Gasoline Near Top of Iran’s Imports List: 150 Percent Increase in Gasoline Imports – Regime Hoarding Gasoline, Reducing Consumption in Anticipation of US Sanctions
Beyond Sanctions: How to Solve the Iranian Riddle
(TIME) | March 15, 2010 By Trita Parsi Iran is the 21st century equivalent of 1930s Russia — a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The Iranians haven’t stumbled upon this mystifying state coincidentally, and the enigma isn’t the result of outsiders’ failure to try to understand them. Rather, the Iranian government has [...]
Target Iran’s Censors
(New York Times) | February 18, 2010 By ROGER COHEN NEW YORK — Here’s what happens when a business linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) is targeted with sanctions. A representative of the Revolutionary Guards finds a lawyer in Dubai and says: “Look, I’m on this stupid U.S. Treasury list. I’ll give you [...]
German insurers wind down Iran business
(Reuters) | February 18 Germany’s Munich Re and Allianz halted all remaining insurance business in Iran as their national representative body said it backed international moves toward tougher sanctions against Tehran. Against a backdrop of rising political tensions, the world’s biggest reinsurer, Munich Re (MUVGn.DE), said on Thursday it was stopping business with insurance firms [...]
Selected Headlines – February 2, 2010
Khordaad 88, February 2 Mir Hossein Mousavi ’s Interview with Kaleme Kaleme reports that in this interview which took place close to February 11th [22 of Bahman], the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, Mousavi stated that the main reason for the collapse of the dictatorial and unpopular regime of the Shah was its illegitimacy [...]
Hardline Cleric Jannati: Iran’s struggle with America should continue
Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:39am EST TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran must continue its struggle against the United States, a hardline cleric said on Friday a day after Washington renewed long-standing U.S. financial sanctions against Iran. U.S. President Barack Obama offered a new approach toward Iran when he took office in January, but Iran remains locked [...]
Tipping Point in Tehran: A Gathering Opposition Faces a Weakened Regime
The costs are steadily mounting for the regime. Just one day before the June 12 presidential election, the Islamic republic had never been so powerful. Tehran had not only survived three decades of diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions but had emerged a regional superpower, rivaled only by Israel. Its influence shaped conflicts and politics from Afghanistan to Lebanon.
But the day after the election, the Islamic republic had never appeared so vulnerable. The virtual militarization of the state has failed to contain the uprising, and its tactics have further alienated and polarized society. It has also shifted the focus from the election to Iran’s leadership.
Clinton warns of Iran sanctions
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that Iran faces “very tough sanctions” if it rejects offers of engagement over its nuclear programme.









