Since the United States and Iran tacitly cooperated to defeat the challenge to Iraq’s integrity posed by the so-called Islamic State, the two powers have conducted a bare-knuckled competition to align Iraq with their respective interests| The Soufan Center
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has consumed the attention of both Iran and the United States, as well as that of Iraq, Iran has continued to try to ensure that it maintains preponderant influence in Iraq| The Soufan Center
The landmark July 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated between Iran and six powers (United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China) was formally endorsed in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231| The Soufan Center
The government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in December 2019 in the face of sustained protests by mainstream Shias and other groups over government incompetence, corruption, and the failure to address Iraq’s economic weaknesses| The Soufan Center
Last minute Russian demands are stalling significant momentum in ongoing talks in Vienna to restore full Iranian and U.S. compliance with the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal. The talks involve all seven parties to the deal—Iran and six powers referred to as the P5+1 (i.e. the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom| The Soufan Center
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters following a meeting with members of the U.N. Security Council, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020 (Mike Segar/Pool via AP)| The Soufan Center
In late October, Iran’s new government formally agreed to return to talks on a restoration of the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal. The new round that will begin on November 29 follows several months of uncertainty about whether the talks would continue| The Soufan Center
The spread of COVID-19 in Iran raises questions about the transparency of Iran’s regime and the capacity of the country’s health care system.| The Soufan Center
In the forty-five years since Iran’s Islamic Republic came to power, economic sanctions have been used as a key U.S. tool to try to change Iran’s behavior and curb Iran’s ability to fund and arm its wide network of regional armed factions.| The Soufan Center
Suggesting the existence of significant divisions within Iran’s regime, Iranian officials are altering their responses to try to quell a three-month long uprising that began with the mid-September death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, while in the custody of Iran’s morality police| The Soufan Center