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Iran
Iran and the Rest -
On Course for Collision?
Iran's nuclear programme is becoming the most important international issue of this year, not just for the West but the international community as a whole. RUSI.org hosts analysis examining all dimensions of this on-going conflict.
VIDEO: Panel Discussion - Iran and the West
What Would an Air Attack on Iran Look Like?
Debate
Are We able to Deter Iran? | How Dangerous is Iran?
Domestic Arguments on the Iranian Nuclear Debate
Israel | Iran | The United States
"“In practical terms, there is little difference between the designation of the IRGC as an FTO and the previous inclusion under the Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List,” said Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.
“However, the new legislation is likely to have additional unintended consequences, as demonstrated — for instance, by the closure of the social media accounts of several IRGC-linked members, including of Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani,” she added.
“Overall, while the legislation is unlikely to significantly weaken the IRGC, both within and outside of Iran, the perception of outside threat and exceptionalism that the US designation, the first of its kind, entails will most likely lead factions and centers of powers across the political spectrum to close ranks and increase their support for IRGC.” "
The IRGC, Iran’s military industrial complex
In The News, 20 May 2019 Tags: Iran, Middle East and North Africa
""I think at this stage Iran really doesn't want direct confrontation, neither with the US nor any other countries in the region," said Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, senior research fellow at RUSI. "There has been a response but not a provocation so far from Iran and there has been a commitment to clarify that, if needed, Iran would respond with all its tools at its disposal." "
In Tehran, specter of war met with more defiance than fear
In The News, 17 May 2019 Tags: Iran, Middle East and North Africa
A Threat to Jus in Bello: Legal Implications of Iran’s Designation of the US Central Command as a Terrorist Organisation
Commentary, 15 May 2019
Christopher Galvin
Iran’s designation of the US Central Command as a terrorist organisation has serious implications for the treatment of its personnel in any conflict.
Tags: United States, Iran, Americas, Law and Ethics, Military Personnel, Middle East and North Africa
""Regardless of whether these ships got hit by Iranians or not, the Americans and the Iranians have gotten themselves into this cycle where neither seems to be able to back down from making belligerent statements," according to Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.
"
Ship sabotage mystery raises fears of accidental conflict with Iran
In The News, 14 May 2019 Tags: United States, Iran
"“There hasn’t been a massive change in U.S. force posture in the region. What there has been is a very significant change in messaging. And combined with that the U.S. is putting more and more pressure on Iran economically. So the question comes, how is Iran going to push back? How are they going to show the United States that if you keep pressing us, we can respond? And at that point, if they get that wrong, there is a risk of runaway escalation,” Watling told VOA.
"
Europe Urges Restraint as Fears of US-Iran Conflict Escalate
In The News, 14 May 2019 Tags: United States, Iran
"Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank, says Iranian officials were especially incensed by America’s decision on April 22nd to end exemptions from its sanctions that had allowed some countries to buy Iranian oil. Europe’s best efforts are unlikely to compensate for that blow "
As America and Iran act tough, the risk of conflict is growing
In The News, 11 May 2019 Tags: United States, IranPages
A Threat to Jus in Bello: Legal Implications of Iran’s Designation of the US Central Command as a Terrorist Organisation
Commentary, 15 May 2019Christopher Galvin
Iran’s designation of the US Central Command as a terrorist organisation has serious implications for the treatment of its personnel in any conflict.
United States, Iran, Americas, Law and Ethics, Military Personnel, Middle East and North Africa
Ministers Meet to Discuss Middle East in Warsaw Conference Beset by Divisions in the West
Commentary, 21 February 2019Wojciech Pawlus
Poland has improved its bilateral strategic links with the US by hosting an American-inspired conference on the future of the Middle East. But the conference did nothing to improve Western coherence.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, US Defence Policy, Iran, Israel, Global Security Issues, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Give Up the Dream of a Grand Bargain: Why a Trump Can’t Strike a Deal with Iran
Commentary, 27 September 2018Albert Wolf
The US administration pretends that its decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran is a radically new approach which may change the entire regional strategic equation, similar to the huge policy reversal towards China executed by President Nixon in the early 1970s. But the Trump White House will be disappointed; the comparisons with Nixon are misconceived.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, Iran, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
A Final Nail in the Coffin of the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Commentary, 2 July 2018Tom Keatinge
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) avoided a decision to return Iran to its blacklist of countries not doing enough to combat money laundering. Iran’s continued litany of financial crime failings further undermines the future of the country’s nuclear deal with Western governments.
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, AML/CTF, Iran, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, International Institutions
Collateral Damage: President Trump’s Decision on Iran and Its Impact on Europe
Commentary, 9 May 2018Emil Dall
President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear agreement, and reimpose sanctions against Iran, will matter most in Europe.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, Iran, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Sanctions, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, EuropePages
The Iran Protests
Multimedia, 5 January 2018 Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Understanding Unpredictability in the Middle East in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi outlines priorities for analysts will be to understand the impact and unpredictability of US policy in the Middle East.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Middle East and North Africa
The Trump Presidency
Multimedia, 19 January 2017RUSI Director General Dr Karin von Hippel discusses the foreign and security policy challenges of the Trump presidency ahead of his inauguration for Sky News.
