Interviews

Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: In the recent years, the history of Iran’s relations with the Western powers, and especially the United States, has been full of ups and downs, points of confrontation, dispute and also sporadic breakthroughs. Different issues have contributed to the deterioration of bilateral and multilateral relations, and indubitably the controversy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program was the most important issue. The United States and its European allies have been accusing Iran of trying to use its nuclear program as a cover for producing atomic bombs, while Iran has persistently denied the claims, citing the numerous IAEA reports showing that its nuclear activities have never deviated toward weaponization but were...

Kourosh Ziabari - Tehran Times: Although there are many hawkish politicians across the world who find a peaceful settlement of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program a blow to their interests, one can find many influential voices that have always advocated a viable diplomatic engagement with Iran with the aim of bringing to an end the decade-long nuclear controversy in a constructive manner. The former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Dr. Hans Blix is one of these people. As Iran and the six world powers approach the final stages of drafting a final agreement over Tehran’s nuclear program, Blix says that he understands the Iranian people’s desire for mastering the nuclear technology for peaceful...

Kourosh Ziabari: The former Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick says that none of the divine religions permits and discounts the humiliation of the followers and sacraments of other religions and scoffing at what millions of people hold to be sacred and holy is not allowed or commended by any religion. “There has to be respect for what other people believe. It is almost like you slap somebody on face if you attack what they hold to be sacred, and it is really an attack on the respect that other people deserve. If we believe that we are all brothers and sisters in God’s family, then we must love all brothers and sisters and not treat them as fools, and not attack what they hold to be holy and sacred,” said...

Kourosh Ziabari: As a heated war of words soars between the United States and Russia over the sovereignty of the Crimean peninsula where 58% of the citizens are ethnic Russians, it seems that Washington is losing the battleground to the will of the Crimean citizens who favor reuniting with Russia instead of remaining under the autonomy of Ukraine. Although the US officials have been openly threatening Russia with economic sanctions and even a military strike in the recent weeks, and while even former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to the late German dictator Adolf Hitler, a renowned American journalist and syndicated columnist believes that the United States’ threats are futile and...

Kourosh Ziabari: Prof. Sheila Blair, a prominent Islamic arts scholar, says the sense of hospitality is what makes the Iranian people distinctive in their deportment and demeanor than the other nations of the world. Prof. Sheila Blair, who is a Norma Jean Calderwood University Professor of Islamic and Asian Art at the Fine Arts Department of the Boston College, says that Iranians have always been creative and innovative people and that is why the Iranian arts are so unique, subtle and delicate. “Since Iran was often the bridge from regions further east to Arabia and beyond, Iranians quickly learned of the latest in artistic and technological innovations elsewhere, and people elsewhere learned of those things that had developed in...

  Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: The controversy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program in the recent decade has been the subject of millions of statements, thousands of news stories and articles, hundreds of speeches and interviews and tens of books and films. One of the most brilliant, revealing and educative books about Iran’s standoff with the West over its civilian nuclear program has been recently published by the prominent American investigative journalist Gareth Porter. Gareth Porter is a leading American journalist, historian, anti-war activist and correspondent of the Vietnam War. Porter’s writings have appeared on such publications as The Nation, Inter Press Service, The Huffington Post, Truthout, Al-Jazeera, Press...

Kourosh Ziabari - Tehran Times: The Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders was one of the first European politicians who traveled to Iran following the election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president in the June 2013 presidential elections. He traveled to Iran in late February to explore ways for expanding political, economic and cultural relations with Iran as the European Union member states become more willing and enthusiastic to reconstruct and improve their relations with Tehran. In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, the Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said that he thinks a final, comprehensive agreement over Iran’s nuclear program will be a win-win solution and that Iran’s trade with the European Union...

  Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: The new openings in the relations between Iran and the international community following the election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani in June 2013 presidential polls are indicative of the fact that the future of Iran’s nuclear standoff is bright and that there are hopes for a comprehensive and final solution that can bring the decade-long controversy to an end. There are difficulties on this path, as Iran and the six world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) have started intensive and breathtaking negotiations for a comprehensive deal, but both sides have voiced their optimism and hope that the talks will be fruitful. In order to discuss the...

Kourosh Ziabari - Tehran Times: “I firmly believe that the world can become a better place, if a critical number of people join hands in creating it. Then we can make this Earth a place where every human can live in dignity, where other species are respected for their rights to survive next to us, and where humankind is committed to care for our planet, for it is our common Mother and our common Home.” These are the aspirations of one of the world’s prominent leaders and a democratic president who introduced strategically important social, political and cultural reforms to her country and is now a member of several international organizations. Vaira Vike-Freiberga is a high-profile Latvian politician and the first female president...

Kourosh Ziabari: American academic and peace advocate Prof. Michael Nagler believes that non-violent activism is the best means to challenge the hegemonic powers and hold responsible those who commit acts of violence against the defenseless civilians or restrict their personal freedoms. According to Prof. Michael Nagler, the Occupy Wall Street movement was a popular uprising against the greediness and materialism of the influential 1 percent that controls and runs the media, multinational corporations and interest groups. Regarding the future of the peaceful, non-violent movements in the United States and other parts of the world, Prof. Nagler said, “I can’t predict what will actually happen, but I can predict with certainty that...

  Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: Although the Geneva interim accord on Iran’s nuclear program was a new opening in the course of Iran-West relations, some hostilities and disputes still remain in place, which is evident in the remarks made by the U.S. officials in the recent weeks, who have talked about all options being on the table or the allegations that the talks for a comprehensive solution to Iran’s nuclear case should stipulate limitations to Iran’s ballistic missiles program, as well. Moreover, the intricacies in the mutual relations between Iran and the United States are not confined to the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program. The two countries significantly differ on a variety of issues, and the nuclear...

  Kourosh Ziabari: An Iranian scholar and university professor says that Israel will pull out all the stops to damage the constructive environment of the negotiations between Iran and the six world powers, but it cannot realize its plans for preventing Iran and the P5+1 from reaching a comprehensive agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. “Assuredly, they will do their best. They do whatever they can to harm the process of agreement between Iran and the West. They made it sure and clear to everybody in the world that they will do their best to harm the process of the talks. We know that they would not stop, at any rate, using their lobbies and other tools in their hands to harm the negotiations. But experience shows that there’s a...