B-Team took Trump for an ‘easy mark’: Zarif

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has referred to recent remarks by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about how Israelis have played U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Rex Tillerson’s remarks confirms that the B-Team took Trump for an “easy mark”.

By Haniyeh Sadat Jafariyeh

Gas first – energy for peace

When history is written, then President Trump's decision on 8th May to abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with Iran may well be seen as a historic turning point.

By Javad Heirannia

Bolton has spoken out unequivocally against JCPOA: Middle East Forum president

TEHRAN - Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, says “The crises - North Korea, Iran and Syria - are most likely to be affected first, as the new team (assuming Pompeo is confirmed) encourages Trump's instincts to act tough.”

By Javad Heirannia

JCPOA future is very limited: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “Bolton and Pompeo are both much more hawkish.”

By Hanif Ghaffari

Radicalism at the White House

TEHRAN - The dismissal of U.S. Secretary of State "Rex Tillerson" and appointing "Mike Pompeo", CIA Director for his post means that serious changes are happening in the White House.

By Mahmood Monshipouri

Tillerson’s Exit and future of Iran Nuclear Deal

SAN FRANCISCO - Could the departure of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from the U.S. Department of State deliver a coup de grace to the Iran nuclear deal? One potential consequence of Tillerson’s ouster is that President Trump would likely pave the way for abandoning the Iran nuclear deal—otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

By Hanif Ghaffari

Movement of the White House towards radicalism

TEHRAN - The removal of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from power and the replacement of CIA chief Mike Pompeo will create new crises at the White House. In the domestic circles of the United States, Tillerson was considered one of the few symbols of political rationality in the Trump cabinet. However, Pompeo has always been a symbol of extremism in the political and security structures of the United States.

By Mahdi Zolfaqari

Who is Mike Pompeo and how will he address Iran?

TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday with a Tweet, as Tillerson was returning to Washington from a week-long trip in Africa assuming that he was still holding the position.

Iran warns U.S. about intervention in Syria

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday slammed the United States for its hostile policies towards the Middle East, saying Washington is not entitled to intervene in Syria.

Trump says he fired Tillerson due to disagreement over Iran deal

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he dismissed Rex Tillerson as secretary of state at least in part over a disagreement on how best to proceed with the Iran nuclear deal.

By Javad Heirannia

Qatar won’t compromise on its national interest: Adib-Moghaddam

TEHRAN – According to a Professor at the London Middle East Institute, the mistrust between Qatar and the UAE-Saudi is so pronounced that it is unlikely to be overcome in the short term.

By Javad Heirannia

Trump administration lacks diplomatic skill to reconcile PGCC: Bianchi

TEHRAN – Robert R. Bianchi, a Professor at the University of Chicago, believes that the Trump administration lacks the diplomatic skills to resolve conflicts that are destroying the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).

By Javad Heirannia

‘PGCC will never be the same’

TEHRAN - A senior expert on Arab affairs who teaches international business at George Washington University believes that “Qatar can never again trust Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) will never be the same.”

By Mohammad Ghaderi

Lady diplomat puts on a new show to grab attention

TEHRAN - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations continues to spew forth inflammatory rhetoric against Iran.

France to U.S: ‘Signatories must stand by their word’ on nuclear deal

PARIS — The Trump administration on Tuesday pressed ahead with efforts to convince European allies to add tough new requirements to the Iran nuclear deal, a move met with deep skepticism in France where the foreign minister insisted “signatories must stand by their word.”

BY Stephen M. Walt

The Islamic Republic of Hysteria

To the extent the Trump administration has a discernible Middle East strategy, it is to contain and confront Iran. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and President Donald Trump himself have all denounced Iran’s regional activities. (In February, after Iranian ballistic missile tests, Trump tweeted that the country was “playing with fire.”) In October, the White House announced that moving forward, the official U.S. policy is aimed at “neutralizing Iran’s destabilizing influence and constraining its aggression.”

U.S. to remain in nuclear agreement for ‘time being’: Tillerson

TEHRAN – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has softened President Donald Trump’s harsh stance on the Iran nuclear deal, saying Washington would remain in the 2015 accord “for the time being”.

By Saeed Sobhani

Tillerson's Dissatisfaction with Kushner

TEHRAN _ The U.S. President's son in law, Jared Kushner, has become a controversial figure in the United States in recent days. This 36-year-old Jewish young man who has extensive relations with the AIPAC lobby in the United States, has been very intimate with the Prime of the Zionist regime, Benjamin Netanyahu. During the 2016 presidential campaigns, Kushner was considered one of Trump bridges with the AIPAC lobby and Netanyahu. After Trump's victory in the election, Kushner became a powerful figure in the U.S. foreign policy.

Mogherini: Nuclear deal is a key strategic priority for EU

TEHRAN – In discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels on Tuesday EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on Washington to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

Tillerson’s accusations are ‘unfounded’, Iran says

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Wednesday that accusations levelled by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson against Iran are “unfounded” and “false”.

Bullies never respect sycophants

Stop the state visit. Britain should not allow the U.S. president’s racism to be dressed up in pageantry

By Madeleine K. Albright

The national security emergency we’re not talking about

America’s diplomatic professionals have issued a dire warning about the crisis facing the State Department: Scores of top diplomats, including some of our highest-ranked career Foreign Service officers, have left the agency at “a dizzying speed” over the past 10 months.

By Edward-Isaac Dovere

Don’t count on the cabinet to stop a Trump-ordered nuclear strike

Stop counting on Secretary of Defense James Mattis or Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to stop a nuclear war if Donald Trump wants one, says Bill Perry. They couldn’t.

‘No separate meeting between Zarif, Tillerson’

TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi again on Thursday insisted that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his American counterpart held no talks in New York except for a ministerial meeting between Iran and six world powers.

90 U.S. nuclear scientists urge Congress to protect Iran deal

TEHRAN – More than 90 top U.S. nuclear scientists have written a letter to Congress urging it to protect the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.

Tehran to U.S.: Iranians won’t be fooled by ‘faux sympathy’

TEHRAN - Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on the U.S. to stop offering “faux sympathy” for the Iranian nation, saying Iranian will not fall for such a “game”, Press TV reported.

Al-Abadi heading to Tehran

TEHRAN – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is visiting Tehran on Wednesday as part of a regional tour.

Zarif to Tillerson: Popular Mobilization Forces right at home 

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for his call on the Popular Mobilization Forces to go home, saying “They are home. They have not been, nor will they be, waiting for anyone’s orders.”

Tillerson: U.S. won’t interfere with European trade with Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the Trump administration does not intend to disrupt European business deals with Iran, a week after Trump’s refusal to certify the Iran nuclear deal.

Tillerson: Staying in the Iran deal in best interest of U.S.

 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday he believes staying in the Iran nuclear deal is in the best interest of the U.S.