The Iranian Government continues to aid Russia in the war against Ukraine, shoots and imprisons protesters, and now says it will continue its nuclear enrichment program. This has pretty much ended the White House’s hopes for diplomacy and has started a new era of confrontation, including imposing sanctions on Tehran....
Biden Lifts Trump Sanctions on International Court Officials
President Joe Biden on Friday lifted sanctions that Donald Trump had imposed on two top officials of the International Criminal Court, undoing one of the past administration's more aggressive moves targeting international institutions and officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement stressed that the United States still strongly...
US Hits All of Iran’s Financial Sector With Sanctions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has blacklisted virtually all of Iran’s financial sector, dealing another blow to an economy that is already reeling under U.S. sanctions. The move will deepen tensions with European nations and others over Iran. Thursday's move hits 18 Iranian banks that had thus far escaped the...
Iran Strikes Defiant Tone at UN Under Crushing US Sanctions
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivered a defiant and fiery speech Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly as his nation grapples with the Middle East’s worst coronavirus outbreak and a weakened economy, but he insisted that it is the U.S. that will surrender to the resilience...
Is Mike Pompeo Preparing an October Surprise?
It appears that the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for an imminent military confrontation with Iran, seemingly to boost President Trump’s re-election prospects. With less than seven weeks left until the U.S. presidential elections, the faction within the Trump administration aligned with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seems to...
French Leader Warns Lebanese Politicians of ‘Last Chance’
BEIRUT — French President Emmanuel Macron issued a stern warning to Lebanon's political class Tuesday, urging them to commit to serious reforms within a few months or risk punitive action, including sanctions, if they fail to deliver. Macron is on a two-day visit to Lebanon, marking the country's centenary and...
Iran Opens up as Economic Woes Trump Virus Infection Fears
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday began opening intercity highways and major shopping centers to stimulate its sanctions-choked economy, gambling that it has brought under control its coronavirus outbreak — one of the worst in the world — even as some fear it could lead to a second wave of...
The Immoral Cruelty of the Trump Administration’s Refusal to Grant Iran Sanctions Relief Amid Its COVID-19 Crisis
[aggregation-styles] Responsible Statecraft There is a growing consensus that — to prevent Iran from spiraling out of control from the coronavirus epidemic and causing untold harm to the Iranian people — the Trump administration must immediately relent in its use of sanctions and allow Iran the ability to combat the...
Iran Asks for Billions in Loans as Virus Death Toll Climbs
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Thursday it asked the International Monetary Fund for a $5 billion loan to fight the coronavirus, the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that it has sought such assistance, in a staggering admission of how fragile its economy has become amid the epidemic and...
Iran Votes in Parliament Elections That Favor Conservatives
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranians voted for a new parliament Friday, with turnout seen as a key measure of support for Iran's leadership as sanctions weigh on the economy and U.S. pressure isolates the country diplomatically. The disqualification of more than 7,000 potential candidates, most of them reformists and moderates, raised...