Tags: China, United States, US Defence Policy, Iran, NATO, Russia, Global Security Issues
The Legacy of Hashemi Rafsanjani
Multimedia, 9 January 2017RUSI Research Fellow Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi discusses on AlJazeera English the legacy and significance of Iranian leader Hashemi Rafsanjani as he passes away.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East in 2017
Multimedia, 21 December 2016RUSI Research Fellow Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi looks at the Middle East in 2017 and believes that key areas will include post-Daesh stablisation and the international role of Iran.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, SyriaPages
Israel’s World is Shrinking: How the Iran–Russia Axis is Gaining Ground
RUSI Newsbrief, 18 April 2019Kyle Orton
Israeli opinion generally regards the country’s efforts to contain Iran, especially in Syria, as having been successful. In fact, the trendline runs the other way: Iran is constraining Israel,...
Iran, RUSI Newsbrief, Russia, Syria, Israel, Global Security Issues
Iran's Objectives and Capabilities: Deterrence and Subversion
Occasional Papers, 19 February 2019Jack Watling
This Occasional Paper explores Iran's foreign policy objectives through a strategic lens, considering strengths, weaknesses, and proxy relationships.
Civil–Military Relations, Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, Occasional Papers, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Military Personnel, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
Iran and the West after the Nuclear Deal: High Hopes, Low Returns
Conference Reports, 26 February 2018Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi
Report on two days of meetings, co-hosted by RUSI and the British Council, of UK- and Iran-based scholars who discussed the state of Iran–West relations following the nuclear deal, known as the Joint...
Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, Conference Reports, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
The Iran Nuclear Deal Two Years On: Will the Agreement Survive?
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 July 2017Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi and Emil Dall
Despite all parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action complying with its obligations, Iran’s reintegration into the global economy is fraught with problems. A further factor is a differing...
Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, RUSI Newsbrief, International Security Studies, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Sanctions, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Iran in Yemen: Ending the Houthi War
RUSI Newsbrief, 2 May 2017James Shinnie
With the US recently increasing its air operations in Yemen, the West still has a role to play in the Houthi conflict. But what conditions need to be in place for the coalition to triumph...
Iran, RUSI Newsbrief, Counterinsurgency, Military Sciences, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Iraq, Iran and the US: Economic trends in the wake of sanctions
Events, 31 October 2018In association with the Iraq Britain Business Council, RUSI will host a panel discussion on the future of Iraq, its economic and political stability.
RUSI International, Iran, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
BY INVITATION ONLY: Roundtable on the Iran Nuclear Deal with Baroness Catherine Ashton and Richard Nephew
Events, 1 June 2017The Royal United Services Institute will host a private roundtable with Baroness Catherine Ashton and Richard Nephew on Thursday 1 June 2017 to discuss their respective roles in the negotiations of...
Iran, International Security Studies
Transatlantic Compliance Challenges in the JCPOA
Events, 15 March 2016In this event, Richard Nephew, former Director for Iran on the National Security Staff, and Michael Lyons, Senior Associate at Clifford Chance, will examine the challenges faced in the US and in the...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, US Defence Policy, Iran, European Union, International Security Studies, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues
"“In practical terms, there is little difference between the designation of the IRGC as an FTO and the previous inclusion under the Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List,” said Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. “However, the new legislation is likely to have additional unintended consequences, as demonstrated — for instance, by the closure of the social media accounts of several IRGC-linked members, including of Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani,” she added. “Overall, while the legislation is unlikely to significantly weaken the IRGC, both within and outside of Iran, the perception of outside threat and exceptionalism that the US designation, the first of its kind, entails will most likely lead factions and centers of powers across the political spectrum to close ranks and increase their support for IRGC.”"
The IRGC, Iran’s military industrial complex
In The News, 20 May 2019 Tags: Iran, Middle East and North Africa
""I think at this stage Iran really doesn't want direct confrontation, neither with the US nor any other countries in the region," said Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, senior research fellow at RUSI. "There has been a response but not a provocation so far from Iran and there has been a commitment to clarify that, if needed, Iran would respond with all its tools at its disposal.""
In Tehran, specter of war met with more defiance than fear
In The News, 17 May 2019 Tags: Iran, Middle East and North Africa
"“There hasn’t been a massive change in U.S. force posture in the region. What there has been is a very significant change in messaging. And combined with that the U.S. is putting more and more pressure on Iran economically. So the question comes, how is Iran going to push back? How are they going to show the United States that if you keep pressing us, we can respond? And at that point, if they get that wrong, there is a risk of runaway escalation,” Watling told VOA. "
Europe Urges Restraint as Fears of US-Iran Conflict Escalate
In The News, 14 May 2019 Tags: United States, Iran
""Regardless of whether these ships got hit by Iranians or not, the Americans and the Iranians have gotten themselves into this cycle where neither seems to be able to back down from making belligerent statements," according to Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. "
Ship sabotage mystery raises fears of accidental conflict with Iran
In The News, 14 May 2019 Tags: United States, Iran
"Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank, says Iranian officials were especially incensed by America’s decision on April 22nd to end exemptions from its sanctions that had allowed some countries to buy Iranian oil. Europe’s best efforts are unlikely to compensate for that blow"
As America and Iran act tough, the risk of conflict is growing
In The News, 11 May 2019 Tags: United States, Iran
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