In the Wall Street Journal today, Mohammed Khazaei argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran has "welcomed the revolution in Egypt," as it is reminiscent of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.  "Iran and the new Egypt have embarked on the path of amity and reconciliation that can be rewarding to both nations," Khazaei writes.  In addition, Tehran and Cairo can embark on a new relationship that "enhances their cooperation in ...

A report released by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran featured interviews with 35 prominent Iranians living within Iran including, activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and members of the political oppositions and addressed the possibility of a military strike against Iran.  The interviewees expressed "grave concern" of the possibility of a military conflict, which would negatively impact the human rights situation and provide a "pretext for the full ...

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer and women's activist sentenced to 11 years in prison sent a letter in March 2010 to the head of Iran's judiciary.  The letter was released for the public today: "Your Judge confirmed that Iranian women cannot be ignored under any pretext," Sotoudeh wrote.  Isa Sahahrkhiz, an Iranian journalist and one of the founders of the Society for the Defense of Press Freedom in Iran ...

President and Founder of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi and Research Director Reza Marashi write about how Iran views the Arab Spring "as a challenge not only to the status quo powers investing in an order that suppresses the streets, but also the powers that claim to champion them."  Both Parsi and Marashi argue that Tehran's decision-makers are more concerned with winning over the soft power of the ...

Geneive Abdo released the "New Green Movement Manifesto" authored by Iranian  intellectuals, who are the leaders of the Green Movement in Tehran.  It was released today in the Iran Primer by the United States Institute of Peace.  The manifesto outlined suggestions for future actions, inspirations and the organization of Iran's Green Movement. The authors recommended the formation of a Green Council led by about ten "leading and known" political and intellectual ...

Alireza Nader, an international policy analyst at RAND Corporation, writes in the United States Institute of Peace's Iran Primer about the growing rift between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guards, who have been instructed to deal with the "deviant current" known as Ahmadinejad and members of his inner circle including, Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei.  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed the Revolutionary Guards to "help ...

Geneive Abdo argues that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tested the bounds of his role as President when he challenged the authority and legitimacy of the clerical rule and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Abdo raises a question: Will Ahmadinejad's fall empower or hurt ongoing conversations between the West and the Islamic Republic? She argues that, "it makes little difference, despite conventional wisdom to the contrary. The argument has been made that  Ahmadinejad and ...

In an attempt to thwart attention away from Iran's human rights record, Iran plans to try 26 U.S. officials in absentia for "violating human rights."  According to Lawmaker Esmail Kosari, after officials are tried their files will be passed to international tribunals.   The identity of the U.S. officials that will be tried in absentia were not revealed, but it is likely that it will include officials that are listed ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday in his first public reaction a week after the arrests of his closest allies.  Ahmadinejad denounced the arrests and asserted that they were "politically motivated and vowed to defend his government."   The arrests signify Ahmadinejad's recent political struggle with the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the past week, four senior government officials have been arrested, including ...

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) released an Iran Primer on Tuesday entitled, "Iran's Women Two Years After the Uprising," that featured an extensive interview with Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, a women's rights activist.  According to Abbasgholizadeh, women's right activists have increased human rights and gender equality efforts since the start of the Green Movement.  Ultimately, women's rights activists have broadened their scope of influence to promoting democracy and civil rights for ...

An editorial in the New York Times argues that Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa's calls for reform will not be taken seriously, and have little chance of success, so long as key negotiators are imprisoned. The article notes that claims of Iranian influence in Bahrain are exaggerated, and the real domestic threat comes from ignoring the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people. The article concludes by calling on the U.S. ...

On Wednesday, The Green Wave, a documentary about the Green Movement in Iran, was featured at the AFI Discovery Channel Film Festival in conjunction with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).  The screening was followed by a panel with Jan Kruger, producer of the documentary, Robin Wright, Jennings Randolph senior fellow and Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and was moderated by ...

In the Wall Street Journal today, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote an op-ed emphasizing the importance of U.S. involvement in Libya.  "We have an unequivocal national interest in ensuring Moammar Gadhafi's regime is defeated as quickly as possible," they wrote.  The senators emphasized that it was important for the U.S. to recognize and support the Transitional National Council through providing resources, as well as increasing ...

On Tuesday, the European Union agreed to extend sanctions against Syria to four military-linked firms and seven individuals, including three Iranians, that are linked to the violence against the anti-government protests.  The individuals and firms will be added to a list of 23 people and entities that are under an EU asset freeze and travel ban.  President Bashar al-Assad was added to that list in May. On Wednesday, Walid al-Moallem, Syria's foreign ...

In an op-ed, Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute,  discusses the current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's rise to power and how his influence has prohibited state-building within Iran.  According to Khalaji, Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in an effort to prevent other religious authorities or high-profile revolutionary politicians from taking power.  Though, Khamenei lacked charisma and religious authority in the eyes of Khomeini's advisers, including, Ahmad ...

The UN Human Rights Council appointed Ahmed Shaheed, former Maldivian foreign minister, as the human rights monitor, or special rapporteur on June 17 as human rights violations continue to increase in Iran.  Though the Human Rights Committee of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) announced that the rapporteur would be barred from entering Iran, Shaheed is expected to report to both the council and to the General Assembly. The appointment of the human rights ...

In an op-ed in the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in support of the Syrian people's fight against President Bashar al-Assad. As a result of the violent crackdown against the public by the Assad regime, Clinton delegitimized Assad's claims that he is a reformer, "For years, he has offered pledges and promises, but all that matters are his actions." In addition, she wrote that there is "no going back" ...

According to an op-ed in the New York Times by Roger Cohen, the Green Movement in Iran helped "kindle the Arab Spring" through it's demonstrations in support of various issues including, democracy, respect for human rights and an end to corruption.  Cohen added that the Iranian regime has become "directionless and weak." Cohen also emphasized that Washington should focus on having a different relationship with Iran rather than focusing on the ...

On Monday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted Maziar Bahari, correspondent for Newsweek, to discuss his new book Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival (Random House, 2011).  The event was moderated by Karim Sadjadpour, Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Notes on the event are located below the break, or can be accessed in PDF form here.   On Monday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ...