Author Archives: iPouya
“US versus Iran: Tension over the airwaves”
My quotes in AlJazeera’s Listening Post from January 11, 2020.
“The surprise was not Soleimani’s death, but the unity it fostered”
My latest in Middle East Eye: On 3 January, the new year began not only with a violent bang, but also with a tectonic shift – and not the one that anybody expected. The surprise was not the US air … Continue reading
“Iranian Americans on edge as tensions surge: ‘The fear is palpable'”
My quotes in The Guardian: “Pouya Alimagham, a lecturer and historian who was at home with his parents in Orange county when the news broke, noted that it was unnerving to watch US media programs feature rightwing thinktank heads and … Continue reading
“Trump has long promised to get out of endless wars – but his latest Syria move may not achieve that”
My quotes in The Independent: “Pouya Alimagham, a historian of the Middle East at MIT, says that Mr Trump’s framing of the troop withdrawal from Syria is far from reality. ‘Syria was never our war while Afghanistan was, and the … Continue reading
“Trump’s impeachment will embolden Iran to stand its ground over diplomatic crisis”
My quotes in The Independent: “Pouya Alimagham, historian of Middle Eastern at MIT, thinks Rouhani and his foreign minister Javad Zarif have risked their entire political careers on this nuclear agreement. He says the Iranian electorate voted for Rouhani in … Continue reading
“U.S. Ally Japan Is Not Joining Donald Trump’s Fight with Iran, So Can It Bring Peace?”
My quotes in Newsweek: “Pouya Alimagham, a historian at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also told Newsweek that ‘Japan can indeed play a constructive role in mediating between Iran and the U.S. It has longstanding ties with both Iran and … Continue reading
“How drone attacks on Saudi Aramco might blow up US-Iran tensions”
My quote in Al Jazeera: “Firing war hawks like John Bolton is a step in the right direction, but if the Trump administration is interested in de-escalation, it needs to stop pursuing hawkish policies and pressure campaigns that ultimately force … Continue reading
Don’t Underestimate Iran’s Ability to Fight a Bloody War
My latest in The American Conservative: On July 29, President Trump tweeted: “Just remember, Iranians never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.†In just 12 words, Trump leveled a multi-layered, ahistorical insult against both his predecessor, Barack Obama, … Continue reading
“Go back to your country”
Today, President #Trump said on the Twitter that “‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning … Continue reading
31 Years On: IranAir 655
On this day 31 years ago, the USS Vincennes shot down IranAir Flight 655. 290 civilians died. That the downing of the passenger plane happened during the final stages of the Iran-Iraq War serves as a reminder of the US … Continue reading
The Humanizing Legacy of Iran’s Green Uprising
My piece at Informed Comment: June 12, 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of what sparked the Green Uprising in Iran. While many have noted that it was a “failed revolution†because it was unsuccessful in abrogating the controversial election results … Continue reading
America’s Standard of “Normal Nation†in the Middle East
My latest piece – Lobelob: On June 2, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the United States would be willing to engage with Iran as long as “the Iranians…behave like a normal nation.†Aside from the condescension of … Continue reading
A 2nd sanctions-related story from a friend with family in Iran
A friend of mine has a cousin in Iran who works as a lawyer. This cousin’s husband is an engineer who runs his own business importing and selling German appliances. They are both civilians; neither of them have any relationship … Continue reading
A sanctions-related story from a friend with family in Iran
Like many of us Iranians, a friend of mine has a lot of family in Iran. Unlike me, however, her mother and father are in Iran. They are retirees who own their own home. They no longer need to support … Continue reading
Sanctions on Iran
Friends and allies, I have a sincere request. The US sanctions are crippling the lives of countless Iranians, and we hear very little about their stories in the mainstream media. Thus, I will be posting as regularly as possible about … Continue reading