Reza Marashi

As American and Iranian negotiators meet in Baghdad, cautious optimism is clouded by the enormity of the task that lies ahead. Finding ways to communicate -- let alone compromise -- with the Iranian government over the issues that divide us has been a key U.S. goal since the outset of...

The foreign policy and national security challenges posed by Iran have perplexed consecutive U.S. presidential administrations for decades. From the hostage crisis to state sponsorship of terrorism to nuclear programs, the myriad challenges have rarely provided any easy answers. One of the few clear issues pertaining to America's Iran policy...

Co-authored by Angie Ahmadi

For several weeks now, Iran's parliamentary elections have been dismissed by many as an unimportant, farcical show by the regime. To be sure, these elections are all but guaranteed to be neither free nor fair. With Iran's most popular politicians either behind bars, purged from the...

America is once again drifting toward war. Less than ten years after the U.S. invasion (and subsequent occupation) of Iraq, its myriad lessons seem forgotten. A familiar, toxic mix of sloppy politicians and politicized foreign policy experts is telling the American public that an irrational Iranian regime hell-bent on acquiring...

With news of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, U.S.-Iran relations have reached a new low. If the allegations are true, this deplorable act should be strongly condemned. To that end, the Beltway is already buzzing with calls for a "robust response" that will "send...

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, has sent another letter to the Permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) lead negotiator, Catherine Ashton, requesting fresh talks to bridge the longstanding divide. When news of the letter broke, reactions ranged from surprise to doubt. Some noted Jalili's moderate...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes his annual trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, engulfed in perhaps the most volatile political climate he's faced since entering office in 2005. At home, his political camp remains at odds with a system -- spearheaded by Supreme Leader...

Lost in the clamor and commotion of WikiLeaks releasing 251,287 diplomatic cables is the perspective of those who currently or have recently served in government. For four years, I served in the Office of Iranian Affairs at the State Department during the period in which most of the Iran-related cables...