IDEALS

WASHINGTON, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – In the face of mounting
pressure from hawks in Washington and the continued threat of
military action from Israel, the Obama Administration has been
taking a harder line in its latest pronouncements about Iran.

Recent media reports have suggested that the administration is
leaning toward an end-of-September deadline for Tehran to respond
to U.S. diplomatic outreach concerning its nuclear programme, at
which point it will consider stepping up sanctions against the
Iranian energy sector.

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Iran’s nuclear ambitions and
the bloody disturbances following its elections last year have so
dominated media reporting on the country that many equally critical
issues have been virtually forgotten.

That’s the view of Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), a New
York-based not-for-profit group attempting to raise public
awareness of human rights abuses in Iran. Read the rest of this entry →

JERUSALEM, (May 17, 2010) IPS/GIN – Suddenly, the Middle East is
awash with talk of war this summer. Or is the talk of war merely
meant to keep war at bay?

Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s strategic affairs minister and a former
chief-of-staff, declared that Israel is already in confrontation
with Iran. Read the rest of this entry →

WASHINGTON, (Apr. 28, 2009) IPS/GIN – As the White House prepares
the ground for direct diplomacy with Iran on a handful of issues,
a group of Iran hawks gathered in Washington to discuss their views
on how to handle what they describe as a “series of provocative
actions” by Tehran beyond its ongoing nuclear development.

Some of their comments revealed a retreat from earlier calls to
attack Iran while other are calling for an approach with more
sticks than carrots.

The Congress is in the process of introducing bills that would give
Obama the authority to impose extraterritorial sanctions by
punishing foreign companies that sell gasoline and other petroleum
products to Iran. Read the rest of this entry →

WASHINGTON, (May 20, 2009) IPS/GIN – The threat posed by Iran is
little understood in U.S. circles, says a new report from a U.S.
research institution which asserts that the expansionist rhetoric
of the Islamic Republic is little more than that: rhetoric.

“U.S. strategy must recognize Iran’s role as an influential, but
not omnipotent, player in the Middle East and work to exploit
existing barriers to Iran’s harmful activities, while
simultaneously seeking areas of engagement,” according to a report
from the Rand Corporation released Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry →

WASHINGTON, (Jun. 15, 2009) IPS/GIN – As protests over Friday’s
disputed election continue to rage in Iran, the U.S. has thus far
reacted cautiously, reflecting the high degree of uncertainty in
Washington over recent developments there.

Questions linger about how much support to give the demonstrators,
as well as the implications of a U.S. response that escalates the
crisis, and for President Barack Obama’s future hope to engage
Tehran in serious negotiations. Read the rest of this entry →