Amir Taheri
The Archive
Iran just doesn't get US
For more than a century the United States has tempted, fascinated and frightened Iranian leaders — but it’s seldom been properly understood. That misunderstanding, reciprocated by the failure of successive...
Iran publishes book on how to outwit US and destroy Israel
While Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama do their best to paper over the brutality of the Iranian regime and force through a nuclear agreement, Iran’s religious leader...
What US leaders have never understood about Iran
"American rulers have always dreamed of forcing us to change our behavior, and failed,” Iran’s “Supreme Guide,” Ali Khamenei, said Saturday. “Five US administrations took that dream to their graves....
Forget the Palestinians: Arab states have too much else to worry about
‘Hi there! Any news from Palestine?” This is how a prominent Arab writer, Walid Abimerchid, started his latest newspaper column last week, going on to describe a “growing fatigue with...
Why Obama's nuke deal will boost Iran's hardest-liners
In Persian folklore, the “sticky dervish” is a beggar who sits at your door and won’t leave until you give him something. This is how Iranian satirists see US Secretary...
In runup to nuke deal, Iran ups its ‘Death to America’ game
In promoting a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, President Obama and others have often expressed the hope that such an event might signal the end of four decades...
Iran's plan for the 'final' nuke talks: More rope-a-dope
Reverting to its old tactic of using diplomatic talks to buy time, Iran has revealed that it does not expect to reach a “final agreement” on its nuclear program with...
Why ISIS is beating Obama's coalition
In September, President Obama announced a US-led “broad coalition” assembled to “degrade, and ultimately destroy,” the Islamic State (ISIS). Eight months later, the terrorists are stronger than ever. This month,...
Obama's lonely 'Arab Summit'
Ever since he decided to chase the mirage of a “Grand Bargain” with Iran, President Obama has pretended that the only opposition comes from Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and “hardline”...
Turks may finally turn on Erdogan the Islamist
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who’s ruled Turkey for more than a decade, may finally be facing defeat at the hands of an electorate increasingly concerned about his authoritarian methods. His...
Iran gets arrogant
What a difference a presidency makes. Eight years ago, Muhammad Javad Zarif — now Iran’s foreign minister, but at the time its UN ambassador — penned a New York Times...
Why Arabs distrust Obama
Last week, President Obama finally set a date — May 13 — for Washington’s Arab allies to gather at an “urgent” summit. Obama made the invitation to calm Arab fears...
Go back to Square One on Iran deal
Having over-hyped a non-existent agreement over Iran’s nuclear program, President Obama now admits this “chance of a lifetime” may lead nowhere. What to do? One could always wait until the...
Iran leader's worrisome honesty
Just a week after President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry started beating the drums about their “historic achievement” in their nuclear talks with Iran, the Islamic Republic’s “Supreme...
Iran's Persian statement on 'deal' contradicts Obama's claims
“Iran Agrees to Detailed Nuclear Outline,” The New York Times headline claimed on Friday. That found an echo in the Washington Post headline of the same day: “Iran agrees to...
Iran nuke agreement full of holes
What we actually have in writing about the areas of agreement between Iran and the US-led P5+1 group of nations is full of holes. Worse, it is already being described...
Battle of Tikrit's lessons for Obama
After weeks of hesitation, the Obama administration last week responded to an Iraqi demand for airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Tikrit, a largely Sunni city north of Baghdad. Initially,...
Who wants a two-state solution, anyway?
For months, the Obama administration conducted a campaign of denigration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, depicting him as “an obstacle to peace” in the Middle East. The campaign found...
We're letting Iran and ISIS carve up Iraq
The good news: The Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish and Shiite militias, has captured parts of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, from the Islamic State after weeks of bitter fighting. It...
Collateral damage of Obama's disastrous Iran deal
President Obama may be about to make the biggest of his many foreign-policy mistakes. Both Washington and Tehran have hinted that an accord on Iran’s nuclear program may come as...