Analyst of Iranian politics based in the US
Ali Afshari is an analyst of Iranian politics based in the US.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States are making cautious progress, but the outcome remains highly uncertain as fundamental divisions persist and any overlap between the two sides’ red lines remains elusive.
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has ruled out talks with the United States despite President Donald Trump’s threat to zero Iranian oil exports, but is Khamenei’s stance final?
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has hinted at and cautioned about potential negotiations with the United States, maintaining his long-held strategy of calculated ambiguity.
The sudden departure of Bashar al-Assad from Damascus to Moscow exposed deep divisions between Iran’s government and its people. While state loyalists viewed the event as disastrous, many ordinary Iranians rejoiced in it with renewed hope.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian had all his cabinet approved by the country’s parliament with no hiccups. He had the Supreme Leader's blessing for every name on his team. But will this blessed cabinet be able to oversee a shift in foreign policy and revive the nuclear deal?
Masoud Pezeshkian is now officially Iran’s president. He was sworn in on Tuesday, having won the election after two rounds, both record-setters for low turnout (39.9% and 49.7% respectively).
Until May 2024, preparations were underway to get Iran’s late president Ebrahim Raisi re-elected in 2025. Raisi had won his first term in a non-competitive election in June 2021 but died in a helicopter crash in May.
