Khosro Isfahani
Senior Research Analyst, NUFDI
Khosro Isfahani is a Senior Research Analyst at National Union for Democracy in Iran.
Senior Research Analyst, NUFDI
Khosro Isfahani is a Senior Research Analyst at National Union for Democracy in Iran.
Tehran’s recent gestures of apparent flexibility—from looser enforcement of the hijab to an embrace of nationalist symbolism—recall moments in Communist history when a brief opening exposed risks the system ultimately moved to contain.
Tehran’s approach to diplomacy may be best summed up by a Persian phrase: refusing with one hand and accepting with the other. But does the moribund economy show that the equivocating strategy has finally run out of road?
With the supreme leader’s retreat from view since the 12-Day War with Israel, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) appear to have taken on his role as political disciplinarian, nudging senior figures to keep their feuds out of public view.
Ali Larijani’s reappointment as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) may appear to mark a return to moderation, but it is better understood as a tactical facelift.
