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Back to the Future in Iran's Election
Thursday, May 16, 2013
By: Reza Marashi & Sahar Namazikhah (Special to National Interest)
As the field of candidates for Iran's presidential election takes shape, the most intriguing entry into the race is Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. His candidacy is a threat to all other candidates--and more critically, it presents a major challenge to Iran's most powerful man, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Why Now Is the Time For Syria Diplomacy
Thursday, May 16, 2013
By: Trita Parsi (Special to the Daily Beast)
A peaceful and sustainable resolution to the Syrian crisis is not within reach in the short-term. But a significant reduction in the violence and bloodshed can be achieved because the appetite for diplomacy is stronger now than at anytime in the past two years.
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Why Sanctions on Iran are not Working
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
By: Trita Parsi & Reza Marashi (Special to AlJazeera)
By failing to offer a credible exit from the sanctions pain, neither the Iranian government nor stakeholders in the Iranian system believe that a change in nuclear policy will lead to the alleviation of their economic suffering.
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Financial Times: Global Insight: Iran Elections Raise Problems for Regime
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
By: Roula Khalaf (Financial Times)
"If you pull the trick once, next time the other side is aware of that trick. So can you still pull it?" says Trita Parsi, author of A Single Roll of the Dice, a book about US diplomacy with Iran.
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Washington Post: Last-Minute Entries Reshape Iran's Presidential Field
Saturday, May 11, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"Iran's election picture will remain hazy until vetting is done -- perhaps longer," said Reza Marashi, research director at the National Iranian American Council in Washington. "But today reaffirms Lesson 1 in Iranian politics: Iran has politics."
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Washington Post: Former Iranian President Rafsanjani Ponders Run in Upcoming Election
Friday, May 10, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"Rafsanjani, together with others that he's worked with on and off for decades, has the potential to mobilize. And pre-election mobilization in Iran can lead to unpredictable outcomes -- as we saw in 2009," said Reza Marashi, research director at the National Iranian American Council in Washington.
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Iran Sanctions Stifling Iran's Freedom Movement
Thursday, May 9, 2013
By: Ryan Costello (Special to CNN)
Sweeping sanctions on Iran appear to have claimed their latest victim: the Samsung App store. Samsung has reportedly decided to block access to its App store in Iran from May 22.
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New York Times: Senate Bill Would Halt Iran's Access to an Estimated $100 Billion in Cash
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
By: Rick Glad Stone (New York Times)
"When we've cemented a sanctions escalation path, we're creating a trajectory toward actual confrontation," said Trita Parsi, the founder of NIAC, a Washington group that opposes sanctions. Some Iranian leaders, he said, see the sanctions "as a train that can only go in one direction and has no brakes."
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Washington Spectator: The Failed Neocon Attempt to Destroy an American Anti-war Organization
Monday, May 6, 2013
By: M.J. Rosenberg Washington Spectator
The war over war with Iran has many battlefronts. Inside Washington, the battle line is between a small coalition of peace and security, non-proliferation and religious groups opposing war and favoring a peaceful solution to the stand off with Iran, and a well-funded war machine comprising neoconservative organizations.
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Wilson Center: The Media & Iran's Nuclear Program: An analysis of U.S. and U.K. coverage, 2009-2012
Monday, April 29, 2013
By: Darya Razavi, Middle East Progra
Marashi argued further that there has not been an honest and thorough discussion in the media about the economic and political viability of war with Iran, taking into account the potential costs and benefits associated with military action.
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The Guardian: Ahmadinejad's Ally Could Pose New Challenge to Iran's Ruling Clergy
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (The Guardian)
"The rules of the game have been known and largely followed for three decades, and the cutthroat nature of Iranian politics is now being shaped by the Ahmadinejad camp repeatedly pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable by the Islamic republic's own standards," said Reza Marashi.
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Washington Post: Ahmadinejad's Top Aide Ponders Run
Friday, April 19, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"The rules of the game have been known and largely followed for three decades, and the cutthroat nature of Iranian politics is now being shaped by the Ahmadinejad camp repeatedly pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable by the Islamic Republic's own standards," said Reza Marashi.
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HuffingtonPost Live: Why Sanctions?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
By: Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (HuffingtonPost Live)
A new report from the National Iranian American Council concludes that despite massive economic pain on regular citizens, the Iranian government won't shift its nuclear policy. It's hurting the middle class and the poor, so what's a better way?
