Arash Aramesh
Since the publication of US State Department’s wires and cables on WikiLeaks, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has tried to downplay the importance of revealed documents, especially those dealing with senior Arab leaders requesting military attacks by the US against Iranian targets. Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad accused the US of being behind the WikiLeaks scandal and claimed that the US was waging a “psychological war” against the Islamic Republic. more»
Shayan Ghajar
On October 29 the United Nations General Assembly received a draft resolution (pdf file) signed by over three dozen nations censuring Iran for human rights abuses. The resolution did not shy away from highlighting Iran’s more flagrant abuses of human rights, including “torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations,” executions of children, stoning and strangulation, misogyny, and ethnic and religious discrimination, among other abuses. more»
Shayan Ghajar
Turkey currently finds itself in the unenviable position of mediating between the demands of its most powerful NATO ally, the United States, and its neighbor Iran in two different issues critical to its foreign relations. The first issue Turkey will have to address in the coming month is the proposed missile shield NATO hopes to install on Turkish soil to defend its members against potential missile attacks from Russia or Iran. After Turkey’s decision on the shield is finalized–which will inevitably irk either NATO or Iran and Russia–Turkey must determine its role in the next round of proposed nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1. While historically Turkey has enjoyed its status as a literal and figurative bridge between East and West, when it comes to Iran, Turkey is caught in the middle of an uncomfortable dilemma. more»