The Trump-Xi Summit and the Middle East

Chinese president Xi walks with U.S. president Trump in Beijing in 2017 - source: Reuters
Trump’s China Trip: Implications for the Middle East and Beyond
The first presidential visit to China in nearly a decade will cover trade, technology, and a range of other bilateral topics, including frank conversations on Middle East subjects such as Beijing’s support to Iran and the wider global repercussions of the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
May 13, 2026
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  • Grant Rumley
  • Henry Tugendhat
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Souhire Medini

SHAKY CEASEFIRES, PERILOUS AFTERSHOCKS

Between Intent and Capability: Assessing the Lack of Iranian Attacks on the U.S. Homeland
Although the threat may be somewhat diminished by the damage inflicted on Tehran’s security and intelligence agencies, the regime will reconstitute those capabilities over time and may calculate that the benefits of attacking highly vulnerable targets inside the United States outweigh the risks.
May 6, 2026
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  • Matthew Levitt

Video: America and the Middle East at 250 with Dr. Martin Kramer

Historian Martin Kramer, the Walter P. Stern Fellow at The Washington Institute, explains how America's early leaders navigated the republic's first encounters with the Middle East—and hears some echoes of today's policy dilemmas.

Interactive Map: Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region

Explore this new interactive tool to shed light on the actions of actors such as Iran and Yemen's Houthis that have threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the waters off the Middle East and North Africa. 

 

Access the map.

Institute Expertise on the Iran War and Its Aftermath

Recent Institute Analysis

A UNIFIL peacekeeper on duty in Lebanon - source: United Nations
Lebanon After UNIFIL: Good Riddance, Not a “Vacuum”
Whether the UN and Europe agree to align with a limited, U.S.-led mechanism or insist on their own separate missions
Apr 29, 2026
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The Collapse of Indefinite Detention in Northeast Syria: Implications Seven Years Later for Syria and Beyond
An in-depth look at the swift and dramatic changes that have occurred in Syria’s vulnerable network of Islamic State detention
April 2026
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Interactive Maps

Video: Expert Conversations on the Iran Crisis

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In Focus: Iran

Between Intent and Capability: Assessing the Lack of Iranian Attacks on the U.S. Homeland
Although the threat may be somewhat diminished by the damage inflicted on Tehran’s security and intelligence agencies, the regime will
May 6, 2026
Deniable, Disposable, Disruptive: Iran’s Hybrid Warfare in Europe Demands a Proactive Response
The low-sophistication, high-volume approach used in wartime attacks claimed by the front group HAYI has exposed critical vulnerabilities in Western
May 4, 2026