A Power Shift to the East: Iran and the SCO

by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi and Seyedrasoul Mousavi On June 8-9, the 18th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Qingdao, China. The SCO consists of eight full members (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, India, and… Continue Reading

EU-Iran: Dialogue Against Ultimatums

by Eldar Mamedov As the US issued its ultimatum to the EU on “fixing” the nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action or JCPOA), the European Parliament (EP) hosted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and National Security… Continue Reading

Rouhani’s Challenges to Form His New Cabinet

by Adnan Tabatabai Hassan Rouhani will be sworn in for his second term as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the official inauguration scheduled for August 5, 2017. The tahlif ceremony will take place in parliament, symbolizing the… 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

Iran’s Conservatives Lose a Presidential Election and More

by Farideh Farhi In the past two decades, Iranian presidential elections have been accompanied with surprising results and even tumult. Newcomers have won against better known and financed politicians while presumed establishment candidates and assumed winners have done poorly. This… Continue Reading