Ali Safavi, Al Arabiya, 13 March 2018 This year, the Iranian fire festival of Chaharshanbe Suri, will be marked on Tuesday, March 14, 2018. It may also mark the beginning of a new uprising against the clerical regime, in light of a series of recent

Ali Safavi, Real Clear World, 9 March 2018 On Dec. 31, 1977, then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter toasted the Shah’s Iran as “an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.” Days later, anti-government protests erupted in the Holy city of

Ali Safavi, Washington Examiner, 19 May 2017 Friday’s presidential election in Iran represents anything but a genuine process like that expected by the average American. In Iran’s theocratic state, the supreme leader (a cleric called vali-e faqih) enjoys the final say on all matters. That

Alireza Jafarzadeh, Foreign Policy Blog, 22 February 2017 Barely a week after President Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president, Iran commenced another round of ballistic missiles to test his tough campaign rhetoric. The most recent launch took place even after the administration officially put

Ali Safavi, Huffington Post, 14 February 2017 Last month, the US imposed new sanctions on Iranian entities involved in weapons procurement. The move came two days after the administration of Donald Trump officially put the regime “on notice” for its provocative ballistic missile tests. In response,

Ali Safavi, The Hill, 9 February 2017 By testing their ballistic missiles in a provocative act last month, Iran’s ayatollahs also tested the resolve of the new U.S. president. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s promise of swift action should violations continue has turned the Obama