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

Articles & Testimony

Implications of a Nuclear Iran

Testimony before the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia The emergence of a nuclear Iran could alter the balance of power in the Middle East, leading to a heightened risk of conflict, and possibly nuclear war. This raises several questions: How close is

Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

Short-Term Stablisation in Iraq Could Have Long-Term Costs

The Coalition security policy in Iraq has evolved in important ways since the major public diplomacy setback of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and the dual security challenges in the Fallujah-Ramadi area and the Shiite south during April and May. The actions taken by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Delay, Deter and Contain, Roll-Back:

Toward a Strategy for Dealing with Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

Recent revelations regarding Iran's nuclear program have reinforced suspicions that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons option, and may be a few short years away from acquiring "the bomb." While senior Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and that the possession and use of

Articles & Testimony

The Paradox of Anti-Americanism in Iran

While anti-Americanism has deep resonance in the Arab world, the situation is quite different in Iran, where the United States has in recent years become profoundly popular....

Patrick Clawson

The 25th Anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution:

Looking Back and Ahead

SHAUL BAKHASH The autocratic features of the Islamic Republic of Iran have demonstrated remarkable durability over the past twenty-five years. The defining characteristic of the Iranian political system is the concentration of authority in the person of the Supreme Religious Leader, who has vast powers under the constitution. In some

Iran between Elections and the IAEA

To no one's surprise, the Iranian parliamentary elections resulted in a conservative sweep; the hardliners had rigged the rules so as to prevent a serious contest. As the hardliners consolidate their control, they may be interested in improving relations with the United States, though a major initiative would likely appear

Patrick Clawson

Iran's Threat to Coalition Forces in Iraq

On January 13, 2004, Eli Lake of the New York Sun reported that two senior members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had defected to coalition forces in Iraq. This defection constitutes a good opportunity to reflect on several issues, including Iran's efforts to infiltrate the Iraqi Shi'i community

Raymond Tanter

Articles & Testimony

Responding to Iran's Nuclear Challenge

Delay is Victory

The late 2003 IAEA deal at its best addresses only a small part of the Iranian nuclear proliferation threat; at its worst, the deal could become a significant obstacle to responding to the Iranian nuclear threat. The test will come over time -- which is convenient for the Bush administration

Articles & Testimony

The Prospects for Nuclear 'Roll Back' in Iran

Although it may not be feasible now or in the near future, the U.S. should not exclude the possibility at some future date of nuclear roll back in Iran -- particularly in light of Libya -- s recent surprise decision to scrap its nuclear, chemical, and ballistic missile programs. Since

Articles & Testimony

The Challenges of U.S. Preventive Military Action

Excerpted from Checking Iran's Nuclear Ambitions, ed. Patrick Clawson and Henry Sokolski (Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, 2004), pp. 113–128. For some U.S. policymakers and military planners, Israel's 1981 raid on Iraq's Osiraq nuclear reactor may serve as an object lesson regarding the potential benefits of preventive military action against

Michael Eisenstadt

Trading Terrorists:

Al-Qaeda in Iran for Mujahedin in Iraq?

On December 9, 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council announced that it would expel the Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) from Iraq. Reacting to this decision, Paul Bremer, administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, recently told Iraqi television that MEK members should be settled in other countries with the help

Raymond Tanter
Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

Nuclear Spinning:

The Iran-Pakistan Link

Forget, for the moment, Saddam's weapons of mass destruction -- or lack thereof. Consider instead the other WMD conundrum: Iran. Events in Pakistan, where two nuclear scientists were arrested last week, suggest the whole issue is about to blow. (Figuratively, that is.) Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Simon Henderson

In-Depth Reports

'Fight on All Fronts':

Hizballah, the War on Terror, and the War in Iraq

An odd blending of religion and politics, Hizballah was born as a movement amid the terrorism of the 1980s. By 2000, it had matured into a strategic, vital player in the Middle East, capable of influencing the region's course for peace or war. Organizationally, Hizballah has evolved from a loose

Articles & Testimony

Impact of World Bank Loans to Iran

Testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology Two important considerations in judging U.S. reaction to World Bank lending to Iran are: how important is World Bank lending be to Iran, and how would lending to Iran fit with World

Patrick Clawson

Iranian-European Nuclear Deal:

An Achievement with a Potential Poison Pill

The October 21 deal between Iran and the European trio of Britain, France, and Germany has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of Iran producing a nuclear weapon from highly enriched uranium (HEU)—assuming the accord is implemented strictly and on a tight timetable. Yet, HEU is only one of

Patrick Clawson

In-Depth Reports

The Iranian Nuclear Threat and U.S. Policy (Part IV)

To begin, I would like to make three points. First, it has become clear in recent months that Iran has a clandestine nuclear program, parts of which were recently revealed and parts of which may remain hidden. Second, Iran may be just two to four years from getting the bomb

Michael Eisenstadt

In-Depth Reports

The Iranian Nuclear Threat and U.S. Policy (Part III)

There were traditionally two Israeli schools of thought on Iranian proliferation. One viewed Iran as a major problem because of the nature of the regime that took power in the 1979 revolution, the line that the regime took in Lebanon opposing any negotiations with Israel, and its heavy involvement in

In-Depth Reports

The Iranian Nuclear Threat and U.S. Policy (Part II)

Discussing U.S.-Iranian relations in the aftermath of the Iraq war and in light of recent international pressure to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions is not an easy task. There are contending players and policy options that both countries may pursue -- depending on their respective political dynamics at home. The

In-Depth Reports

The Iranian Nuclear Threat and U.S. Policy (Part I)

I have been asked to address Iran's nuclear program from a technical point of view. One of the roles the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has played is to push for more effective nuclear inspections worldwide. That often means more intrusive ones, and Iran has attracted a lot

Articles & Testimony

Evaluating the Options Regarding the Iranian Nuclear Threat

Testimony before the U.S.-Israel Joint Parliamentary Committee The United States has for years judged Iran to be the world's foremost state-sponsor of terrorism. While the most direct way to sever the link between Tehran and its main terror arm -- Hizbollah -- is via Damascus, Washington is vigilant about Iran's

Patrick Clawson

Pagination

Previous page
First page
…
Page 113
Page 114
Page 115
Page 116
Current page 117
Page 118
Page 119
Page 120
Page 121
…
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