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“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
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Category Archives: Iran
“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
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“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
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“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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The Transnational Legacy of the Iranian Revolution on its 40th Anniversary
My latest piece in The Fletcher Forum of International Affairs: “The 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution is upon us, and supporters and detractors alike are busying themselves with articles that expound their worldviews. What is lost in the cacophony … Continue reading
Association for Iranian Studies Conference at UC Irvine
I have since shortened the title of my presentation to “The Iranian Left’s Latin Roots: Protest and Protest Music.” Click here for the program.
“The Roots of US-Iran Antagonisms via the History of Democracy in Modern Iran”
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“The Genealogy of Protest in Iran: Lessons from History”
My latest piece in The Fletcher Forum of International Affairs: “The United States would be wise to heed the lessons of history and let Iranians determine their own fate as any further intervention—whether soft or hard—could easily derail Iran’s organic … Continue reading
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“Iran Among the Ruins: Tehran’s Advantage in a Turbulent Middle East”
Dean Vali Nasr in Foreign Affairs: “Some observers see Iran today, with its use of militias and insurgents abroad, as the United States saw the Soviet Union or China at the height of its revolutionary fervor—as a power intent on using … Continue reading
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