Analysis & Commentary
On Iran, Emulate TR
In the first week of 2012, President Obama finally approved tough sanctions on Iran’s central bank, aiming to cripple Iran’s oil trade and thwart its advanced efforts to possess a nuclear weapon.
The Embargo That Can’t Wait
Iran's recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz have elicited worldwide concern about escalation in the Persian Gulf. The unrest along the strategic waterway has raised the specter of war and spiraling oil prices; Hormuz is the obligatory daily transit point for nearly 20% of world...
Morning Edition
Can the world stop Iran's nuclear program?
Economic Regime-Change Can Stop Iran Bomb
Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, the choke-point for Persian Gulf oil shipments, reveals how deeply the latest Western sanctions -- and the threat of even tougher measures -- have spooked the clerical regime.
A Hezbollah Crack-up?
Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, wants out. Things have gotten so tense for Hezbollah, says Lokman Slim, an independent Lebanese Shiite activist, that according to well-sourced accounts of a meeting two weeks ago, Nasrallah “complained he no longer wanted the job.”
The Problem with Iran Is Not Lack of Communication
“Groundhog day, over and over again,” is how Ambassador John Bolton has described U.S. efforts to talk with Iran, saying all such talks achieve is to buy time for Iran to work on its nuclear weapons program. That was in 2009, and right he was.
Obama’s Weaker, More Timid Approach to Defense Sends a Dangerous Message
Iran kicked off the new year with a host of challenges to the United States. Last week, the terrorist state threatened to block the critical Strait of Hormuz to international oil tankers, and on January 9, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived to visit Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
US Imposes Sanctions on Oil Firms Tading with Iran
"It's a good shot across the bow and signals the US is serious about vigorous sanctions enforcement," said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Can EU Oil Sanctions Create a Turning Point in Iran?
The strategy of inflicting laser-like oil sanctions on Iran without disrupting global energy markets, and thereby reducing Iran's oil profits, was first developed by Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA...
FDD on Latest Sanctions Move: ‘A Shot Across the Bow to Beijing’
After my earlier post on the newly imposed sanctions on three companies doing business with Iran's energy sector, I spoke with Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that has pushed for stronger sanctions on Iran.
News Update
Iran and its dealings with China.
China Gets Cheaper Iran Oil as U.S. Picks Up Tab for Hormuz Strait Patrols
Instead, China’s oil executives are expected to demand lower prices for Iranian crude, said Mark Dubowitz, director of the Iran Energy Project at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an advocacy group in Washington.
Can EU Oil Sanctions Create a Turning Point in Iran?
The significance of international sanctions on Iran took on new prominence this week, after a group of US senators sent a letter on Tuesday to Catherine Ashton, the EU's chief diplomat, urging the 27-member EU group to implement an oil embargo against Tehran.
Iran Says Scientist’s Murder Reveals Global Terror Campaign
That alone is difficult, said Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Central Intelligence Agency specialist on Iran who is now at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington foreign- policy research organization.
U.S. Slaps Sanctions on China State Energy Trader Over Iran
"It's a good shot across the bow and signals the U.S. is serious about vigorous sanctions enforcement. This could be the beginning of a cascade of more sanctions on Chinese companies if China doesn't curtail its Iranian trade
The John Batchelor Show
The latest developments on sanctioning Iran.
State Department Sanctions Three Companies Under Iran Sanctions Act
After my post, I spoke with Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is a Washington think tank that has pushed for stronger sanctions on Iran.
Daily Brief
The shooting of an Iranian nuclear scientist that’s been blamed on the U.S. and Israel.
Rationale
Is Iran rational? That’s the key question policy-makers and experts have been asking for at least the last decade as Iran has gotten closer to bringing its nuclear-weapons program on line.
Crane Durham’s Nothing But Truth
A possible Ron Paul presidency and developments in Iran.
