The Biden administration has announced a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions amid continuing diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
The new measures, revealed on Wednesday, target “an international network of individuals and entities” that the Department of the Treasury said facilitated the sale of US-sanctioned Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products to East Asia.
The sanctions come days after American and Iranian diplomats held a round of indirect talks in Qatar to try to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the multilateral agreement that saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against its economy.
(Aljazeera)
AIC’s President Dr. Amirahmadi recently spoke to TRT World about the stalled Vienna talks, and his recommendations for increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome to negotiations.
He argues for the presence of more relevant actors at the negotiating table, such as Israel, Turkey and Arab nations.
After a long break, Iran Chat is back and we felt this year’s series should begin with a deep dive into the current state of US-Iran relations, focusing on the very real and growing possibility of war with Iran.
To help sort through all the recent news and issues concerning US-Iran relations, we spoke with journalist Jim Lobe. He served as chief of the Washington DC bureau of Inter Press Service from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1989 to 2016. Currently he is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies where he directs LobeLog, an award-winning web blog focused on foreign policy, featuring posts by expert contributors on a variety of global issues, with an emphasis on US policy towards the Middle East.
Recently, he co-wrote an article for Lobelog entitled War Against Iran Becoming Ever More Likely. We discuss his rationale for this assessment during our conversation.
Listen here or on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/americaniranians-podcast/id1152417924
Op-Ed by AIC Communications Associate Samuel Howell
A cup of coffee can change the world. This statement might seem idealistic, but a look beneath the surface reveals some important and overlooked aspects of the coffee industry. Because of its affordability relative to other drinks, versatile brewing methods, and strong cultural ties, coffee is popular almost everywhere. It is currently consumed daily by 1 billion people in a variety of places around the world, from rural villages to bustling megacities. The modern growth of cafes alongside the globalization of coffee has also fostered a unifying and international love of cafe culture that is continuing to spread even today. This culture has more recently regrown roots in Iran, despite the country’s prolonged diplomatic isolation and economic downturn. Here, cafes play an interesting role in creating positive change, while confronting the negative effects of authoritarianism and an uncertain domestic situation. Below, we will explore the social, economic, and political aspects of cafes that are helping to foster development and democracy in one of the earth’s oldest nations.
By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden
In a move that made headlines around the world and triggered new debate on the future of the global geopolitical order, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations, broken since 2016. The deal, brokered by China, has underscored Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East and highlighted China’s apparently deepening relationship with Iran. In 2022, AIC discussed Iran and China’s ‘Comprehensive Strategic Agreement (CSP),’ which was signed the previous year but had only then formally come into force.
This Media Guide will explore how Sino-Iranian relations have changed in the year since the CSP and what the past year may suggest about the scope and durability of the new Sino-Iranian alliance.
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Dear Friend,
On behalf of everyone here at the American Iranian Council, we wish you a Happy Nowruz!
Nowruz is the first day of spring and the first day of the new Iranian calendar year, which will be 1402 on March 21 (2023). Nowruz has been celebrated for over three millennia, and Iranians of all religious and ethnic orientations share in the joys and prosperity it promises.
Certainly, many Iranians will be hoping this Nowruz brings with it a significant change of circumstances. Last year was an especially tumultuous period for the country following the death of twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini. During the widespread protests that followed, AIC called for the government of Iran to curb its use of force against protesters and accept its peoples’ legitimate demands.