Tag: iran

Iran’s ‘Now What’ Moment

After eight tumultuous months, during which attention from all sides of Iran’s political spectrum as well as anxious watchers around the world focused on a series of street clashes between protesters and the government’s security forces, an eerie calm has taken hold in Iran. The government’s ability to control the aesthetics of street demonstrations on … Continue reading “Iran’s ‘Now What’ Moment”

US Steps Up Sanctions Diplomacy Against Iran

Faced with an increasingly impatient Congress and a defiant government in Tehran, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is currently stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East as it seeks to prepare the ground for tougher sanctions on Iran. A main goal, if not the main, is to persuade Sunni Arab states … Continue reading “US Steps Up Sanctions Diplomacy Against Iran”

Is Iran Running a Bluff?

Did Robert Gibbs let the cat out of the bag? Last week, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the world that Iran, unable to get fuel rods from the West for its U.S.-built reactor, which makes medical isotopes, had begun to enrich its own uranium to 20 percent. From his perch in the West Wing, Gibbs scoffed: “He … Continue reading “Is Iran Running a Bluff?”

Elie Wiesel’s Ignoble Recruits

Is there nothing that is safe from debasement by the propaganda machine of the U.S. and Israel? A full-page ad in the Sunday New York Times of Feb. 7 provides the answer. Sponsored by Elie Wiesel’s modestly named Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and signed by 44 Nobel laureates, 35 of them in the physical … Continue reading “Elie Wiesel’s Ignoble Recruits”

Eliminating the Bar for War

Before the greenhouse gases do us in, the world faces a more traditional apocalypse. Two heavily militarized states are preparing to attack a third. The ensuing war could ignite an intercontinental bonfire and burn much of civilization to ash long before global warming does real harm. It appears that the U.S. and Israel have plans … Continue reading “Eliminating the Bar for War”

Iran Revolution’s Anniversary Ratchets Up Tensions

One day before the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iran is a country divided, with pro-government groups and Green Movement supporters each presenting their own narratives of what the highly symbolic day means and whom they represent. The political atmosphere is highly tense as both sides have called on their supporters to take to … Continue reading “Iran Revolution’s Anniversary Ratchets Up Tensions”

Iran Sanctions Are the Talk of the Day

If there were any doubts about what exactly U.S. President Barack Obama meant when he warned Iran of "growing consequences" during his State of the Union address last month, they seem to be dispelled by recent statements from top administration officials, who are beating the sanctions drum loud and clear. When U.S. Secretary of Defense … Continue reading “Iran Sanctions Are the Talk of the Day”