To read more about Iran's 3+3 peace formula for the South Caucasus, its desire to challenge the #US influence in the region, and #Zangezur #Nagorno-#Karabakh #trade, see my latest piece for Gulf Int'l Forum published today

Western powers win over #Iran bid to delay #UNSC snapback sanctions. For Iran's nuclear dealings with the West, #Russia, #China, #India, see my book: "The World Powers and Iran: Before, During and After the Nuclear Deal":

Read my latest piece Middle East Policy Council "The Perils of Nuclear Talks After US-Israel War on Iran" to review the confusion among Iran's elites and their final decision on how best to proceed with the #nuclear impasse as the West & #UNSC end #sanctions relief. aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/19…

Iran is concerned by #UNSC resolution today to end #sanctions relief, but does not feel paralyzed by it b/c it triggers its next course of action to rapidly build a fluid #nuclear sphere that evades tight proliferation regimes, I argue for Middle East Policy Council onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/me…

Hezbollah calls on Saudi Arabia to unite, tapping into the group's influence over the Gulf Shias, support for #Palestine & a pan-Arab sentiments opposed to the #AbrahamAccords. My book chapter on #SaudiIsrael details how Riyadh navigates these terrains. reuters.com/world/middle-e…

"Shifting Power Dynamics in the South Caucasus: Iran’s Uncertain Future in the Region" Banafsheh Keynoush بنفشه کی نوش discusses #Iran's mounting challenges in the South Caucasus and its inclination to combat a growing #US presence in the region. Read the full article here:

Over 70 Iranian MoPs call for revising the supreme leader's #fatwa that bans use of #nuclear #weapons. They urge for building the weapon. For history of the fatwa & debates leading by 1998 to building nuclear weapons knowhow, see my article Middle East Policy Council onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/me…

Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian says United Nations General Assembly, his country does not seek to weaponize. To see if an inward-looking regime is more likely to seek to build nuclear weapons, read my latest analysis for Middle East Policy Council "The Perils of Nuclear Talks" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/me…

I argue for Middle East Policy Council that Iran is unable to autonomously shape the debate to build a #nuclear #weapon, due to lack of #elite consensus on the issue. In similar fashion, to maintain elite consensus, a requirement for regime survival, it will retain the option to weaponize.

Snapback is in motion, G7 asks Iran to negotiate and de-escalate. To understand why Iran will not easily surrender to the demands, see my article Middle East Policy Council onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/me…

After 46 years, Iran's supreme national security council member says forced #hijab is no longer the law of the land. This law was imposed on #women, killed because of it, in the name of #God. I could have told council members back then, God had nothing to do with it.

"As wars and rivalries reshape the Middle East and South Asia, Iran and Pakistan are forging a partnership rooted in shared security concerns and economic ambitions." Read the new article from Banafsheh Keynoush بنفشه کی نوش here: gulfif.org/from-caution-t…

Middle East Policy marks October 7 with a special issue providing insights into which aspects of Trump 20-point plan have any chance. Featuring Yagil Levy Banafsheh Keynoush بنفشه کی نوش Guy Ziv Philip Weiss many others onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.111…

It is October 7, and my new article Middle East Policy Council reviews what it means in terms of the #Trump administration's nuclear policy on #Iran and #Israel: "Perils of Nuclear Talks After The US-Israel War on Iran": lnkd.in/gEbVygy3

"From Caution to Cooperation: Iran-Pakistan Relations in the Shadow of Regional Conflict" Banafsheh Keynoush بنفشه کی نوش discusses #Iran and #Pakistan's attempt to strengthen their bilateral relationship amid regional uncertainty. Read the full article here: gulfif.org/from-caution-t…

A first The Nobel Prize for a #Saudi citizen of #Palestinian-Jordanian background. Congratulations to Professor Omar Yaghi.

Nuclear Diplomacy, Instability and the Survival of the Islamic Republic - join us for this online panel event with Ali Ansari, Banafsheh Keynoush بنفشه کی نوش and Holly Dagres, moderated by Sir Richard Dalton on 23 October 2025 at 14.00 BST. Find out more here - loom.ly/0HWCFK4

Israel just granted President Donald J. Trump an honorary #Persian/Iranian lineage (source, Reuters):

Iran, along with Qatar & Saudi Arabia, step in to urge for restraint in #Taliban #Islamabad cross-fires. My piece Gulf Int'l Forum explores Iran's key interests and influences in this conflict: gulfif.org/from-caution-t…

The Guardian reporting on my career as a senior simultaneous #interpreter: theguardian.com/world/2014/jul…