Lassitude in the Legislature on Iran
Editor’s Note: This piece on the War on the Rocks Hasty Ambush blog is published in partnership with the Hoover Institution’s new Military History in the News, a weekly column from the Hoover Institution that reflects on how the study of the past alone allows us to make sense of the often baffling daily violence, not by offering exact parallels …
North Korea Is Not Iran
After two years of intense negotiations, the P5+1 reached an agreement with Iran that would limit its ability to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting a set of international sanctions. With this landmark deal, South Korean politicians were optimistic that it would compel Kim Jong-Un of North Korea to consider denuclearization as a viable …
On Iran, Listen to the Rolling Stones
“You can’t always get what you want,” says one of the Rolling Stones most famous songs. “But if you try sometime you find, you get what you need.” If the negotiators of the July 14 agreement between the so-called P5+1 group of world powers (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, plus Germany) …
On Iran, Listen to the Rolling Stones
“You can’t always get what you want,” says one of the Rolling Stones most famous songs. “But if you try sometime you find, you get what you need.” If the negotiators of the July 14 agreement between the so-called P5+1 group of world powers (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, plus Germany) …
Iran Deal or No Deal
In The Washington Post, Ambassador Eric Edelman and scholar Ray Takeyh have written a succinct criticism of the Iran nuclear deal. They point to serious perceived weaknesses in its constraints on Iran’s activities, and in its capacity to enable verification of Iran’s compliance with them. They conclude, “the scale of imperfection is so great that …
The Case for Dumping the Iran Deal
The deal with Iran is done. Called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it contains neither novel nor new “anywhere, anytime” inspections as called for by U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz – one of the deal’s key architects – earlier this year. The deal does however require many new things of Iran that are quite …
Down and Dirty on the Iranian Nuclear Deal
Today, the P5+1 and Iran reached agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement’s provisions expand upon the U.S. fact sheet, released after the previous round of nuclear negotiations with Iran concluded last April. The strength of this agreement centers on its robust monitoring of the full front end of the Iranian …
Javad’s Saga: Epic Poetry and the Iranian Nuclear Deal
Editor’s Note: This piece on the War on the Rocks Hasty Ambush blog is published in partnership with the Hoover Institution’s new Military History in the News, a weekly column from the Hoover Institution that reflects on how the study of the past alone allows us to make sense of the often baffling daily violence, not by …
Iran is Cutting its Losses with a Nuclear Deal
This week will likely — and finally — witness the dénouement of the longstanding nuclear dispute between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany). Now that we’ve reached the July 7 deadline, there appears to be a strong chance that the negotiations will result in an agreement. …
Celebrating American Independence Abroad: Adventures in Iran, Poland, and Israel
Months before July 4 arrives, American diplomatic missions all over the world begin planning celebrations involving countless thousands of guests, mountains of refreshments, and difficult logistics problems, all aimed at making the day an appropriate commemoration of American Independence. This year’s festivities will be further complicated by increased security challenges, and by the fasting month of Ramadan. Diplomats should remember, however, that despite the …
VP’s National Security Adviser on the Iran Deal: Colin Kahl Gives an Insider’s View
The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans to talk about the nuclear negotiations over drinks at the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Bar. Ryan lobbed every objection to the deal …
International Law vs the Iranian Nuclear Negotiations: Setting a Dangerous Precedent
If any institution is representative of the international community and international law, it is the United Nations (UN). One foundational value of the UN is its ability to hold member states accountable for their actions through establishing international norms, international agreements, and the mandates of the UN Security Council. Surprisingly, no one is discussing the …
Googling Iran: The Sources of Mistrust
If you want to understand the mistrust and animosity between Iran and the United States, Google the four topics below: Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh The first web search query will introduce you to a remarkable man who could have been the father of a genuine secular democracy in Iran. But this legitimately elected leader had the …
Remaining Hurdles to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran
The announcement last week of an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 on the parameters that would form the basis of a final nuclear agreement was a historic breakthrough. If the details outlined by the Obama administration hold, the final deal that is due to be negotiated by June 30, will have achieved the objective …
The Iranian Nuclear Program and its Bureaucrat-in-Chief
During negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, President Obama repeatedly pressed the intelligence community to make a determinative judgment on the real intentions of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. The intelligence community remained divided, however, and failed to come to a consensus on Khamenei’s policy goals. Writing in 2009, Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie …
