To Impose or Not To Impose?: Iranian Sanctions Under the Trump Administration

On September 14, 2017, the Trump Administration once again waived U.S. sanctions on Iran, maintaining its commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).[1] Shortly thereafter, President Trump made several contentious comments directed at Iran during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 19, 2017, putting his upcoming certification of … Read more

Iran’s Aspiration to Establish Peace and Security in the Middle East: Closer to Hegemony or International Law?

A few hours after the Iranian presidential election, which was held on May 19, 2017, the re-elected moderate President Hassan Rouhani characterized the election as a “victory of peace, reconciliation against tension and violence” in his speech addressing the Iranian nation. According to Rouhani, “the message of [the Iranian] people [in this election] was expressed … Read more

Does Iran’s Ballistic Missile Test Detonate the Nuclear Deal?

On October 10 Iran successfully test launched a new precision-guided ballistic missile. On Wednesday, Britain, France, the United States, and Germany addressed a letter to the United Nations Security Council’s Iran Sanctions Committee claiming that the test violated a Security Council resolution prohibiting Iran from nuclear capable missile testing. In the wake of this allegation, and … Read more

5 Reasons the Iran Deal Doesn’t Matter to You

**This article originally appeared at Treasure Fleet on August 20, 2015 and has been reproduced with the author’s permission.** by Tyler Rauert A little disclosure up front: I am a strong supporter of President Obama’s proposed deal on Iran’s nuclear program.  The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the agreement is officially known among policy … Read more

The Interim Iranian Nuclear Deal: Enforcement and a Right to Enrichment

On January 20, 2014, an interim agreement over Iran’s nuclear program will go into effect. The agreement is a compromise between Iran and major Western powers reached on November 24, 2013. The terms of the agreement provide that Iran will scale back activities under its nuclear program, but not dismantle it entirely. This compromise has … Read more

Critical Analysis: Division in Iranian Leadership

Some argue that the West is continually trying to find ways to contain Iran and their believed attempt to acquire nuclear weapons. Recent infighting shows that the country’s leadership may be splintering leading to a fissure in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Do these public confrontations present an opportunity for the West to find workable … Read more

U.S. Ratchets Up Iran Sanctions and Enforcement Actions

The U.S. Government has restricted activities with Iran since the U.S. Embassy was seized in Tehran in 1979.  In 2012, the United States continued to ratchet up sanctions against Iran as part of a continued effort to curb the country’s nuclear activities and to further actions taken against Iran since 2006.  By placing economic pressure … Read more

Critical Analysis: Stuxnet Leaks: More than a Domestic Political Affair

Last week, U.S. intel leaks made headlines after an article in the New York Times quoted numerous anonymous sources, including current and former U.S. officials, alleging that President Obama ordered the Stuxnet attack against Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The story comes in the wake of a two-week period of national security leaks in the … Read more

You want to shoot our drones down now, Iran?

Occasionally alarming drones stories cross my desk. Up until this morning, this one ranked as #1 most alarming: “‘Flesh-eating robot’ is actually a vegetarian, say inventors.” In an attempt to reassure the reader, the inventors add this gem of a quote: “The … Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot – known as Eatr for short – does … Read more

If Iran is Nuclear, What Could (and Should) We Do?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The International Atomic Energy Agency plans to release an updated report on Iran, in which the Agency is expected to announce its belief that Iran has now mastered the critical steps that would allow it to build a nuclear weapon.  The report allegedly also says there is no evidence that Iran has decided to build … Read more