US imposes new Iran sanctions amid efforts to revive nuclear deal
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 presents his perspective on creating peace in the Middle East.
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
AIC Publications
By Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi, AIC President
Abstract
The Middle East is engulfed in a sustained conflict spanning over 70 years with no end in sight. The core contributing factor is the imbalance of power between nuclear-armed Israel and its regional adversaries. Achieving peace will require a balance of power, akin to the nuclear equilibrium established between Pakistan and India. Currently, I trust, Iran is the only country determined to build nuclear weapons and it will ultimately build the bomb. This essay outlines the arguments for and against a nuclear Iran. Considering global and regional experiences, proponents appear to hold a more valid, albeit unpopular, argument. In pursuing nuclear capabilities, Iran must overcome significant challenges and meet stringent prerequisites, which are detailed in this essay. As Iran cannot be stopped to build nuclear weapons, Washington is better advised to coopt rather than confront Tehran. This is a risk well worth taking. I conclude that, for peace and economic growth, the Islamic Republic must relinquish its hostility towards the United States and Israel, as well as its support for radical proxies. Such changes, in exchange for nuclear capabilities, would foster Iran's self-reliance and prompt the regime to adopt a more peaceful stance towards its citizens, the region, Israel, the US, and the international community
By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden
The Middle East today is in the midst of a resurgence of violent conflict, with lives being lost at a scale unseen in decades. Worse still, there is little end in sight while further escalation remains a dangerously realistic prospect. All of this represents a tragic departure from the relative calm and promising developments the region has experienced in recent years.
The current crisis began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas, a Gaza-based Palestinian militant group, launched an attack on Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 Israelis and foreign residents, and taking more than 200 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. At the time of this publication, the number of deaths in Gaza is estimated to exceed 33,000 with over 76,000 wounded. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, about two-thirds of these were women and children.
Dear Friend,
Let us begin by sending you a warm New Year’s greetings from everyone at the American Iranian Council.
The past year has been a difficult one. In Iran, following the death of Mahsa Amini, the Women, Life, Freedom movement gained momentum resulting in clashes between the government and protestors. AIC called for the government of Iran to curb its use of force against protesters and accept its peoples’ legitimate demands. Western governments' support for the protests further increased tension between them and Iran.