How Russia’s War Machine Keeps Raking In Money
DEEP DIVE — More than two and a half years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s economy shows surprising resilience. Despite an unprecedented 2,000 sanctions […] More
sanctions
Russia Sanctions 101 – Via a Top White House Advisor
OPINION — “Since the start of the [Ukraine] war, the liquid portion of the [Russian] national wealth fund has fallen by nearly half. Defense outlays […] More
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on China: Don’t Call it ‘Decoupling’
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — Eight days after U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told a Johns Hopkins crowd that America does “not seek to decouple our […] More
Russia’s Wounded Economy — How Bad is it?
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The European Union has made its long-awaited decision to cap Russian crude oil at $60 per barrel and to prevent European companies from shipping […] More
The Latest
Biden Holds the Cards on Iran, But Will He Play Them?
Gary Grappo is a former U.S. ambassador who held senior positions including Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; U.S. Ambassador […] More
What the OFAC Advisory Means for Companies that Pay Ransom
Earlier this month, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory, reminding businesses that if they pay ransom to […] More
United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again
Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating […] More
The Politics at Play in Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country “will not wage war against any nation”, as tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Tehran. U.S. […] More
Limited Options for Dealing with Iran
A spokesman for the Iranian atomic agency said Monday that within 10 days, the country will pass the allowed limit for low-grade uranium enrichment under the nuclear […] More
What is Iran’s Next Move?
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is calling for unity and says that his country is facing ‘unprecedented’ pressure as the U.S. continues to ratchet up sanctions. […] More
The Impact of Harder-Hitting Sanctions on Iran
The U.S. moved this week to apply even more pressure on Iran to end its involvement in illicit activities around the world by announcing that […] More
Iran Oil Waivers Ended
Bottom Line Up Front The Trump Administration ended a key waiver on Iran oil sanctions as part of an effort to apply maximum pressure […] More
Iran in Iraq: How Strength Can Be a Vulnerability
With U.S.-Iran tensions rising after the re-imposition of nuclear sanctions, neighboring Iraq will likely emerge as a critical battleground in the U.S.-Iran contest. As the […] More
Sanctioning Hezbollah
Bottom Line Up Front Hezbollah’s emergence as Iran’s key regional proxy has prompted additional U.S. efforts to choke off the terror group’s finances. Sanctions […] More
Iran Expert Quick Take
Leslie Ireland is the former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis. She joined Treasury in 2010 after 25 years at CIA where […] More
Future Security Relations Between U.S. and Turkey on the Brink
Iran hasn’t been the only target of U.S. sanctions in the past week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered retaliatory sanctions again two unnamed U.S. […] More
If Iran Responds: What Might Be Their Weapon of Choice?
The U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iran on Monday after pulling out of the JCPOA Agreement in May. European allies responded by issuing a statement saying […] More
Why a Russia Strategy Matters
In a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump reiterated his view that meeting with other world leaders is important, and again characterized his recent […] More
Iran’s Dire Straits
In early July, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened to prevent other countries from exporting oil if U.S. sanctions prevented Iran from selling its oil. Senior Islamic […] More