Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sits under a portrait of the late revolutionary founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, during a meeting in Tehran, June 31, 2020 (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader photo via AP Images).

Will the next U.S. president have any incentive to revive the Iran nuclear deal? The status of the agreement has steadily eroded since the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of it in May 2018 and subsequently reimposed punishing economic sanctions on Iran and any entities that do business with it. And Iran’s gradual and escalating breaches of the limits the deal imposed on its uranium enrichment program have led many to conclude that the clock is running out on the value of the deal. Skeptics of the deal’s chances clearly have the stronger argument at present, whether they ascribe the original […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks behind a screen showing portraits of the late Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran, Iran, May, 27, 2020 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi).

A series of mysterious explosions have rocked Iran over the past several weeks, including in two locations known to be military and nuclear sites. Although it remains unclear what—or who—is causing the blasts, it is becoming increasingly reasonable to assume they are not mere coincidences. Meanwhile, a leaked document this week purportedly revealed the outlines of a 25-year strategic partnership agreement being negotiated by Iran and China, by which Beijing would provide Tehran with much-needed investment and great-power patronage in return for heavily discounted oil. Both developments highlight the wisdom of the now-teetering Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the […]