has defined the current status of relations between Iran and the United States as “no war, no negotiation.” His position, in addition to showing Iran’s indomitability or resistance against President Trump’s… Continue Reading

The Stubborn Persistence of Failed Maximum Pressure Against Iran

by Paul R. Pillar It is a sure sign that the Trump administration’s campaign to squeeze Iran into submission is a failure when those who customarily favor pressuring Iran acknowledge that failure. Take what has become the administration’s go-to rationale… Continue Reading

Averting the Middle East’s 1914 Moment

by International Crisis Group Today’s standoff between the U.S. and Iran is reminiscent of tensions on the eve of World War I. A small incident could blow up into region-spanning conflict. Third-party mediation is urgently needed to begin de-escalation that… Continue Reading