Alireza Nader

International Policy Analyst

14 stories

10 quotes

The regime isn't just dependent on oil and energy exports to survive, it has other means of income,... Oil and natural gas are its biggest sources of income, but I think this regime has made a calculation that it can withstand even months of economic siege because it may think that the Trump administration is more vulnerable to political pressure."
I don’t see this economic blockade … leading to some sort of breaking point for the regime,
With the latest threat after that Canadian Iranian activist disappeared, I’ll be honest with you, I freaked out,
The Kurds are very organized and capable. And they are armed. Anyone who wants to free Iran has to work with them. The regime is a deeply entrenched system in Iran. It’s an ideology and belief system that will not be uprooted with air strikes. And the regime has been preparing for this moment for decades. The individual leaders may not matter as much as the system."
Unfortunately, the Iranian opposition is more divided than ever. And I blame much of it on Reza Pahlavi and his team. Take the announcement of the formation of the new Kurdish Iranian coalition. Pahlavi attacked the coalition as soon as it was formed, labeling them as ‘separatists'… But then Pahlavi had to walk back his statement after he found out that President Trump had called Kurdish leaders, an important development."
I fear that if Pahlavi becomes the ‘transition leader,’ Iran will never have truly free elections,

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