M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi

US President Barak Obama recently signed a tougher sanctions law against Iran in a continuing bid to coerce Tehran into abandoning its nuclear programme. This Backgrounder discusses the reactions of the emerging powers to the new sanctions and their implications.

• Published: February 28, 2012
• Backgrounder

There has been an increasing assertion of the velayat-e-faqih in Iranian politics in recent years. This has led to tensions between them and the presidential office in Iran. Against this backdrop, this article seeks to analyse the constitutional position of the velayat-e-faqih and how it has interacted with other institutions to shape Iranian foreign policy. The article critically analyses the relationship between the velayat-e-faqih and different popularly elected presidents.

• Published: January 2012
• Strategic Analysis

Rafsanjani losing the position of chairman of the Assembly of Experts is a gain for Ahmadinejad and the hardliners.

• Published: March 23, 2011
• IDSA Comments

Today hardly any part of the world is untouched by the interplay of oil and international politics. Consumers as well as producers are concerned about the impact of national and international events that increase or restrict the supply of energy. Given that the West Asian region holds the world's largest residual oil and gas resources, the article seeks to analyse the importance of West Asia in the context of the changing geopolitical situation and its impact on the current oil market. The article also focuses on the issue of the petrodollar and looks at its impact on the oil market.

• Published: March 2011
• Strategic Analysis

Mubarak’s fall may bring Iran closer to Egypt than ever before. Iran has taken a pro-people stand and hopes to reap a harvest of good-will in the Arab world. The Iranian Opposition has also extended support to the movement, though for different reasons.

• Published: February 14, 2011
• IDSA Comments

Will the recent US Treasury sanctions and impending Congress sanctions on Iran influence Indian companies from doing business with the Islamic Republic?

• Published: June 21, 2010
• Issue Brief

This book explores the options for building a fence between dormant Iranian nuclear-weapons ability and a real weapon, both in practice and in terms of observation. There is no definite firewall between the peaceful nuclear activities as Iran claming allowed under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and weapons abilities, but there are some ways to make the difference between the two wider and more visible.

• Published: April 2010
• Journal of Defence Studies

Although Iran’s regime is under no immediate danger of being toppled, it however faces a growing number of internal and external threats which will necessitate prudent redressing.

• Published: January 08, 2010
• IDSA Comments

• Published: January 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The draft deal is envisaged as a test of Iran’s intentions, and from the Iranian point of view as a test of Western countries’ assurance to facilitate its peaceful nuclear programme.

• Published: November 05, 2009
• IDSA Comments