إيران

U.S. statements about Iran have become more consistent and tough since early March, but the impact of this shift remains unclear.

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.

On July 31, David Crist and Ambassador James Jeffrey addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Crist, a senior historian for the U.S. government and a special advisor to the head of U.S. Central Command, is author of the new book The Twilight War: The Secret History of

As Iran continues its efforts to become a nuclear power, it has employed an aggressive foreign policy that relies heavily on clandestine assets abroad to collect intelligence and support foreign operations. The world's most active state sponsor of terrorism, Tehran relies on such activity to further its perceived interests. At

Violence in eastern Saudi Arabia and continuing tension in Bahrain are reminders that Gulf oil exports face other threats besides potential Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Predictably, last week's "expert level" talks between Iran and world powers were no more fruitful than previous rounds, leaving little optimism for a negotiated resolution to the nuclear crisis anytime soon. Western policymakers, buoyed by their success in reducing Iran's oil exports, appear content to give sanctions more time to

To bolster diplomacy with Iran, the United States must intensify intelligence operations and more actively use the military instrument to alter Tehran's threat calculus.

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

As recently as 2011, most discussions of the U.S-Turkey relationship necessarily focused on discord, disappointment, and growing concern. With memories of the Gaza flotilla incident and Turkish dissent on Iran sanctions still fresh, the horizon was clouded and turbulent. The intervening months have brought a dramatic turnaround, however. In this