Skip to main content

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Main navigation

Analysis
Experts
About
Support
Maps & Multimedia

Trending:

Democracy & Reform
Terrorism

Lebanon
Iran
Israel
Syria

Regions & Countries

Egypt
Gulf States
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Middle East
North Africa
Palestinians
Syria
Turkey

Issues

Arab & Islamic Politics
Arab-Israeli Relations
Democracy & Reform
Energy & Economics
Great Power Competition
Gulf & Energy Policy
Military & Security
Peace Process
Proliferation
Terrorism
U.S. Policy

TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Search Policy Analysis

Breadcrumb

Policy Analysis

Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Filter by:

Keyword

Issue

Type

Broadening the U.S. Approach on Iran

With Iran's September 14 acceptance of a meeting with the P5+1 countries on October 1, the Obama administration finally appears poised to engage in direct talks with Iran. In entering these talks, Washington faces two obstacles: first, Iran's reputation for recalcitrance in negotiations and its stated refusal to discuss the

Michael Singh

Changing Conventional Military Balance in the Gulf

In a September 7 interview with al-Jazeera, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated, "The more that our Arab friends and allies can strengthen their security capabilities, the more they can strengthen their cooperation, both with each other and with us. I think this sends the signal to the Iranians

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Regime Change is Dead. Long Live Regime Change

Despite Iran's disappointing response this week to the international call for negotiations on its nuclear program, the Barack Obama administration continues to hold out hope that some combination of inducements and further pressures will persuade the Islamic Republic to abandon its quest for the bomb. But the fact is that

Articles & Testimony

Time to Get Serious about Helping Iran's Opposition

On Monday and Tuesday, Iranian police raided offices connected to top opposition leaders and former presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Many fear that the move signals that the regime's efforts to extinguish Iran's post-election unrest is moving to its next, perhaps decisive, phase: the arrest and decapitation of

After the Crackdown:

The Iran Democracy Fund

Nearly three months have passed since Iran's bloody crackdown on the mass protests over the controversial June 12 presidential election. The Obama administration, however, has yet to determine a strategy to support the first serious challenge to the regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last week's statement by Iran's top

J. Scott Carpenter

Ahmadinezhad's Cabinet:

Loyalists and Radicals

On August 19, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad submitted his list of cabinet nominees to the Majlis (Iran's parliament). The president's choice of individuals clearly shows his preference for loyalty over efficiency, as he fired every minister who, while strongly supportive of him on most issues, opposed him recently on his

Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

How Ahmadinejad Stole an Election --

And How He Can Fix It

Rarely does a country have such a clear choice as Iran did on June 12. On that day, nearly 40 million people voted for a president. The incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pledged to continue his economic policies and his anti-Western, Holocaust-denying, nuclear-confrontational approach. His main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, promised economic

Cracking Down on Iran's Illicit Trade

On August 13, President Barack Obama announced that his administration was reviewing the U.S. export control system to determine what reforms were needed to bring the regime up to date. Although the United States has stepped up its enforcement efforts in this area over the past several years -- particularly

Michael Jacobson

Militarization of the Iranian Judiciary

Widespread reports suggest that Sadeq Larijani, a young and inexperienced cleric with close ties to Iran's military and intelligence agencies, will officially replace Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as head of the Iranian judiciary on August 16. This appointment is particularly significant, since the judiciary in Iran wields considerable power -- albeit

Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Smart Sanctions Can Work against Iran

After a fraudulent election and its brutal aftermath, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his junta must now be persuaded that their pursuit of nuclear weapons will be unbearably costly. The Obama administration appears poised to implement what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called "crippling sanctions" if Iran fails

Articles & Testimony

Cairo Joins the Battle against Tehran

In June 2009, an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine sailed from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via Egypt's Suez Canal. Given the 30-year peace between the states, Israeli vessels in the canal -- even submarines -- wouldn't ordinarily make headlines. But the submarines and the Israeli SAAR V-Class warships that passed

David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Minimizing Potential Threats from Iran:

Assessing Economic Sanctions and Other U.S. Policy Options

On July 30, 2009, Matthew Levitt, senior fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute, testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on the efficacy of existing and potential new economic sanctions in the effort to prevent Iran from

Matthew Levitt

Iran's Nuclear Program:

Lessons from Pakistan

Public anxiety about Iran's nuclear intentions is focused on the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, which in many respects -- in both the public debate and the policy discussion -- resembles the situation in the 1980s when there was growing concern about Pakistan's Kahuta enrichment plant. The lessons that can be

Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Iranian Elections Increase Middle East Proliferation

It is obvious that the current situation in Iran spells that the regime intends to continue its nuclear program. While that is the target of the Obama administration's agenda in the Middle East, the reinstitution of Mahmoud Ahmedinajad to the Iranian presidency will also cause nuclear and conventional weapons proliferation

Engagement or Consequences:

Getting the Iran Message Right

A number of top U.S. national security officials are visiting Israel this week, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones, and Iran will surely be at the top of their agenda. With Iran making steady progress toward nuclear weapons capability and remaining silent on the

Michael Singh

An Interview with Mehdi Khalaji

Born in Qom, Iran, as the son of an ayatollah, Mehdi Khalaji knows what the long path to Shiite scholarship looks like. His father dreamed that he might someday join the ranks of these high scholars as an ayatollah, and from 1986 to 2000, Khalaji studied theology and jurisprudence in

Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Iran's Vulnerability to Foreign Economic Pressure

Washington Institute deputy director for research Patrick Clawson testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on July 22, 2009. The following are his prepared remarks. For several years, Iran's economy was cushioned from foreign pressure by the high price of oil. That has changed as oil prices have declined

Patrick Clawson

In Their Own Words:

Making Sense of the International Community's Nuclear Deadline with Iran

This is the first in a series of PolicyWatches that will evaluate how the international community's Iran policy choices are being affected by Iranian nuclear progress and developments in Iran's domestic political scene since the June 12 presidential elections. After nearly a month of international focus on the civil unrest

Articles & Testimony

And If Iran Doesn't Want To Talk?

Six weeks before Iran's descent into electoral chaos, the hardline Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami rebuked the United States in his Friday sermon, stating, "You do not want talks!" Ayatollah Khatami (no relation to former president Mohammad Khatami) is clearly not a keen observer of the Washington scene. Given the persistence

Targeting Human Rights Abuse in Iran:

A Postelection Strategy

On July 8, G8 summit participants issued a statement expressing "serious concern" about the Iranian government's postelection actions; U.S. president Barack Obama characterized the situation as "appalling." Further, both Obama and French president Nicolas Sarkozy emphasized that Tehran will face serious consequences if Iran has not begun to cooperate on

Pagination

Previous page
First page
…
Page 98
Page 99
Page 100
Page 101
Current page 102
Page 103
Page 104
Page 105
Page 106
…
Last page
Next page

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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

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.

Patrick Clawson

Patrick Clawson

Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and Research Counselor at The Washington Institute.

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

Contact
Press Room
Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

About TWI
Support the Institute
Alumni

Social media

The Washington Institute on Facebook
The Washington Institute on X
The Washington Institute on YouTube
The Washington Institute on LinkedIn

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

Employment
Privacy Policy
Rights & Permissions