Category: Iran

Overview.  Iran’s C19 reopening appeared to be premature as authorities walked back easing of restrictions in some areas. A US-Iran prisoner swap briefly excites ideas of first steps to talks, but this appears highly unlikely.  Iran will make mask-wearing mandatory in certain areas and allow virus-hit provinces to re-impose restrictions.…… Read the rest

Overview.  Another terrible month for Iran as the regime struggles to manage a sharp deterioration in the value of the rial and spike in inflation. These twin factors will hamstring economic recovery and hopes for job creation as the C19 pandemic continues to weigh heavily on the economy, exacerbating structural weaknesses and straining state finances.………

Overview.  Iran ‘reopened’ for business in the latter half of May as pressure to revive the battered economy has won out against medical advice to the contrary. With case numbers still rising, community spread will continue and the death toll rise. Politics has also restarted with a new session and a new speaker in the…

Overview.  New reported cases of C19 peaked in early April, although the daily death toll seems not to have followed suit. Following the Nowruz holiday, Iranians start to resume some pre-pandemic routines, as businesses slowly reopen and travel restrictions ease. Like governments elsewhere, Rouhani’s administration is fighting domestic critics of its pandemic response and struggling…

Overview. The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus (C19) continued apace across Iran. Until late in this reporting period, Iranian officials resisted the enforced social distancing measures seen in other parts of the world. Iranians spent the Persian New Year (Nowruz) fearful; some for their lives and many for their livelihoods.…… Read the rest

Overview. As if Iran’s people needed further bad news after an appalling January, the arrival of Covid-19, its rapid spread and a number of fatalities probably signal worse economic news to come. The Iranian rial fell further in response to the outbreak and FATF’s decisions to re-impose countermeasures after the latest reform deadline passed without…

Overview. Iranian resistance to the US campaign of Maximum Pressure through deniable actions and regional proxies attracted little military response in 2019 from the US. That ended this month. Iranian national morale, national unity and faith in the Islamic Revolutionary regime is at rock bottom after the death of its feted Quds Force commander and…

Overview. Another high-octane month on both geopolitical and domestic fronts for Iran: JCPOA parties meet in Vienna and narrowly avoided striking a deathblow to the nuclear deal; Iran and the US agreed to a prisoner swap; and, speculation surrounds a visit to Japan by President Rouhani. Domestically, Rouhani presents a resistance budget to the Majlis…

Overview. Iran re-joined the long list of countries suffering civil unrest this month. Security forces reacted brutally to general discontent over removal of fuel subsidies as violence quickly spread to all major cities and lasted 11 days. Although its survival never looked in doubt – and the reforms will strengthen Iran’s economic resiliency in the…

Overview. Another tanker attack, this time an Iranian target, kept tensions high in the Gulf through October. International mediation sought to reduce the risk of conflict in the region. The US piled on further designations and sanctions continuing its ‘maximum pressure’ strategy, while FATF compliance remains a controversial topic in Iran and unresolved.…… Read the…