Articles

LOS ANGELES TIMES-

by The Times Editorial BoardContact Reporter

President Obama was right to express satisfaction — and take some of the credit — for the successful implementation of the international agreement to place limitations on Iran’s nuclear activities and for the release of five Americans who were held by the Islamic Republic, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who had been imprisoned for more than a year on trumped-up charges. Read More »

CNSNews-

By CNSNews.com Staff-

(CNSNews.com) – In a statement delivered from the White House on Sunday, President Barack Obama hailed what he described as the success of the nuclear deal with Iran, while noting that Iran was still subject to sanctions “for its violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism, and for its ballistic missile program.”

“But I do want to once again speak directly to the Iranian people,” Obama said, according to the White House transcript. “Your is a great civizliation, with a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world—in commerce, and in science and the arts.”

Here is a key excerpt from the president’s statement:

“Of course, even as we implement the nuclear deal and welcome our Americans home, we recognize that there remain profound differences between the United States and Iran. We remain steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilizing behavior elsewhere, including its threats against Israel and our Gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen. We still have sanctions on Iran for its violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism, and for its ballistic missile program. And we will continue to enforce these sanctions, vigorously. Iran’s recent missile test, for example, was a violation of its international obligations. And as a result, the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran’s ballistic missile program. And we are going to remain vigilant about it. We’re not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners.

“But I do want to once again speak directly to the Iranian people. Yours is a great civilization, with a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world–in commerce, and in science and the arts. For decades, your government’s threats and actions to destabilize your region have isolated Iran from much of the world. And now our governments are talking with one another. Following the nuclear deal, you–especially young Iranians–have the opportunity to begin building new ties with the world. We have a rare chance to pursue a new path–a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world. That’s the opportunity before the Iranian people. We need to take advantage of that.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES-

By RICK GLADSTONE –

Even by today’s standards, the Middle East in the 1970s was chaotic. Bombings, hijackings and assassinations were daily headlines. In the midst of the mayhem, one of the most revered clerics in the Shiite branch of Islam vanished while visitingLibya. Read More »

Iran’s detention of 10 U.S. sailors on Tuesday set off a furious round of meetings in both Washington and Tehran. Anxious officials in both capitals had the same goal: to ensure the incident did not torpedo a historic nuclear accord between two countries with a long history of hostility. Read More »

lobelog–

by Paul R. Pillar

There are several important things to understand about ballistic missiles and Iran, beyond the fact that this topic has become one of the latest on which those who want Iran to be an ostracized and feared pariah forever, and who still want to kill the agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear program, have seized. Read More »

the guardian-

Nadia von Maltzahn has researched decades-long efforts by Iran and Syria to improve their countries’ cultural relations. Gareth Smyth asks her what went wrong Read More »

Iran aims to increase visitors to 20million by 2025, which it’s hoped will add £20billion to the economy
Number of hotels built in past year more than the total built in last century – and huge developments are coming
Rotana, Accor, Melia and Jumeirah hotels have all signal their commitment and have unveiled some grand designs
With sanctions lifted over country’s nuclear transparency officials hope tourism industry can be re-invigorated Read More »

THE MIDDLE EAST EYE-

By: Mahan Abedin

In February 2016 Iran will hold two key elections which are likely to determine the political trajectory of the country for at least a decade if not a generation. Read More »

THE GUARDIAN-

Hossein Derakhshan was imprisoned by the regime for his blogging. On his release, he found the internet stripped of its power to change the world and instead serving up a stream of pointless social trivia

Late in 2014, I was abruptly pardoned and freed from Evin prison in northern Tehran. In November 2008, I had been sentenced to nearly 20 years in jail, mostly over my web activities, and thought I would end up spending most of my life in those cells. So the moment, when it came, was unexpected. I was sharing a cup of tea when the voice of the floor announcer – another prisoner – filled all the rooms and corridors: “Dear fellow inmates, the bird of luck has once again sat on one fellow inmate’s shoulders. Mr Hossein Derakhshan, as of this moment, you are free.” Read More »

VOX WORLD-

by Max Fisher –

Vladimir Putin may get all of the attention when it comes to Syria, but the biggest backer of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad — and thus the biggest obstacle to removing Assad and striking a Syrian peace deal — is in fact Iran. The Iranians are Assad’s most important ally, providing Assad with tremendous military and financial support to make sure he stays in power. Without Iran, there is probably no Assad regime. Read More »