While new outcomes are not expected on Iran and Syria's nuclear programs at the IAEA's last 2010 Board of Governors meeting, a vote on a nuclear fuel bank is likely to pass despite opposition from some developing countries and members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The confidential documents released by WikiLeaks reveal that Arab officials distrust the government in Tehran, which effectively uses soft power and political influence to maintain a significant role on the regional and global stage.
Even as the West struggles to understand the Islamic Republic and determine the best way to deal with Tehran, Iran remains central to many of the chief foreign policy challenges facing the United States.
Although the Iranian president has claimed that leaked diplomatic messages detailing Arab calls for the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities are Western propaganda, the Gulf states have always been apprehensive of Tehran’s nuclear aspirations.
Although Iran and Russia have substantial economic and military ties, Moscow is increasingly wary of Tehran’s growing nuclear ambitions, which have the potential to threaten Russia.
In order to convince Iran to use its eventual nuclear weapons arsenal only for deterrence and regional power politics, the Obama administration must work to empower the moderates in the Iranian leadership.
While no historical analogy is perfect, analysts looking to understand Iran’s character and predict its future trajectory can benefit from comparing the Islamic Republic to the Soviet Union.
Conflict has escalated in the IAEA's decision-making bodies, in part due to Iran and Syria's support in the Non-Aligned Movement and because the same states have attacked Director General Yukiya Amano's hands-off approach to Israel.
In the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 contested presidential elections, the economy is under serious strain and there are rumors of tensions between President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei.
During Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, journalists will have the opportunity to confront him on human rights issues in Iran, the country’s internal politics, and the recent defections of Iranian senior diplomats.
















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