Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran Please submit all media inquiries to avaez@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Ali Vaez is Crisis Group's Iran Project Director. Consulting closely with all sides in the nuclear negotiations for the past few years as our former Iran Senior Analyst, he led Crisis Group’s efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 and is renowned as one of the foremost experts on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Professional Background Before joining Crisis Group, he headed the Iran project at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, DC. Trained as a scientist, Vaez has more than a decade of experience in journalism. He has written widely on Iranian affairs and is a regular contributor to mainstream media outlets. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University from 2008 to 2010 and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Geneva and a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Languages Persian French English In The News 18 Mar 2020 [The sanctions] are a testament to this administration's doctrinal belief in the effectiveness of sanctions to bring Iran to its knees. Middle East Eye Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 12 Mar 2020 The Iranian leadership knows that if it curbs the [International Atomic Energy Agency’s] inspections, it will lose the support of all the remaining parties to the JCPOA. Bloomberg Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 5 Mar 2020 The coronavirus has basically done what the Trump administration’s sanctions failed to do: effectively completely isolated Iran. South China Morning Post Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 23 Feb 2020 If past is prelude, engagement with Iran’s hardliners is much harder for the West. The new parliament is bound to adopt a much more militant approach to foreign and nuclear policies. Bloomberg Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 15 Jan 2020 The [Iranian] government sees itself under siege from all sides right now and is not going to allow any protest to snowball into a nationwide movement. Reuters Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 12 Jan 2020 The game will return to Iran’s comfort zone: indirect attacks against the United States and its allies in ways that would allow plausible deniability and minimal risks of reprisal. New York Times Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran Latest Updates Op-Ed / The Covid-19 Pandemic and Deadly Conflict 18 March 2020 The Coronavirus Crisis is a Diplomatic Opportunity for the United States and Iran Washington and Tehran could use the public health emergency to show goodwill, dial down tensions while saving face, and avoid a dangerous confrontation. Originally published in Foreign Policy Commentary / Gender, Peace and Security 6 March 2020 U.S. “Maximum Pressure” on Iran Hurts the Women It Claims to Help To help justify its coercive measures against the Islamic Republic, Washington often evokes Iranian women’s struggles for inclusion and equality. But evidence from today’s Iran shows that U.S. policies are instead contributing to holding women back. Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 5 November 2019 U.S. Maximum Pressure Meets Iranian Maximum Pressure Eighteen months after Washington quit the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, Tehran is proceeding with staggered steps away from its own compliance. The deal is unravelling against the backdrop of high regional tensions. A de-escalation along the lines developed by France provides an off-ramp. Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 20 September 2019 After the Aramco Attack: A Middle East One Step Closer to Its “1914 Moment” On 14 September, strikes of uncertain provenance hit Saudi Arabia’s largest oil facilities, taking some 50 per cent of the kingdom’s oil production temporarily offline. Crisis Group offers a 360-degree view of the attacks and their implications for Middle Eastern and international peace and security. Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 16 August 2019 Ali Vaez : « Evitons un “1914” du Proche-Orient » Dans une tribune au « Monde », le spécialiste de l’Iran affirme que, si l’escalade se poursuit entre les Etats-Unis et l’Iran, le risque d’une déflagration qui embraserait tout le Proche-Orient, comme l’Europe en 1914, n’est pas à exclure. Originally published in Le Monde Load more