Research & Commentary Results

A senior Iranian official has defended the Islamic Republic’s involvement in regional conflicts and questioned the presence and role of the United States in the Middle East.

Iran has welcomed President-elect Emmanuel Macron victory in the French election President Hassan Rouhani congratulated Macron on Monday and called for boosting bilateral ties between the two countries. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also congratulated the French government and people on Macron’s triumph over his populist rival Marine Le Pen.

Akram al-Kaabi, the leader of Iran-supported Iraqi militia group Harakat al-Nujaba, sent a delegation to meet with the Syrian Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that his country will further enhance its missile power despite international concerns. He also warned the six Iranian presidential candidates to avoid statements and electoral slogans that would embolden the country’s enemies.

This essay discusses India’s increasingly extensive relations with the Gulf Arab countries and its equally important interest in continuing to develop mutually beneficial ties with Iran. The author argues that as India’s regional profile rises and its economic prowess expands, New Delhi will come under pressure to take sides — pressure to which Indian leaders must try their utmost not to succumb.

Iranian presidential candidate Mostafa Mir-Salim claimed on Monday that Iranian diplomats had asked the country’s military to conduct a missile launch to boost Tehran’s position vis-à-vis world powers during the nuclear negotiations

Tension between Iran and Pakistan over the latest killing of 10 Iranian border guards continues to escalate despite an agreement between leaders of the two countries last week to jointly tackle cross-border issues.

Iran has said that it is ready to work with the Afghan government on procedures to legalize the residence of Afghan refugees in Iran.

A prominent Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militia leader has confirmed that the Hashd al-Shaabi – the paramilitary Iraqi forces known as the Popular Mobilization Forces – will not take part in the military operation to recapture the strategic city of Tal Afar from the Islamic State.

In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Alex Vatanka, and Jonathan M. Winer provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary of State Tillerson, Iranian President Rouhani’s battle for re-election, and the efforts to strike a deal for the future of the Libyan state.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani’s latest remark on the country’s missile program has aroused the ire of the military establishment. In the second presidential debate aired on Iran’s state-run TV, Rouhani, who is seeking a second term in May 19 elections, accused the powerful Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) of trying to sabotage the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers in July 2015. “What did they do in order to undermine the J.C.P.O.A.?” Rouhani asked, referring to the I.R.G.C.

The Iranian defense minister said on Sunday that his country would hit back and destroy all of Saudi Arabia, except the Muslim holy sites, if Riyadh showed any aggression toward the Islamic Republic. “I advise them against committing any ignorant move.

An editorial in Afghanistan’s largest daily Hasht-e Sobh accuses the Iranian government of “playing a double game” in Afghanistan. The article analyzes Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s weekend visit to Kabul and warns that such diplomatic outreach would yield no results unless the Iranian government cuts ties with terrorist groups fighting in Afghanistan. “Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s trip to Kabul was an opportunity for high-ranking officials of the national unity government to share Afghanistan’s legitimate concerns with him,” the paper stressed.

The leader of a prominent Iran-controlled Iraqi Shiite militia group has warned that his forces and other Shiite militant groups will respond to the Bahraini government’s prosecution of Ayatollah Isa Qassim.

The Iranian intelligence minister has announced that the country’s security forces have identified and disbanded about 30 terrorist cells over the past Iranian calendar