Meir Javedanfar

Khamenei: Betweeen Obama and a Hard Place

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:31:01 +0000

The possibility of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group is increasing every day.

Just how much can Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offer at these talks?

http://the-diplomat.com/2012/01/21/iran-between-u-s-and-a-hard-place/

Will Iran Lash Out at Weak Israel?

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:20:37 +0000

A cornered Iranian supreme leader might be tempted to boost his domestic standing by lashing out at Israel. Israel is ill-equipped to respond.

http://the-diplomat.com/2012/01/07/will-iran-lash-out-at-weak-israel/

Iran’s Imperfect Trap for Obama

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:57:01 +0000

A sudden rise in oil prices could do to Obama’s reelection bid what Ayatollah Ali Khomeini’s 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy did to Carter’s reelection ambitions, namely wreck them.

Still, the threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz could come back to haunt Iran’s leaders.

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/12/30/iran%E2%80%99s-imperfect-trap-for-obama/

British Embassy Attack: Mojtaba Khamenei’s Work?

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:41:02 +0000

While it’s certainly possible that the supreme leader has become even more hard line, there’s also another possibility that has generally been overlooked – has Khamenei, as part of a plan to groom his son Mojtaba as his successor, transferred some of his authority to his son?

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/12/02/embassy-siege-sign-of-whats-ahead/

Memo to Iran: Obama Won’t Let It Go

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:55:37 +0000

If Khamenei thinks that Obama is going to simply walk away from all this, he will almost certainly prove mistaken.

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/11/10/memo-to-iran-obama-won%E2%80%99t-let-it-go/

Forecasting a possible Israeli attack against Iran

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:48:25 +0000

If you want to know whether Israel is about to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities then you’d be better served looking at Iran-related policy and statements emanating from Washington DC than speculative reports from the Israeli press.

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/11/04/why-israel-won%E2%80%99t-go-it-alone/

Ali Khamenei: Preparing for the day after

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:36:41 +0000

On the 24th of July 2009, an ARIA Air flight from Tehran to Mashhad crash landed, killing 17 people, including the pilot and the co-pilot.
Results of the ensuing investigations showed that a serious quarrel between the pilot and co-pilot was a major cause of the crash.
Khamenei seems to be worried that the same could happen to his regime, and could take appropriate action to avoid the same fate.

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/10/21/ahmadinejad-iran%E2%80%99s-last-president/

Iranian bomb plot and its domestic implications

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:02:27 +0000

What are the likely domestic implications of the recent plot against the Saudi ambassador for Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/18/iranian-bomb-plot-khamenei

Was Khamenei Reckless – Or Set Up?

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:19:57 +0000

Claims Iran was plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador on US soil are extraordinary. Would Iran’s supreme leader really have OK’d such a plot? or was he set up?

http://the-diplomat.com/2011/10/13/was-khamenei-reckless-or-set-up/

Iran negotiations have been a force multiplier

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:15:09 +0000

Negotiations with Iran have also done much to boost the credibility of the U.S. and the rest of the P5+1 at the expense of the Iranian government.

This was demonstrated after the revelation by the U.S. of a secret enrichment site in Fordo, in Central Iran. Had this revelation been made during the Bush era, it would have likely been met with considerably more skepticism.

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/27/iran_negotiations_have_been_a_force_multiplier