Seyed Hossein Mousavian (w/Mohammad Reza Chitsazian)
Publications
Fakhrizadeh killing: How Biden can avoid traps laid by opponents of the Iran nuclear deal
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
In the years before the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed, Israel engaged in gruesome acts of terror, assassinating five Iranian nuclear scientists who are now Iran’s revered martyrs. Those included: Ardeshir Hosseinpour, Masoud Alimohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Israel also attempted to assassinate Fereydon Abbassi, Iran’s head of the Atomic Agency, but it failed.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/iran-nuclear-scientist-killing-biden-opponents-deal
Iran’s New Doctrine: Pivot to the East
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
The JCPOA was an international agreement between Iran and world powers endorsed by the U.N. Security Council in Resolution 2231. But while the Iranians fully implemented the deal, the United States withdrew from it under the Trump administration and the European Union subsequently failed to fulfill its responsibilities under the agreement. The upshot of the U.S. withdrawal and European complacency was a revival of sanctions at a pace and intensity unprecedented over the past 40 years. This has emboldened Iran’s long-debated strategy of adopting a “Look East” foreign policy, as the JCPOA experience convinced the Iranians that no matter how much goodwill is demonstrated, the West is both unreliable and untrustworthy.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/irans-new-doctrine-pivot-to-the-east/
What’s at stake in the upcoming presidential elections in the US and Iran
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
With two important presidential elections are coming up in the U.S. and Iran, expectations are that Iran’s next president will be from the Principalists (conservative) faction, just like the result of recent parliamentary elections. The conservative faction’s ascendance is largely due to the fact that Western powers backed away from the JCPOA. The Principalists have always been extremely suspicious of any negotiations with the United States given its dishonest record.That said, rapprochement may is possible, particularly with a change in administration in January 2021. The U.S. must show goodwill in three areas.
Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ strategy is dangerous and should end
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
By destroying the deal, the Trump administration effectively dismantled the most comprehensive mechanism of inspection in the history of the NPT. The US has also presented a draft resolution to the Security Council to extend a UN arms embargo on Tehran. The real US strategy is to “snap back” all UN sanctions on Iran, with full knowledge that Russia and China would not agree to renew the arms embargo, which is a clear violation of the nuclear deal and UN Resolution 2231.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/trumps-iran-policy-dangerous-and-needs-end
Sanctions make Iran’s coronavirus crisis more deadly
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
The Trump administration, seemingly in denial about its own shambolic response to the crisis, tried to blame the pandemic’s high toll in Iran on the incompetence and corruption of the Iranian government. The Iranian leadership indeed made some mistakes in its handling of this public health emergency, such as initially underestimating the threat posed by the virus and failing to close the country’s borders in time. It is, however, impossible to claim that the Iranian government is solely responsible for the devastation the pandemic has caused in the country.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/5/8/sanctions-make-irans-coronavirus-crisis-more-deadly
Iran and the US: A path back from the brink.
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Former US President George W Bush once warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War Three. Through the Iran nuclear deal, agreed between world powers and Iran, Obama laid a new foundation on nuclear disarmament, noting that Iran had agreed “to the most robust and intrusive inspections and transparency regime ever negotiated for any nuclear programme in history”.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/road-map-iran-and-us-avoid-all-out-war
Dr. Mousavian’s Latest Book “A Middle East Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction”
Weapons of mass destruction pose an existential threat to global peace and security. But nowhere is it more urgent to stem their spread than in the Middle East, a region fraught with mistrust and instability. Accounting for these geopolitical realities, including the ongoing talks to curb Iran’s nuclear program, the authors present a practical and innovative strategy to a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Dr. Mousavian outlines an approach toward disarmament in the region, prescribing confidence-building measures and verification tools to create trust among the region’s governments. Their vision also sees the realization of a WMD-free zone within a broader regional agenda for security and cooperation to advance socioeconomic and political progress.
Trump Has Recklessly Dragged the Persian Gulf to the Brink of War
T
he Trump administration has immiserated ordinary Iranians by causing unprecedented economic hardships through adopting a policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran. Read the article online. Access the PDF version here: Trump Has Recklessly Dragged the Persian Gulf to the Brink of War _ The National Interest.
Can there be a deal between Iran and the US in the new year?
More than a year after its implementation, it is now clear that the US’s maximum pressure policy against Iran is not working. Iran’s political, military and religious leadership does not appear to be buckling under US economic pressure. Read the article. Read the article here.
Access the PDF version here: Can there be a deal between Iran and the US in the new year? | Iran | Al Jazeera
