Amir Taheri

Since last February and the “elimination” of Iranian Republic Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei the question for Iran watchers has been whether or not his son and successor Mojtaba died by his side or is still alive or half-alive to act as the leader? Initially almost everyone believed that he had…

“What is the Iran problem that analysts and policymakers often talk about?” This was the question fired at me at a recent brain-storming session with a number of political commentators in London. The short answer is that, depending on who is looking, Iran is made of a cluster of problems. To…

Whither Germany? Even a year ago that question would have raised eyebrows in political circles round the globe. The Federal Republic was an economic miracle and paragon of democratic stability. Its financial prudence and culture of hard work and innovation made it the guarantor of stability in…

By the time you read this column, Iranian economy will have just one week before it collapses, thus bringing down the regime established by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. That is if you believe US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who last week predicted the collapse in two weeks’ time. Don’t tell…

“October surprise” is a shibboleth that denotes a foreign intervention affecting the result of an American election that is always held in November. It was first coined by Gary Sick, a CIA analyst who served as adviser on Iranian affairs in the Jimmy Carter administration in late 1970s. …

“Yes, but with a big but!” This was the answer that speaking on condition of anonymity, French officials responded to our question whether they were impressed by visiting Iraqi Prime Minster Ali Falih al-Zaidi. The yes part was about finding the 41-year-old al-Zaidi, a young politician, with…

This morning, the great city of New York will once again hold a ritual ceremony that has become a fixed part of its annual agenda for a quarter of a century. The names of the 2,977 men, women and children who died in the terrorist attacks on World Trade Center’s twin towers on September 11 will be…

More than a year ago when some American politicians and pundits were beating the drums for war against Iran, Victor Davis Hanson reminded his audience that two of what he terms “the 10 decisive battles” that “the West” has fought in history were against Iran. The battles mentioned by the…

“A specter is haunting America; the specter of Communism!”. Until recently this re-writing of the opening of “The Communist Manifesto” by Marx and Engels might have sounded like a sour joke. Now, however, we have American politicians who describe themselves alternately as Democratic Socialists or…

As Antonio Guterres, the United Nation’ Secretary-General, will soon start clearing his desk and prepare for retirement, assessments of his tenure vary between “passable” and “mediocre”. There are those who appreciate his passionate defense of the Palestinians and critical stance on the Israel-US…