Ayatollah Khamenei’s gamble and a green light for negotiations
As the U.S. prepares to head to the polls to choose its next president, Iran finds itself at a dead end. Hit hard by American sanctions and its own mismanagement of the economy, Tehran needs to negotiate with Washington to get out of its current economic crisis and shore up its waning popular
Ten Q&A about 2019 Iranian protests
How did the Iranian “Black November” started? On November 15th, the Iranian regime, under the most stringent sanctions ever and without any notice, increased gasoline prices by 200%. The reaction in the social media was swift, especially after the re-post of a picture from a suppose
The fall or rise of the IRGC?
On Monday, April 9th, President Donald Trump officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). While this move may create new obstacles for the IRGC outside of Iran, it could well embolden and empower it at home. The IRGC and politic
The leadership of the Jurisprudence
Summary and background Shiite jurisprudence has always tried to comprehensively control the even minute elements of the lives of its followers by devising rules and regulations and calling them divine and the sets of laws as “divine laws.” These laws determine the limits of individ
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Parliament Structure and Responsibilities
Summary and background Iranian Islamic Parliament (Majlis), now in its tenth session is the main legislative body of the Iranian government. Based on Iranian constitution, Majlis has two main responsibilities: 1. Passing new laws and legislatures. 2. Oversight on the other two pillars of the g
The Guardian Council
Summary and background The Iranian “Constitutional Movement” (also known as the Constitutional Revolution) of 1906 resulted in the formation of the first “Iranian National Parliament” (Majlis). In its inception, the Parliamentarians agreed to form a separate entity consisting of five h