Iran’s ballistic missile launches are inconsistent with the spirit of a nuclear deal, the United Nation’s secretary-general said in a report publicly released Monday, though he refrained from calling the launches an outright violation. – The Hill
Saeed Ghasseminejad and Emanuele Ottolenghi write: Time and again, Khamenei has modified Iran’s political system to strengthen his own power. In theory, he welcomes the public’s participation in elections. In practice, he manipulates the system to forestall any effort at substantive change. His latest maneuvers illustrate an uncomfortable but unavoidable fact: after the nuclear deal, even more than before, the Islamic Republic remains firmly in the hands of the hardliners. – The Huffington Post