Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Muqawama Meltdown, Part 1: Protesting the Election

In the wake of their failed election campaigns and other recent setbacks, militias sought to deepen their claims of victimhood and politically damage Prime Minister Kadhimi with protests.

Nov 7, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Biden Needs a Plan B for Yemen If Houthis Win

Ending the war under the current circumstances will generate new problems unless further steps are taken to interdict weapons smuggling and bolster security in Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea.

Nov 4, 2021

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David Schenker

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Interpreting the Reemergence of the Allies of Syria Operations Room

The recent attack on al-Tanf base and the identity of the Iraqi factions that reportedly helped carry it out indicate Iran's plans to establish a new "deterrence equation" in Syria.

Oct 28, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

USAF ground crew directs a B-1 Lancer bomber

Articles & Testimony

The Threat of War Is the Only Way to Achieve Peace with Iran

Tehran no longer takes Washington seriously, so the Biden administration needs to put the prospect of military escalation back on the table if it hopes to make progress on the nuclear issue.

Oct 27, 2021

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

A Plan B for Iran

Tehran has seemingly concluded that sanctions relief is no longer worth compromising for, so Washington needs to change that calculus by credibly sharpening the consequences.

Oct 25, 2021

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

China and Mideast Leverage: Hiding in Plain Sight

Washington still has good cards to play in terms of Iran’s destabilizing activities, the U.S. security umbrella over Gulf energy supplies, and Arab public opinion toward China and America.

Oct 22, 2021

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David Pollock

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militia Propaganda Around the Attack on al-Tanf

Iraqi militia actors appear to have had forewarning of the attack, reflecting an increasing focus on anti-coalition operations in Syria.

Oct 22, 2021

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Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Discordance in the Iran Threat Network in Iraq: Militia Competition and Rivalry

Hardline groups are struggling to satisfy demands for action against American forces while simultaneously de-escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and evolving their non-kinetic wings.

Oct 21, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iraqi Militias Show Off Iranian Anti-Air Missile

Iran-backed resistance groups are seemingly staging missile "discoveries" as a way of warning off coalition air forces.

Oct 21, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

While Washington Argues, Iran Makes Nuclear Advances

A closer look at the technical progress being made under the country’s new nuclear chief—and his potential links with the Pakistani scientist who first gave Tehran weaponization know-how.

Oct 15, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

What AQ Khan’s Diaries Tell About Pakistan’s Drive for a Nuclear Bomb

The custodian of the infamous scientist’s four-decade-long journal offers new insights into his proliferation role and relationship with Pakistani military authorities.

Oct 12, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

The Hoquq Candidates: Kataib Hezbollah’s Aspiring Parliamentarians

Hoquq is competing head-to-head with other "resistance" factions in key Shia constituencies, especially Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

Sep 30, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Promo photo for the U.S. Navy's new Task Force 59.

Brief Analysis

New Navy Task Force Aims to Deter Iran with Unmanned Systems

The high-tech force will explore human-machine teaming concepts in waters near Iran, but questions remain about whether the United States is prepared to defend those assets when necessary.

Sep 17, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Iranian Membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Motivations and Implications

The Russian/Chinese-led bloc is expected to approve Iran’s accession this week amid uncertainty over President Raisi’s foreign posture and ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan.

Sep 15, 2021

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Nicole Grajewski

Brief Analysis

Sistani vs. the Militias: The Future of Iraqi Sovereignty

The international community needs to pay more attention to developments in Najaf, where Sistani-backed groups are forcefully pushing back against Iran but still face the longer-term question of who will continue his message.

Sep 14, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Proxies in Iraq Undertake the World's Only Terrorist Attack Commemorating 9/11

Two drones were intercepted in a mission that Sabereen News dedicated to “reminding the Americans of the September 11 attacks."

Sep 14, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Badr Organization

Badr is the wellspring of many of today's armed resistance groups and still operates under the indirect and sometimes direct control of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Sep 2, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: The Iraqi Radio and Television Union

An overview of Iraq's offshoot of the Islamic Radio and Television Union, an Iranian umbrella group that provides support to "resistance" media outlets.

Sep 2, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Brief Analysis

Last Call for Gaza?

Proposing an Alternative to Israeli-Palestinian “Conflict Management”

With Iran looming ever larger as Israel’s top security priority, the window for breaking the dangerous cycle of ceasefire and conflagration with the Palestinians may be closing—unless all of the actors are willing to throw their weight behind a fresh “4x4” strategy.

Aug 30, 2021

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Dror Shalom

Photo showing Taliban fighters outside Kabul Airport, August 2021.

Video

Brief Analysis

From Afghanistan to the Middle East:

Implications of the U.S. Withdrawal and Taliban Victory

Three Institute scholars discuss the fallout from Kabul, with special focus on the consequences for global jihadism, Iranian policy, and regional responses.

Aug 26, 2021

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Kathryn Wheelbarger
Aaron Y. Zelin
Patrick Clawson

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.

Patrick Clawson

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

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Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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