Gulf & Energy Policy

Reporting from the USS Abraham Lincoln in waters near Iran, Simon Henderson describes why the carrier strike groups in the Persian Gulf are an awesome reminder of U.S. military might. View a slideshow of photos from his time aboard the supercarrier. U.S. President Barack Obama recently said that "all elements

Speculation about an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear facilities is rife, but there is little discussion about whether diplomacy can still succeed, precluding the need for military action. Many experts doubt that Tehran would ever accept a deal that uses intrusive inspections and denies or limits uranium enrichment to halt

If Washington does not demonstrate through both word and deed the risks that Tehran faces, overly optimistic Iranian hardliners may wrongly decide that the benefits of a confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz outweigh the costs.

Appearing on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Institute managing director Michael Singh talked about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Topics included Tehran's warning to Washington that the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis should not return to the Persian Gulf, the strategic and economic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, and

As Iran's posture in the Strait of Hormuz becomes increasingly bellicose, excessive risk aversion that results in a failure of deterrence and feeds the regime's sense of impunity may be just as risky as military action.

A new gas field in the eastern Mediterranean will likely confirm the region's huge new energy potential but could lead to a diplomatic crisis between Cyprus and Turkey.

The debate over whether to sanction the Central Bank of Iran must consider the effectiveness of such action and the consequences for the world economy.

Saudi Arabia has announced a series of eagerly expected changes forced by the recent death of Crown Prince Sultan, the heir apparent and long-serving defense minister.

Why would Tehran have wanted to carry out the Saudi assassination and related actions on U.S. soil, where its fingerprints on any such plot were sure to have a major impact on U.S. policy toward Iran?