Iran

As long as U.S. sanctions are in place, Iran is likely to encounter more unrest. How the recent crisis compares to earlier crises in the Islamic Republic may provide insights into the regime’s behavior in future protests.

Recent protests provided the Islamic Republic with an opportunity to test drive an internet blackout and the Iranian intranet.

Iran’s leadership has for years downplayed the impact of sanctions on the economy. Now that President Hassan Rouhani and the regime are compelled to make economic adjustments, they are facing predictable public anger and protests for which they were unprepared.

Under the weight of the United States' “maximum pressure” campaign, Iran is inching toward economic collapse. But this does not necessarily entail the collapse of the political order.

Reactivating the Fordow uranium enrichment center is neither the first nor the last countermeasure of Tehran’s against Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

As anti-government protests spread like wildfire threatening the Islamic Republic’s allies and proxies, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei faces a dilemma: use Iran’s scarce resources to stabilize regional protests or leave them to their own devices and risk a fight with the IRGC.

Cryptocurrency activity is unlikely to offer the Iranian regime an immediate avenue for evading crippling U.S. sanctions.

Announcing planned naval exercises with Russia and China, Tehran is demonstrating that it is cautiously choosing its actions in its ongoing feud with Washington and Riyadh.