The Hill: Hassan Rouhani is a key figure within the establishment who in the past 34 years has always had critical posts within the regime, especially intelligence, military and national security posts.
Prospects after Iran’s presidential elections
India, Iran bid to resolve oil tanker dispute
AFP: New Delhi and Tehran were Saturday working to resolve a dispute over the detention of an Indian oil tanker by Iranian naval guards for allegedly polluting sea waters in the Persian Gulf.
No cause for optimism with Iran’s new leader
American Thinker: Since the June election of Hassan Rowhani as the new president of Iran, optimism in the West for negotiations with the Islamic state over its illicit nuclear program has been increasing. That optimism is misplaced.
Iran president’s cabinet shows dual policy track
Wall Street Journal: The cabinet choices made by Iran’s President Hasan Rouhani signal that the new government could be pursuing a dual policy track: a shift in foreign and economic polices to ease international sanctions but far less compromise on opening up domestic politics and social freedom.
Iran arms to Syria down but not over: Iraq FM
AFP: Iran has reduced flights of arms to Syria but Iraq cannot stop them completely and should not be treated as a “whipping boy,” its foreign minister said Friday.
Iran’s clerics remain the problem
New York Times: The jaded envoys who have been struggling with the Iran issue for the past decade — a period that included Hassan Rouhani’s stewardship of the nuclear file — are suddenly optimistic.
Here’s how Iran censors the Internet
Washington Post: Discussion of Internet censorship usually focuses on China and its “Great Firewall.” But the Chinese Communist Party isn’t the only regime that censors its Internet. Iran does too.
Other crises overshadow growing violence in Iraq
AP: At Thursday’s meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, one of the main topics was flights of weapons from Iran across Iraqi airspace into Syria and back as well as the threat from al-Qaida fighters along the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Rouhani’s cabinet appointments belie his moderate image
Huffington Post: As with Rouhani’s election and the content of his first speech as president, his cabinet picks have proven to be a source of excessive optimism in the world media.
Kerry warns of Iraq destabilization by extremists
AFP: US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Thursday that Iraq risked destabilization from Sunni and Shiite extremists as civil war flares in neighboring Syria.
