Congratulations! You’ve convinced your editor that the nuclear talks between Iran and the United States have a tie to your community – either because you have a nuclear reactor nearby or a military base or a number of Iranian readers.

The only problem? You have to do it from your desk.

So, what do you do?

Here are some tools for capturing the context behind this hot-button issue. This guide isn’t intended to be exhaustive, but it should give you enough fuel to hit the ground running in your Iran coverage.

UNDERSTANDING THE GOVERNMENT:

• Constitution of Iran via the Islamic Public of Iran Mission to the UN in New York
• Islamic Public of Iran Mission to the UN in New York official website“Guide: How Iran is ruled” via BBC News
• “A Guide to the Legal System of the Islamic Republic of Iran” via the Hauser Global Law School Program at New York University School of Law

ECONOMY & DATA:

• UNdata for the Islamic Republican of Iran (via the United Nations Statistics Division)
• Iran Data Portal (via Princeton University)
• Central Bank of the Islamic Public of Iran (Note: This is an Iranian government-run website, so interpret accordingly.)
• CIA World Factbook’s entry for Iran
• Monitoring and Verification in Iran (via the International Atomic Energy Agency)
• The Washington Post’s Iran country guide
• Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
• Iran country file (via the Nuclear Threat Initiative)

PRESS:

• “Iranian Press & Media” via the Islamic Public of Iran Mission to the UN in New York
  • (Note: Not all websites are available in English, but the available languages are noted on a case-by-case basis within the list)
• New York Times’ Iran news index
• Reuters’ Iran news index
• The Guardian’s Iran news index

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Top Twitter influencers from Iran (via Twtrland)

MISCELLANEOUS WEBSITES, REPORTS AND RESOURCES:

• ISIS NuclearIran (Institute for Science and International Security’s informational site on the Iranian nuclear program)
• Congressional Research Service reports:
  • Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses (April 2015
  • Iran Sanctions (March 2015)
• State Department fact sheets:
  • Overview of Temporary Suspension of Certain U.S. Sanctions Pursuant to the Initial Understanding Between the P5+1 and Iran (January 2014)
  • Guidance Relating to the Provision of Certain Temporary Sanctions Relief in Order to Implement the Joint Plan of Action Reached on November 24, 2013, Between the P5+1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran (January 2014)
• “Timeline of Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran” (via the Arms Control Association)
• Iran Watch (via the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control)

RECENT CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS OF INTEREST:

Senate Armed Services Committee:

• United States Middle East Policy