Topic: National Iranian American Council

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On the road, Iran's Khamenei sets stage for a less democratic future

During a nine-day provincial tour, Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei pushed for voter participation in upcoming elections, but also suggested that a directly elected president might become a thing of the past.
Ahmadinejad says US hikers in Iran will be released soon. Why now?

Iran's leadership may be keen to offer a goodwill gesture, some observers suggest. Others wonder if the release of the two US hikers is tied to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program.
Terrorism & Security
Iran welcomes Russian effort to restart nuclear negotiations [VIDEO]

Iran has embraced a Russian proposal to restart nuclear negotiations with the international community, but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's political rivals may try to block the talks.
Iranian group's big-money push to get off US terrorist list

SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: A roster of influential former US officials is speaking at rallies in support of removing the MEK, an Iranian opposition group with a violent anti-American history, from the US terrorist list. A decision is expected within weeks.
Hikers and other alleged spies: which Americans travel to Iran, and why

Iran state media reported Thursday that an American in Iran was detained for having espionage equipment in her mouth. For Americans – be they hikers or businessmen – Iran can be a forbidding destination if the visitors are perceived as potential spies.
NGOs quietly press for access to Iran

Despite intensified sanctions on Iran, US-based nongovernmental organizations are trying to prove that they should be allowed to work in the country. The process is daunting enough that many groups give up.
New US stance on Iran: stress human rights violations

Instead of expressing support for participants in Iranian protests, which the regime could use against them, the Obama administration is focusing on Iran’s human rights violations.
Draft of Iran nuclear deal: Start of a thaw in relations with US?

The tentative Iran nuclear deal could be the beginning of a shift from a dominant antagonism to an openness to addressing mutual interests, some diplomatic experts say.
US will join talks with Iran

But the Oct. 1 meeting may simply set the stage for the US to seek tougher sanctions against Tehran for its nuclear program.
Iranians find new ways to keep protests alive

Twitter, Youtube, and the force of the movement for change in Iran make it difficult for the government to paint the protesters as tools of foreign powers.
British Embassy row: Why Iran's hard-liners are inviting isolation

A senior cleric called Friday for British Embassy employees to be tried for allegedly inciting mass protests. The move signals a heightened effort to portray recent unrest as a foreign plot.
Obama: Bloodshed in Iran affects prospects for US dialogue

He dismisses Ahmadinejad's accusation that US meddled in Iranian politics and must apologize.
What Obama must do now on Iran

Condemn violence, without picking sides.
Terrorism & Security
Iranian media crackdown prompts Tweets and blogs

Government tries to cut flow of information, but citizen journalists find ways to fill the gap. One blogger claims: 'Tiananmen + Twitter = Tehran'.
Iran: Will talks happen under Obama?

A period of reestablishing relations with Iran's partners seems likely. Also expect contacts with lower-tier Iranian officials.
The alternative to an Israeli attack on Iran

Serious diplomacy, not military action, will bring regional security.