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The Wave: Man, God, and the Ballot Box in the Middle East
The promise of democracy for Muslims offers something historically unparalleled. Where Islamist groups once dreamed of revolution, quietly developed paramilitary cells, and assassinated their secular opponents, mainstream Islamist groups today see elections as a means for society to maintain akhlaq; the mores that define good Muslims.
Learn MoreAnalysis & Commentary - Iran Energy Project
Tough Talk: Stricter Sanctions on Iran Urged
Prominent lawmakers and Middle East experts on Thursday urged Washington to enact stricter sanctions on Iran, with one former senior diplomat urging "the most robust sanctions in history." more...
Iran Sanctions Bill Coming to Senate Floor Again
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is bringing the Johnson-Shelby Iran sanctions bill to the floor for a second time today in an attempt to pass the bill by unanimous consent, without a formal vote. more...
US Senate to Consider New Iran teranctions
US Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid will ask the chamber to approve a new package of oil and economic sanctions on Thursday aimed at further pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear program, a Democratic leadership aide told Reuters. more...
Iran Sanctions: Now or Never
The next round of “P5+1” talks with Iran are due to restart on May 23. It is widely accepted in Israel, in Congress and among informed foreign policy gurus that the administration will strive mightily to make a deal. more...
Ahead of Iran Talks, Slew of Reports Should Be Taken with Grain of Salt
The slew of new reports and "exclusive" details on Iran's nuclear weapons program do not enhance in any significant what we already know on the subject, nor do they present the definitive "smoking gun"... more...
Iran Accelerating Nuclear Bomb Efforts?
Iranian dissidents revealed today that Iran’ theocratic government is mounting efforts to acquire nuclear bomb while talks on this issue between the country and western powers continue, reports German De Welt. more...
MEK: Tehran Accelerating Its Nuclear Program
Iran is accelerating its nuclear weapons program, according to a report Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) Iranian opposition group compiled and The Jerusalem Post obtained on Friday. more...
Iran: Atombomben-Netzwerk aufgedeckt?
Die Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) in Wien blieb versiegelt. Ihre Mitarbeiter wollten nicht einmal darüber Auskunft geben, ob sie Post von der iranischen Opposition erhalten hatten. more...
Iran: Atombomben-Netzwerk aufgedeckt?
Die Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) in Wien blieb versiegelt. Ihre Mitarbeiter wollten nicht einmal darüber Auskunft geben, ob sie Post von der iranischen Opposition erhalten hatten. more...
Beschleunigt der Iran den Bau der Bombe?
Nach Informationen der iranischen Volksmudschaheddin treibt der Iran die Arbeit an einer Atombombe mit insgesamt sieben Schwerpunkten voran. more...
Risk of Cyberattacks Clouds Natural Gas Boom
“The natural gas sector would be the obvious place for enemies of the United States to target just because of the [industry’s] enormous economic potential,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. more...
Indians Host Clinton While Also Wooing Iran
Mrs. Clinton never mentioned the presence of the Iranian delegation, nor the rupee payment system, yet American officials do not seem to mind. Mark Dubowitz, an Iran specialist in Washington, said a primary purpose of sanctions is to starve Iran of the dollars and euros. more...
Could Iran Nuclear Talks Founder over Sanctions Relief?
Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that has advised Congress on sanctions legislation, says this is the time to intensify sanctions. more...
Oil Report Seen Supporting Iran Sanctions
"The last thing the administration would do ahead of Baghdad talks would be to show any sign that they are not full steam ahead on oil market sanctions," said Mark Dubowitz, the head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. more...
Dubai Emerges as Pivotal Factor in West’s Clash with Iran
“For years Dubai was a huge headache for the administration because it was unwilling to enforce sanctions,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies in Washington. more...
US Not Backing Off as Iran Sanctions Bite
"If the administration did that it would provide more clarity and more comfort to companies engaged in trade with Iran that is permissible under U.S. law," said Mark Dubowitz, head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is well known for its forceful lobbying on tougher Iran sanctions. more...
US Lawmakers Target Iran Energy Sector for Expanded Sanctions
The proposed legislation expands on existing laws by making the Iranian energy sector a “no-go zone” for any foreign investment in energy, any imports of natural gas and the sale of energy-related technology, goods and services, said Mark Dubowitz, who advised Deutch on the bill... more...
Iran Exposed: GPM Interviews the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
The FDD is a non-partisan institution focusing on national security and foreign policy. FDD was founded by a group of former U.S. officials and visionary philanthropists shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001 to help free nations defend themselves. more...
US Exempts Japan, 10 EU Nations From Iran Oil Sanctions
Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said in an interview that the Obama administration’s action yesterday “begins to reduce some of the uncertainty in oil markets over how the administration will apply oil market sanctions.” more...
Ottolenghi on Iran
Speaking to an audience of AIJAC and UIA supporters, the Italian-born Dr Ottolenghi countered the assumption underlying the question of whether a war with Iran can be avoided, observing that a war between Iran and Israel has, in fact, been ongoing since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. more...
US Exempts Japan and 10 Other Countries From Sanctions Over Iran Oil
“It will calm oil market anxiety by signaling that the administration is going to let some Iranian oil flow,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, which favors the sanctions. more...
Major Nations Could Face Economic Sanctions Over Iran Oil Buys
Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-sanctions group, said the administration’s approach would help reassure nervous oil markets by showing that Japan can continue to make limited purchases of Iranian oil. more...
US Exempts 11 States from Iran Sanctions; China, India Exposed
Mark Dubowitz, an advocate for tougher sanctions on Iran and the head of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said Japan's example was likely to be significant. more...
New Sanction Severely Limits Iran’s Global Commerce
"It's a big deal," says Iran sanctions expert Mark Dubowitz, "because it complicates Iran's ability to move billions of dollars through the international financial system." more...
Global Network Expels as Many as 30 of Iran’s Banks in Move to Isolate Its Economy
“This could deny Iran’s banks the ability to move billions of dollars, and ratchet up the economic pressure on leaders who have so far refused to reach a negotiated settlement on their illegal nuclear weapons program,”... more...
Iran Banks Face Cut-Off From SWIFT Network
“This was a political blow to Iran to be expelled from what is the financial equivalent of the UN,” said Mark Dubowitz, who has been advising the White House and Congress on this and other means of putting economic pressure on Tehran. more...
U.S. May Sanction India Over Level of Iran-Oil Imports
Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington and an adviser to the administration on sanctions, said India shouldn’t assume it will avoid sanctions unless its refiners demonstrably reduce imports over the next three months. more...
Sanctioned Iran Banks Being Cut Off From Global Network
Mark Dubowitz, a sanctions specialist in Washington who advised U.S. lawmakers on the Swift legislation, said yesterday’s decision, if strictly implemented, could limit the ability of Iran’s banks “to move billions of dollars in financial transactions, and put immense pressure on Iran’s leaders to reconsider their policies.” more...
Global Financial Group, SWIFT, Boots Iran Banks From Network
"Cutting Iranian banks off from the financial equivalent of the Union Nations is a meaningful step," Mark Dubowitz, an Iran sanctions expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Yahoo News in an interview Thursday. more...
Chinese Bank Pulls Out of Pakistan-Iran Pipeline Project
"U.S. banks increasingly are not willing to do business with foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran," said Mark Dubowitz, an energy specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan think tank. more...