All Policy Analysis by Mehdi Khalaji

Action on Iran's domestic brutality can prevent the Islamic Republic from labeling sanctions as something they are not intended to be: an attack on the Iranian public.

The Islamic Republic's greatest fear is neither a military attack on its shadowy nuclear program nor a forced suspension of uranium enrichment, but a cultural invasion in the form of Western modernity.

A profile of Mohammad Beheshti, a founder of the Islamic Republic.

Iran sees itself in a strong position relative to the West and therefore believes it has little reason to be forthcoming in nuclear negotiations.

While the Islamic Republic's soft power fails, the Iranian people's urge to integrate into world culture and economy is unprecedented.

While Tehran may be preparing the ground for an interim agreement on terms the West would accept, any deal-in-principle would have to be finalized, put into practice, and followed by fuller agreements.

Khamenei's dilemma: To compromise he must save face; but, to save face, he must not compromise.

The new talks have put Khamenei in a perilous position: compromising is as dangerous for him as digging in his heels.

The current form of religious leadership over the Shi'ite community, marjayia, was founded in the 1830s when Mohammed Hassan Najafi became the first transnational Shi'ite religious authority (marja) in Najaf, Iraq. Najafi created a universal patronage network through which he received religious taxes and endowment incomes, and appointed religious representatives

Whether by choice or through the military's influence, Ayatollah Khamenei has decided to keep a formerly marginalized regime figure -- and, by extension, the possibility of nuclear compromise -- in play.

By weakening the Islamic Republic's institutions and strengthening his own authority, Ayatollah Khamenei may make himself more vulnerable in a time of crisis.

The Iranian regime will not be able to survive existing sanctions, which are targeting the banking system and oil industry like never before.