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Lobe Log Foreign Policy: NIAC Report Reveals Disconnect Between Iran Sanctions' Goals and Results
Thursday, March 28, 2013
By: Farideh Farhi, Lobe Log Foreign Policy
As the NIAC report points out, in Iran's contested political terrain, what movers and shakers cannot do and have not done is call upon Iran's leadership to give in to demands and pressures that are identified as both unreasonable and harmful.
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Foreign Policy: Our Myopic Approach to Iran
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
By: Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy
When historians of American foreign policy look back a few decades from now, they will shake their heads in wonder at the incompetence of the U.S. effort to deal with Iran. If you don't believe me, you should take a look at a new report from the National Iranian-American Council.
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Lobe Log Foreign Policy: Iran's Nuclear Activities Go On Despite Sanctions
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
By: Jasmin Ramsey, Lobe Log Foreign Policy
"[Iran's nuclear programme] appears at best entirely unaffected by the sanctions or at worst partly driven by them in the sense that escalating sanctions as a bargaining chip also gives Iran the incentive to advance its program for the same reason," argue report authors Bijan Khajehpour, Reza Marashi and Trita Parsi.
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The Christian Science Monitor: Report: Sanctions may be speeding Iran's nuclear advancement
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
By: Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor
"It's critical to understand how massive pain is being channeled and absorbed in Iran, because just sitting there expecting pain to deliver results is somewhat naive." says coauthor Trita Parsi, president of NIAC.
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Khaleej Times: Rare Optimism in Iran Nuclear Dispute
Thursday, February 28, 2013
By: Khaleej Times
'In past meetings, the approach centred on coercion: the main motivator for concessions was the threat of new sanctions and other escalatory steps,' said NIAC's Trita Parsi. 'That approach has failed as Iran responded with its own escalation."
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Bloomberg: Iran Nuclear Talks Bring Signs of Potential Progress
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
By: Indira A.R. Lakshmanan & Nariman Gizitdinov (Bloomberg)
"For the first time, the two sides seemed to be really negotiating," said NIAC President Trita Parsi. "Past meetings resembled stare-offs with both sides trying to look tough while issuing threats. This time, they engaged in a give and take."
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Washington Post: Iran Nuclear Talks End on Upbeat Note
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
By: Joby Warrick and Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"While an agreement to meet again may not impress skeptics of diplomacy," said NIAC President Trita Parsi, "an important development did occur: The parties began searching for a solution."
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New York Times: Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Measure to Toughen Iranian Sanctions
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
By: Rick Gladstone (New York Times)
"If these things pass, they will certainly be a significant step toward a complete embargo," said NIAC President Trita Parsi. He said the Iranian leaders, always paranoid about American intentions, were likely to view the legislation "very carefully."
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Minnesota Daily: University professors Close TCF Bank Accounts
Monday, February 25, 2013
By: Tyler Gieseke (Minnesota Daily)
A group of 14 professors sent a letter to TCF Bank protesting the bank's notice to close eight Iranian students' accounts and promised to move their direct deposit accounts in defiance of the bank's actions. All have done so. Students, faculty and organizations like NIAC spoke out after the Iranian students received account closure letters in late December without explanation.
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Foreign Policy: Former Hostages Seize "Argo" Publicity, Call for Diplomacy with Iran
Monday, February 25, 2013
By: Josh Rogin (Foreign Policy)
"If two former hostages can call for renewed and sustained relations with the country that held them hostage, it seems it would be an easier trick for Congress to get on board with a strong diplomatic agenda," said James Lewis of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. The event was co-sponsored by Friends Committee on National Legislation and the National Iranian American Council.
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Gulf Times: Iran Unrelenting Ahead of Almaty Talks
Sunday, February 24, 2013
By: Gulf Times
"Right now, the West is coming across as more eager to move the process forward, but without offering anything that Tehran finds valuable," said NIAC's Trita Parsi. Ayatollah Khamenei, who has the last say in all foreign policy matters, has effectively rejected the offer of direct US talks and appeared to order a tough line in Almaty.
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Bloomberg: Risk of Military Strike Wanes as Iran Talks Resume
Thursday, February 21, 2013
By: Indira A.R. Lakshmanan (Bloomberg)
"There remains a mismatch between what the two sides are demanding and what they are willing to put on the table," said NIAC President Trita Parsi. Sanctions have had the opposite of their intended effect and caused Iran to harden its position rather than concede, he said.
