Each year, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, gives his most important speech on the Iranian New Year (March 21, 2013) in the Holy City of Mashhad. This year, the Ayatollah’s speech was structured around three themes, namely the state of the Republic in 1391 (the Iranian calendar year that just passed), US-Iran relations, and the presidential election in June of this year.
After several rounds of inconclusive Iranian talks last year -- in Istanbul, Baghdad, and Moscow -- the expectations are naturally low that the coming talks can yield a significant breakthrough on the central issue of Iran's nuclear standoff. Despite coercive sanctions, Iran remains adamant about continuing its controversial nuclear program and defying UN Security Council resolutions that demand a full