By Javad Heirannia

 ‘Warsaw Conference unlikely to result in any practical achievements’

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that the Trump administration has had to walk back from what it initially hoped to do with the Warsaw's Conference.

By Javad Heirannia

Erdogan government certainly does not like the Assad regime: ex-CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The Syrian Kurds now have a much stronger incentive than before to reach some sort of understanding with the Assad regime--possibly pledging loyalty to the regime in return for a degree of autonomy in northeast Syria.” 

By Javad Heirannia

MEK Sources of funds are Iran’s regional rivals: ex-CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “A rationale for removing the MEK from the U.S. terrorism list was that in recent years the group has not been involved in killing Americans.” 

By Javad Heirannia

EU army won’t threaten NATO future: ex-CIA official 

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “today the idea of a European military force clearly is getting a boost from the many frictions between Europe and the Trump administration in the United States.” 

By Javad Heirannia

Reimposing sanctions on Iran is not in U.S. national interests: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that obviously with the U.S. administration reneging on the JCPOA, Iran is not getting much of the economic benefit it expected when it negotiated the agreement.  

By Javad Heirannia

Khashoggi case will force Trump to do something: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that Khashoggi case will force Trump to do something, but his administration will resist doing more than a necessary minimum, because it does not want to upset its overall relationship with Saudi Arabia. 

By Javad Heirannia

Next election is a referendum for Trump: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “No doubt other participants in the coming Security Council meeting--and not just Iran, which needs to be given an opportunity to speak--will raise the point that the United States under Trump has been in violation of an agreement that became enshrined in a Security Council resolution that passed by a unanimous vote.”

By Javad Heirannia

Security problems in Middle East are not clear situations: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The security problems in the Middle East in which Iran is involved are not clear situations, in which there is one aggressor and one victim.”

By Javad Heirannia

Trump is a false populist: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that Trump lives in “the moment, saying what gets applause and attention at any one moment. He leaves no legacy of political or philosophical thought.”

By Javad Heirannia

European large firms will ignore Iran market: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The European governments seem determined to resist the Trump administration on this issue, but there is only so much they can do to protect their private sector from secondary U.S. sanctions.”

By Javad Heirannia

Netanyahu relying on confusion and ignorance about JCPOA: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “Netanyahu is relying on confusion and ignorance about the JCPOA.”

By Javad Heirannia

Saudis are not eager to make significant new troop commitment in Syria: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that the United States cannot, of course, order Arab states to do specified things with their armed forces.  

By Javad Heirannia

Attack on Syria didn't have a basis in international law: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that the attack on Syria was “neither in self-defense nor authorized by the United Nations Security Council, it did not have a basis in international law.

By Javad Heirannia

Future of JCPOA looks grim: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The changes involving Pompeo and Bolton will mean a more hawkish policy overall. There will be even greater reliance on military force rather than on diplomacy than we have seen so far.”

By Javad Heirannia

JCPOA model has less attractive aspects from Saudi point of view: Pillar

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The Saudis will argue that they should get anything that Iran got in the JCPOA, and that includes being free to do their own enrichment of uranium.”

By Javad Heirannia

Ex-CIA analyst suggests PGCC talks may resolve crisis 

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was a CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The United States not only wants to maintain friendly relations with both sides in the PGCC dispute but also has important military and security cooperation with each side.”

By Fatemeh Mohammadi

Iran will not accept giving up its own missile program: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “Iran will not accept giving up its own missile program when other states in the region have ballistic missiles and in some cases air forces that are superior to that of Iran.”  

By Javad Heirannia

Amano cannot afford to alienate himself from U.S.: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “much of the opposition to the JCPOA in the United States attempts to confuse people with vague references to "anywhere, anytime" inspections, and the Trump administration has joined in some of this confusion, the U.S. statement at the IAEA meeting appears to be within the bounds of what was agreed to in the JCPOA.”

By Javad Heirannia

Trump is a threat to liberalism: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “Trump's actions certainly have been inconsistent with liberal principles and ideals.”

by Zahra Sadat Khezri

Neither Trump nor Kim currently seeking war: ex-senior CIA official

Paul Pillar says North Korea is unlikely ever to give up nuclear weapons as a deterrent against armed attack

TEHRAN – A former senior U.S. intelligence official believes that neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un are now looking for a war.

By Javad Heirannia

Trump more likely refuses to certify JCPOA next month: ex-CIA analyst

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “President Trump clearly is searching for a way to get out of the agreement.  His objective in this regard has to do with fulfilling his campaign rhetoric and trying to undo another of his predecessor's accomplishments.”

By Javad Heirannia

King Salman may abdicate throne in favor of son: ex-CIA analyst

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, says it is possible that King Salman abdicate the throne in favor of his 31-year old son Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).

British thinking about Iran won’t primarily be affected by U.S.: security expert

TEHRAN – A senior fellow at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University and at the Brookings Institution says "official British thinking about relations with Iran will not primarily be affected by the U.S. administration."