Trump’s Iran Scheme Probably Won’t Pay Off

Messing with Iran’s oil exports is not an alternative that the world can afford.  It may well be that Mr. Trump is beholden to Mr. Netanyahu. He may well feel comfortable enough to subject the American people – and their allies to financial hardship; but the question is will Americans and the rest of the world sacrifice themselves at the Trump-Netanyahu altar?  

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Donald Trump | Iran

It is as clear as day that President Trump is obsessed with regime change in Iran. What is not made clear is how much his gambit is damaging to Americans and American interests. Without cause or justification, Mr. Trump pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA), striking a hard blow to America’s European allies – and its own

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Iranians Are Bracing Themselves for an All-Out Economic War

While the dogs of war bark, the Ancient – and New – Silk Road goes on forever and a civilization with a long and proud history gets on with life

Pepe Escobar
By Pepe Escobar
An Iranian talks on his cellphone in a carpet shop at the old bazaar in Tehran, Iran. Vahid Salemi | AP

The minute you set foot in the streets of Mashhad, the air smelling of saffron, a fine breeze oozing from the mountains, it hits you; you’re in the heart of the Ancient Silk Road and the New Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To the east, the Afghan border is only three hours away on an excellent highway. To the north, the Turkmenistan border is

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In Face of US Threats, Iranians I Met Remain Calm and Confident in Their Strength

Unlike the drama one sees in the media, responses in Iran to the international saga unfolding are mostly calm: “We have been there before and we survived, we shall survive again.”

Miko Peled
By Miko Peled
A woman walks her dog past a mural depicting a nefarious Statue of Liberty on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, May. 8, 2018. Vahid Salemi | AP

TEHRAN, IRAN -- The look on people’s faces when I mention that I had just returned from visiting Iran is priceless. Even if the trip had been a terrible failure, it still would have been worth it just to see these expressions of confusion, disbelief and sometimes disdain at the mere mention of a visit to Iran. The trip was not a terrible failure;

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Helpless Europe Swallows Its Pride Amid Trump’s Anti-Iran Crusade

Ignoring EU protests defending the Iran nuclear deal, the US is displaying the continued vitality of its financial blackmail methods and its hegemony over its meek Western partners.

Elliott Gabriel
By Elliott Gabriel
Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrives for a meeting of the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, at the Europa building in Brussels, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Major European powers sought Tuesday to keep Iran committed to a deal to prevent it from building a nuclear bomb despite deep misgivings about Tehran's Middle East politics and President Donald Trump's vehement opposition. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

BRUSSELS -- Donald Trump’s decision to scrap the Iran nuclear agreement was universally deplored, yet the move underscored the chaotic nature of the United States’ relations with the rest of the world – and, primarily, its disharmonious transatlantic relationship with the “troika” of key European allies: Britain, France and Germany. But are the

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China is Fighting to Salvage the Iran Nuclear Deal

In an environment in which the Middle East views conflicts as zero-sum games, China is likely to find it increasingly difficult to remain aloof and straddle both sides of the fence.

MintPress News Desk
By MintPress News Desk
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, meets Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing, Sunday, May 13, 2018. (Thomas Peter/Pool Photo via AP)

Analysis (MES) -- Conventional wisdom has it that China stands to benefit from the US withdrawal from the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran, particularly if major European companies feel that the risk of running afoul of US secondary sanctions is too high. In doing so, China would draw on lessons learned from its approach to the

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This Week Could See Even More Palestinian Slaughter and Conflict With Iran

This week will see a dangerous confluence of events surrounding both Palestine and Iran that that threatens to culminate in disaster.

Kevin Zeese
Margaret Flowers
By Kevin Zeese
And Margaret Flowers
Israeli Violence

There will be a confluence of trigger events this week that could lead to an escalation of conflict. At the same time that the US has reneged on the nuclear agreement and Israeli missiles are attacking Iranians in Syria, the US embassy will be moved to Jerusalem and Palestinians will protest the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, capping six weeks of

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