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The Guardian: Some Iranian Students Complain of Discrimination Overseas
Thursday, February 14, 2013
By: Sune Engel Rasmussen (The Guardian)
Sanctions are aimed at the government in Tehran but policymakers were aware of their consequences, said NIAC's Jamal Abdi. "We mined the entire Iranian economy and then we expect civilians to be able to walk through these minefields, and that's not possible."
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Blouin News Analysis: Iran's Nuclear Program
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
By: Jamal Abdi - Analysis
NIAC Policy Director Jamal Abdi is featured on Blouin News where he discusses the upcoming negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and what the U.S. and Iran can do to ease tensions.
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Washington Post: Ahmadinejad Makes First Cairo Visit
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"The toppling of Arab dictators and rise of Islamist political parties have also cost Iran some of its regional cachet as a Muslim country willing to stand up to the West," said NIAC President Trita Parsi.
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Huffington Post: Tightening The Noose
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
By: Reza Marashi - Analysis
The research director at NIAC, Reza Marashi, speaks to Huffington Post Live on the latest U.S sanctions on Iran.
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BBC Newshour: Should the U.S. Bomb Iran's Nuclear Capacity?
Monday, February 4, 2013
By: BBC Newshour
Should the U.S. military use force to destroy Iran's nuclear capacity? NIAC's Reza Marashi and Elliott Abrams from the Council on Foreign Relations discuss.
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Huffington Post: VP Meets Syria Leaders
Monday, February 4, 2013
By: Reza Marashi - Opinion
NIAC's Reza Marashi joins a panel of experts to discuss Vice President Biden's meeting with Syrian opposition leaders and foreign ministers from Russia and Iran.
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Al Jazeera: Iran's Media - The New Red Lines
Saturday, February 2, 2013
By: Reza Marashi - Analysis
Reza Marashi from the US-based National Iranian-American Council offers essential perspective, and the countervailing voice is Hillary Mann Leverett.
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Washington Post: Iranian Ministry Says Detained Journalists Worked Illegally with Foreign News Media
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
By: Jason Rezaian (Washington Post)
"It signals that they are concerned about a repeat of what happened after the contested elections in 2009," said Reza Marashi, Research Director at NIAC.
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Washington Post: Sanctions Squeeze Iranian Students Abroad
Saturday, January 26, 2013
By: Tara Bahrampour (Washington Post)
"While it's still legally possible to get money out of Iran, it's extremely difficult, and in some cases it seems to be all but impossible. Banks that will still do business with Iranian banks will only do it if it's a very large amount," says NIAC's David Elliott.
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Why Is Tehran Procrastinating?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
By: Trita Parsi - Analysis (special to Huffington Post)
There is both annoyance and frustration in Washington over Tehran's unwillingness to agree on the venue for the next round of talks over Iran's nuclear activities. The two sides have agreed on a date -- January 28-29 -- but it will likely have to be rescheduled due to Tehran's procrastination over the venue choice.
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TIME: Why Tehran Plays Hard to Get on Nuclear Diplomacy
Thursday, January 24, 2013
By: Tony Karon (TIME)
"The fact that Russia has publicly demanded that the U.S. show greater flexibility is a sign that the package being offered by the P5+1 is unlikely to interest Iran," says NIAC Research Director Reza Marashi.
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AL-Monitor: Year-Old Virtual US Embassy in Iran Tallies Its Hits and Misses
Thursday, January 24, 2013
By: Barbara Slavin (Al-Monitor)
"Neatly packaged public diplomacy like the virtual embassy is not a substitute for compelling policies -- and actual results -- that matter to the Iranian people, like the multiple-entry visa policy change in 2011. This is particularly true at a time when sanctions and government mismanagement are really starting to hurt the people that America says it seeks to help." Says Reza Marashi
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IPS: Devil Is in the Details for Iran Nuclear Deal
Thursday, January 24, 2013
By: Jasmin Ramsey (IPS)
"The mainstream view of Iran's opposition" which "calls for the regime to be more transparent and flexible with regard to its nuclear program, but also calls for the U.S. and E.U. to lift sanctions and acknowledge Iran's right to enrich on Iranian soil." Said NIAC's Reza Marashi
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NPR: U.S., Iran Running Low On Options Over Nuclear Program
Friday, January 18, 2013
By: Tom Gjelten (NPR)
With time running out on efforts to monitor Iran's nuclear program, 2013 could well be the year when the United States must decide whether to take military action to block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
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Al-Monitor: Obama Urged to Step Up Diplomacy on Iran
Thursday, January 17, 2013
By: Laura Rozen (Al-Monitor)
"The US and Europe have been very effective at implementing draconian sanctions on Iran. The hitch is that Washington's "unwillingness to use that leverage as a bargaining chip has turned sanctions into a blunt instrument causing minimal change to Tehran's strategic calculus," wrote NIAC's Reza Marashi at the National Interest.
