Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

A photo illustration depicts chess pieces and the Iranian and U.S. flags - source: Reuters

Diplomacy During War: Priorities for the Trump Administration

Join us for an expert webcast exploring diplomatic tools available to policymakers as the Iran war enters its fifth week. Watch live starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday, April 2, 2026.

April 2, 2026, startnig at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT)

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Emily Harding
Richard Nephew
Michael Singh
Nancy A. Youssef

A poster depicts former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh alongside the Iranian flag in Tehran following Haniyeh's killing in Iran - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

With the Iran War, Hamas Tilts Toward the Brotherhood

The monthlong conflict and developments in Gaza have weakened the terrorist group’s connection to Tehran, offering Washington an opportunity to achieve its goals by working through Qatar and Turkey as well as Egypt.

Mar 26, 2026

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Ghaith al-Omari

Gen. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr - source: Wikimedia Commons

Brief Analysis

Zolghadr at the Top of Iranian Security

His appointment as SNSC secretary shows that the regime is relying on a veteran hardliner to manage crisis and preserve control.

Mar 26, 2026

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Farzin Nadimi

A man speaks on his phone in Beirut, Lebanon, in front of posters depicting the U.S. flag - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

How Middle East Societies Grapple with War

A trio of leading regional journalists discuss how Emiratis, Israelis, and Jordanians are weathering the Iran crisis, what outcomes they are rooting for, and how their relations with Washington and each other might evolve as a result.

Mar 24, 2026

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Yonit Levi
Nadim Koteich
Amer Al Sabaileh

Articles & Testimony

Will Iran Turn to Terrorism?

With its leadership badly damaged and its security establishment humiliated by deep intelligence infiltration, the desperate regime likely sees little downside in setting caution aside and greenlighting a wide variety of international attacks.

Mar 24, 2026

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Matthew Levitt

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Force Multiplier: Tracking the War’s Maritime and Energy Effects

If Washington wants to calm the markets and reach its other energy objectives more quickly, it will have to find a way of de-escalating a shipping crisis that Tehran is clearly taking advantage of in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond.

Mar 23, 2026

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Noam Raydan

USS Boxer leads U.S. Navy ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz - source: Department of Defense

Brief Analysis

Military Options for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz: Limitations and Imperatives

Loosening Tehran’s grip on the strait and its disruption of the global economy would entail not only reducing threats to navigation, but also increasing pressure on the Iranian economy in order to deter further attacks and create leverage for diplomacy.

Mar 23, 2026

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Michael Eisenstadt
Assaf Orion

Close-up photo of Chinese leader Xi and Russian leader Putin.

Video

Brief Analysis

Great Power Competition During (and After) the Iran War

Three experts examine how Moscow, Beijing, and European capitals are navigating the crisis and what their choices reveal about the future of the global order.

Mar 19, 2026

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Souhire Medini
Henry Tugendhat
Grant Rumley

Protesters wave a Syrian opposition flag during a demonstration at a Roman ruin in Deraa Province in 2016 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis

The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments against Iran and its partners while acknowledging the conflict’s local economic consequences.

Mar 18, 2026

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

What the Islamic Republic Learned About Repression From Syria

Tehran helped the Assad regime crush unarmed protests with staggering violence; now it has turned those same tactics on its own people.

Mar 18, 2026

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Holly Dagres

The national flags of China and Iran fly in Tiananmen Square during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Beijing, China, February 14, 2023 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

How China Could Shorten Iran’s Path to Military Recovery After the War

Beijing has been mostly talk and little walk so far, but once the war ends, it may decide to help Tehran rebuild militarily in return for oil.

Mar 17, 2026

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Assaf Orion

Articles & Testimony

Keeping Iran’s Proxies on Their Back Feet

Even as the war proceeds, much more must be done to identify how Tehran and its terrorist partners are adapting their procurement and fundraising networks to evolving conditions in the Middle East.

Spring 2026

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Matthew Levitt
Michael Jacobson

A video board displays various oil and gas commodity prices in September 2023 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Defeating Iran’s Strategy: Energy Security and the “Abraham Shield”

Tehran is targeting the soft underbelly of the U.S.-Israeli campaign—the oil sector and vulnerable Middle Eastern states—but allied officials can counter this strategy by taking concerted steps to bolster their regional partners, stabilize oil markets, and suppress the regime's military capabilities.

Mar 16, 2026

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Assaf Orion

Twitter photo showing an Iranian woman standing on top of a car during a protest against the killing of Mahsa Amini.

Articles & Testimony

An Achievable Goal in Iran

Instead of regime change, try regime weakening.

Mar 13, 2026

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Dennis Ross

Israeli Iron Dome missiles intercept rockets fired into Israel from Gaza by Hamas in October 2023 - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

Countering Threats from Iran’s Proxies and Partners During Wartime

Three experts discuss how Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and pro-Iran militias in Iraq have reacted to the war so far, outlining steps Washington and its regional partners can take to keep them from escalating further.

Mar 13, 2026

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Hanin Ghaddar
April Longley Alley
Michael Knights

A satellite map with political borders overlaid shows Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Examining the Terrorism and Insurgency Links Between AfPak and Iran

The two conflicts may appear unrelated, but an al-Qaeda haven in Iran, threats from the Islamic State, and separatist ambitions could supercharge the risks to regional and global security.

Mar 12, 2026

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East’s “1919” Moment

If the Iranian threat to the Middle East is brought to an end, the loose alliance of actors who have long sought this outcome must manage their differences to avoid the regional mistakes made after World War I.

Mar 10, 2026

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James Jeffrey

Wang Yi, director of China's Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban shake hands in Beijing in March 2023 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

China’s Middle East Ties Go Far Beyond Iran

Beijing is just as concerned about its Gulf partners as it is about China’s “old friends” in Tehran.

Mar 10, 2026

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Henry Tugendhat

US and Israeli military planes participate in the 2023 Juniper Oak joint exercise - source: IDF

Articles & Testimony

Bombs Can Weaken Iran’s Regime. They Can’t Replace It.

Iran’s fractured opposition and years of repression make rapid regime change unlikely.

Mar 9, 2026

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Matthew Levitt

A map shows the routes of ships into and out of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

Energy and Shipping Risks in the Iran War

Four experts explain why reversing the conflict’s effects on oil and gas production and tanker traffic from the Gulf will likely take much longer than many people realize, with only limited supply alternatives in the meantime.

Mar 9, 2026

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Lauren Holtmeier
Matt Smith
Richard Nephew
Tomer Raanan

Supported by the

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran poses the most serious and urgent set of security challenges to the United States and its allies in the greater Middle East. Since the Khomeini revolution in 1979, Iran has sought to export its radical ideology through the use of terrorism, subversion, and support to ideological fellow-travelers throughout the Muslim world.

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Featured experts

Farzin Nadimi

Farzin Nadimi, a Senior Fellow with The Washington Institute, is a Washington-based analyst specializing in the security and defense affairs of Iran and the Persian Gulf region.