Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Vice President Vance arrives in Pakistan for talks with Iranian counterparts in April 2026 - source: Reuters

Moving from War to Diplomacy: What’s Next for Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza?

Amid major diplomatic milestones and major international security threats, three experts explore what it will take to achieve success on multiple negotiating tracks at once.

Apr 16, 2026

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Michael Herzog
Robert Satloff
Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

Jordan’s Wartime Balancing Act

The economic, political, and diplomatic fallout of the Iran crisis is bending the kingdom in multiple directions, but Washington can do much to ease the domestic stress, avoid bilateral friction, and address Amman’s growing rift with Israel.

Apr 15, 2026

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Ghaith al-Omari
David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Egypt’s Gulf-Iran Dilemma

Cairo has put a premium on de-escalation in order to end the war as soon as possible and lessen the economic and energy shocks afterward, but this approach could backfire with its longtime benefactors in the Gulf states.

Apr 15, 2026

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Ben Fishman

Articles & Testimony

In Iran Negotiations, the White House’s Military Options Are Dwindling

Rather than pushing for the unrealistic goal of reaching a comprehensive deal in two weeks, the Trump administration should take the necessarily more patient approach of working through America’s strong network of allies to strengthen its hand.

Apr 14, 2026

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Dana Stroul

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Beijing - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Tracking Chinese and Russian Statements on the Iran War

A regularly updated compendium of Beijing and Moscow’s reactions to the fighting in Iran, Lebanon, and beyond, including analysis of the similarities and differences in their respective diplomatic approaches to the crisis.

April 2026

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Grant Rumley
Shivane Anand

An Iranian woman walks by the scene of a U.S. airstrike in Tehran - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

In the Dark and in Danger: Iran’s Internet Shutdown and Wartime Repression

Human rights experts diagnose the current public mood in Iran and discuss how foreign governments can help counter the regime’s growing use of internet blackouts and other digital repression tools.

Apr 10, 2026

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Mahsa Alimardani
Nazanin Boniadi
Roya Boroumand

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

Articles & Testimony

How Trump Could Still Get a Strategic Win from the Iran War

As long as the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened and enriched uranium is shipped out, ending the war quickly may be Washington’s best bet, since Tehran would be left to deal with dire domestic problems it has no answer for.

Apr 9, 2026

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Dennis Ross

A man walks by a mural of international currencies

Articles & Testimony

How the Iran War Will Upend the Global Economy

Beyond the widely discussed risk of energy shocks, the war also seems likely to spark a prolonged debt crisis, especially for the world’s poorest nations.

Apr 8, 2026

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Henry Tugendhat

Iraqi protesters display Iranian and Popular Mobilization Forces militia flags at a demonstration in Baghdad following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Iraq Is at Another Crossroads with Iran-Backed Militias—and Washington

Although U.S. officials should keep pushing Baghdad to move against these groups, the Iran war has demonstrated the need to seek other avenues of pressure and recalibrate the bilateral relationship.

Apr 8, 2026

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David Schenker

Armed members of the Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq demonstrate at a funeral in Iraq - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

What an “Iranian Proxies” Agreement Should Encompass

As wider peace negotiations continue, U.S. officials should carefully consider the many moving parts needed for a proxies deal to succeed—and what Washington would do if Tehran starts flagrantly violating its terms.

Apr 6, 2026

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Michael Jacobson

Articles & Testimony

War with Iran Tests Gulf-US Economic Model

The longstanding balance of Gulf security—in which states quietly maintained ties with Tehran while relying on Washington as the ultimate guarantor—is now under strain, making the future of their investment flows into the United States difficult to judge.

Apr 6, 2026

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Diplomacy During War: Priorities for the Trump Administration

Three former U.S. policy practitioners experienced in negotiating with Iran discuss what kind of agreement is possible, what each side may require to make it happen, and how officials in Washington, Israel, the Gulf states, and Europe should address emerging differences in their objectives.

Apr 3, 2026

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Emily Harding
Richard Nephew
Michael Singh
Nancy A. Youssef

Articles & Testimony

How Tehran’s Proxy Network Could Outlast the Iranian Regime

Even if Washington somehow convinces Iran to cut off support for groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, this would not eliminate the threat they pose.

Apr 2, 2026

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Michael Jacobson
Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

The Houthis Join the War

Why did the group strike now, what might they do next, and how could it affect the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran?

Apr 1, 2026

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April Longley Alley

A solar field in Morocco - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The Iran War’s Reverberations in North Africa

The crisis will challenge economic and political stability in the Maghreb countries, but they will also have opportunities—with Washington’s help—to fortify their prewar progress by filling gaps in global energy markets and other key sectors affected by the war.

Mar 31, 2026

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Sabina Henneberg

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East After the Iran War: Lessons and Outcomes

However the conflict ends, it has already delivered pivotal lessons on U.S. military innovation and political strategy, the continued dominance of hydrocarbons, the future posture of regional and external powers, and more.

Mar 2026

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James Jeffrey

Photo of frozen Russian tanks in Ukraine.

Articles & Testimony

The War in Iran Could Become Like the War in Ukraine

Trump’s fifteen-point peace proposal suggests that he recognizes the need to find an off-ramp, but Washington must stay committed to that path to avoid a Russian-style quagmire.

Mar 27, 2026

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James Jeffrey

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 the 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

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.