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RT: Deadly US-Iran Sanctions
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
By: Jamal Abdi - Analysis
RT talks to NIAC Policy Director, Jamal Abdi, about crippling Iran sanctions and how to invoke true US-Iran diplomacy.
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TIME: The Year We Reckon with Iran
Monday, January 14, 2013
By: Fareed Zakaria (TIME)
Former State Department official Reza Marashi details Washington's mistakes and missed opportunities in negotiating with Iran. He points out that on two occasions when the Iranians essentially agreed to American parameters, Washington moved the goal posts.
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CNN: Nuclear Iran, War, or...?
Monday, January 14, 2013
By: Fareed Zakaria (CNN)
Fareed Zakaria quotes Reza Marashi's article in the Cairo Review of Global Affairs: "Tehran has recently signaled its willingness to compromise...numerous P5+1 officials have acknowledged that the Iranians focused their bottom line on uranium enrichment at the 3.5 percent level and sanctions relief."
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Jewish Daily Forward: Chuck Hagel Failure May Haunt Hawks
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
By: Laura Rozen (Forward.com)
NIAC's Trita Parsi says that because Hagel has not thrown out loose war talk, it would make a credible threat of force versus Iran from them that much more credible. "In the sense that when someone like Chuck Hagel says the military option is on the table, it carries far more credibility," said Parsi.
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Minnesota Public Radio: TCF Bank Notifies Iranian Students of Account Closures
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
By: Alex Friedrich (Minnesota Public Radio)
NIAC's Jamal Abdi said, "A bank, under the Civil Rights Act, under these laws -- they're not supposed to be discriminating against people based on their national origin." Abdi said it is the first time he has heard of an American bank systematically closing so many Iranian accounts at once.
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Star Tribune: TCF Bank's Closing of Iranian Students' Accounts is Questioned
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
By: Jenna Ross (Star Tribune)
"The pattern we're seeing is private companies judging that it's not in their interest to do any business that is any way related to Iran," said NIAC's Jamal Abdi. "This over-enforcement or mis-enforcement of the sanctions is actually leading to discrimination."
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National Journal: Hagel Pick Could Signal U.S. Policy Shift on Iran
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
By: Diane Barnes (National Journal)
The nominations "may be an indication of [Obama's] willingness to fight to create political space for his policies to a greater extent than he was during his first [term]," said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council.
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Washington Post: New Iran Sanctions Target Industry
Sunday, January 6, 2013
By: Joby Warrick (Washington Post)
Last month a group of prominent U.S. diplomats, policy experts and national security officials urged Obama in a letter to "pursue a robust diplomatic initiative." "Behind the tough rhetoric, there are hidden signals of greater readiness to embrace a compromise," said NIAC's Trita Parsi who was one of the signers of the document.
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The National Interest: Declaring Victory on Iran
Friday, January 4, 2013
By: Paul Pillar (The National Interest)
Sanctions have been a means for members of Congress to demonstrate their anti-Iranian bona fides by voting again and again in favor of new ways to harm Iran. And as NIAC's Trita Parsi argues, sanctions have been part of a hoped-for story of Americans being able to claim a triumph over a foreign adversary.
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RT: US Moves Closer to Total Trade Embargo Against Iran
Monday, December 3, 2012
By: Jamal Abdi - Analysis
Last week, the US Senate voted to take sanctions closer to a total trade embargo against Iran. The proposed measure would penalize foreign companies that do business with Iran. What does this mean for the global community and could it start a war ? NIAC's Jamal Abdi takes a closer look.
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