Iran’s nuclear ambitions under the shah and ayatollahs

During the 1970s, under the last shah, Iran’s nuclear program seemed to be gearing up so that nation could gain the option of declaring weapons capability if deemed necessary and at a point when the international community could no longer forestall it. So re-examining activities during the Pahlavi dynasty and using them as a context for the Islamic Republic’s more recent actions casts light upon motivations for pursuing weaponization and intransigence in reaching accommodation with the West after the rise of the ayatollahs, despite differences between the two Iranian regimes

The Middle Persian Inscription from a Shipwreck in Thailand: Merchants, Containers, and Commodities

Seafaring contacts between Iran and China via South and Southeast Asia—i.e., the Indian Ocean trade along the Maritime Silk Road—appear to have been well-established by the fijirst century CE. The Southwest or summer monsoon winds and rains from June and July through September and October blow from southwest to northeast, propelling ships from the Persian Gulf coastline over the Arabian Sea, down the west coast of India, to Serendib (Ceylon, Sri Lanka) and then across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal through the straits of Southeast Asia and onward to the South China Sea. That was the path and time of year for journeys from Iranian to Chinese ports. The Northeast or winter monsoon winds and rains from November and December through March generally carried ships westward from China via Southeast Asia to the Maldive Islands and then northwestward to the Persian Gulf, although ships could also dock in the harbors along the southern shore of Serendib if cargo transfer or other mission goals warranted such a stop. The period of the Tang Empire (618–907) of China, which overlapped with the Sasanian Empire (224–651) and Umayyad (661–750) and Abbasid (750–1258) Caliphates of Iran was one of intense maritime trade. Pearls, coral, amber, ambergris (as a substrate for perfumes), ivory, tortoise shells, and spices were shipped between Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean ports such as Basra, Siraf, Muscat, Mantai, and Galle to Burma (Myanmar) and Siam (Thailand), then initially through the Sunda Strait and later through the Malacca (Melaka) Strait to Chinese ports like Canton (Guangzhou) and Nanjing. From China, the ships brought silks and porcelain, in particular, to the consumers of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Near East

To Resolve the Syrian Crisis, Partition Is Necessary

Syria was never a country whose 14 provinces and 8 main communities were voluntarily bonded together by secularism and tolerance. Not surprisingly the six-year civil war became violently sectarian and ethnic. At ceasefire talks on May 4 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Russia proposed four “de-escalation zones” (http://www.dw.com/en/russia-iran-turkey-agree-on-syria- safe-zones-opposition-cries-foul/a-38698548) with Iran, Turkey, and itself serving as guarantors. Yes, partition is necessary. But having three nations that greatly abet the strife serve as enforcers will not produce peace. An impartial plan must be formulated and implemented

Trump’s Real Challenge in Middle East: Don’t Follow Russia and Iran

The harrowing image last month of a Turkish police officer standing over the Russian ambassador he just shot, while blaming Moscow for the devastation in Syria, captures a key foreign policy challenge for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump: How can he attempt to stabilize the Middle East by bringing conflicts to a close, rather than letting Russia and Iran lead the region into further cycles of repression and violence under the rubric of fighting terrorism