“Iran has to choose whether it wants to live by the rules of the international system, or remain a revolutionary state committed to expansion and to defiance of international law,” Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel al Jubeir stated recently in an op-ed in the New York Times.
“The Iran-Saudi Conflict and the End Game,” Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Mehrdad Saberi, Harvard Belfer Center, February 18, 2016.
Saudi Arabia has offered to deploy ground forces in support of the US-led coalition’s fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria — apparently with American support. Such a move will undoubtedly make the conflict even more nightmarish.
The 14th War and Peace in the 21st Century seminar, held at the Palau de Pedralbes on January 16th 2016, organised by CIDOB and the Barcelona City Council in collaboration with ESADEgeo Center for Global Economy and Politics and supported by “la Caixa” Foundation assessed the current domestic context in Iran and the regional implications of the implementation of the nuclear deal reached with the international community.
Freed from decades of economic sanctions, Tehran has got doors open for new opportunities for its businesses to prosper. With economic growth comes the political, as Iran is asserting its role as an influential player on the international scene – and, especially, in the Middle East. However, with some neighbors not too happy with Iran’s deal, and America’s constantly changing partner-or-enemy attitude, how can it influence what’s going on in the region right now? And, can it have an impact on the global balance of power? We ask veteran Iranian diplomat – ambassador Seyyed Hossein Mousavian is on Sophie&Co.
“America is untrustworthy, after every step forward comes a step back – Iranian ex-ambassador,” Russia Today, January 25, 2016.
The implementation of the Iran nuclear deal was a landmark achievement. Iran has at last received long-awaited sanctions relief after fulfilling its obligations under the agreement, verified last week by a report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency. It remains unclear, however, if the way has now been cleared for greater economic development and an enhancement of Iran’s foreign relations, which have been goals of the centrist administration of President Hassan Rouhani.
“Despite Iran Deal, U.S.-Iran Relations Still Very Much Up in the Air,” Hossein Mousavian, The Huffington Post, January 21, 2016.
As tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran continue to escalate, who is to blame for the feud and is there an end in sight? In this episode of UpFront, a close ally to the Iranian president debates a former adviser to the Saudi royal family.
“Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Who is to blame for the row?” Al Jazeera Upfront, January 5, 2016.
Years from now, historians will likely look back at this period in American history as one of heightened prejudice amongst a significant portion of the public and shortsightedness amongst many political leaders. You do not even have to stretch the rhetoric of some Republican presidential candidates too much to spotmetaphors comparing Islam to Nazism! However, in this seeming contest to see who can be the most Islamophobic between the GOP presidential candidates, frontrunner Donald Trump has clearly outdone the rest.
“Targeting Muslims Is the Real Threat to Peace,” Hossein Mousavian, December 29, 2015.
“Iran’s Role in Brokering Peace in Syria,” John Hockenberry, PRI, December 21, 2015.
Los atentados terroristas cometidos por el Estado Islámico (ISIS en sus siglas en inglés)en París y California han supuesto un antes y un después. Occidente tiene ya claro que no es posible contener al ISIS, sino que hay que derrotarlo de forma contundente. Pero hay que evitar tener una reacción desmesurada y contraproducente como la que provocaron los atentados del 11-S. La amenaza terrorista es hoy mayor que nunca. Ha llegado el momento de que las autoridades occidentales adopten estrategias nuevas y audaces, cuyo objetivo fundamental sea involucrar a todas las potencias de Oriente Próximo.
“Una estrategia sensata contra el ISIS,” Hossein Mousavian, El Pais, December 18, 2015.
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The former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw looks at the evolution of the West’s troubled encounters with Persia, and then Iran, from “Great Game” imperialism, through the 20th century politics of oil, to the recent stand-off over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Bridging the Gulf with Tehran,” BBC News, December 6, 2015.
