Rouhani’s Cabinet Picks

by Farideh Farhi After more than a month of intense speculation in Iran, Hassan Rouhani’s nominees for 18 cabinet posts were announced on the day of the new president’s inauguration. By law, Iran’s presidents have two weeks after taking office… Continue Reading

On the So-Called “Nuclear Iran Prevention Act”

by Farideh Farhi Paul Pillar has aptly explained why the vote this week in the House of Representatives for even more sanctions against Iran (H.R. 850) is at odds with the stated US foreign policy objective of changing Iran’s nuclear… Continue Reading

Iranians Vote for Hope and a Change of Course

by Farideh Farhi via IPS News Iran’s June 14 presidential election results, announced the day after, was nothing less than a political earthquake. The centrist Hassan Rowhani’s win was ruled out when Iran’s vetting body, the Guardian Council, qualified him… Continue Reading

Why the Reformist-Centrist Alliance in Iran is Important

No Matter How the Election Turns Out by Farideh Farhi The decision by the reformist candidate Mohammadreza Aref to withdraw his candidacy — and in effect open the path for the centrist Hassan Rowhani to become the unified candidate of both the centrists and… Continue Reading

Should Iran’s Election Really be Discounted?

by Farideh Farhi I read with great interest the writing of Washington’s new Iran expert, Dennis Ross. With a title like “Don’t Discount the Iranian Election”, I thought, wow! Iran’s contested and improvised politics are finally being taken seriously. What… Continue Reading