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. Languages Persian French English In The News 15 May 2019 [If sanctions fail to bring down the Iranian economy] there will be people in Washington who will push for limited kinetic action against the Iranian regime to cut it down to size. NYT Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 9 May 2019 [Iran has] increasingly less to lose because the U.S. sanctions have effectively deprived them of all the benefits that the nuclear deal promised. USA Today Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 6 May 2019 [Iran has] plenty of options. The problem is, given that there are no off-ramps, and no channels of communication between [Iran and the U.S.], the risks of a confrontation quickly spiraling out of control are quite high. The Atlantic Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 5 May 2019 My sense is that [Iran is] going to break out of some of the [JCPOA's] limits on research and development. It’s an escalation, but an incremental and reversible one. Politico Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 26 Apr 2019 The intent [of the sanctions] is clear: bankrupt Iran into acceding to unilateral U.S. demands or, even better, imploding its regime. But the campaign against Iran is more likely to fuel resistance and retaliation than capitulation. The Guardian Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran 27 Mar 2019 Washington's approach is systematic as well as binary: allies must be supported, rivals must be curbed. But how effective it is in bringing Iran back to the table on US terms still very much uncertain. Twitter Ali Vaez Project Director, Iran Latest Updates Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 17 May 2019 Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ Won’t Make Iran Yield The one thing Tehran would find more intolerable than the crushing impact of sanctions is raising the white flag because of them. Originally published in The Atlantic Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 17 May 2019 Trump's Iran policy could prop up regime in spite of economic harms Originally published in Axios Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 17 May 2019 Europe Tests the Boundaries on Iran A New Trade Vehicle Could Preserve the Nuclear Deal’s Core Bargain Originally published in Foreign Affairs Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 24 April 2019 The Risks of Maximising Pressure on Iran The Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran is more likely to fuel resistance and retaliation than capitulation. Washington should heed past lessons lest it provokes a new nuclear crisis or a regional escalation. Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 28 June 2018 Trump's unintended allies in Iran: the hardliners Originally published in The Hill Load more