Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Researchers discuss Iran’s mindset toward the Biden administration and the country’s prospects for internal change as nuclear talks resume in Vienna.

Dec 1, 2021

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Amir Toumaj
Sanam Vakil

Iranian and international negotiators participate in nuclear talks in Vienna, 2021.

Brief Analysis

Reading Through Iran’s Nuclear Demands

Tehran has maintained its stringent line of insisting that Washington lift all sanctions, verify their removal, and provide future guarantees before it will lift a finger on resuming compliance with the JCPOA.

Nov 24, 2021

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Omer Carmi

Brief Analysis

A Close Encounter of the Propaganda Kind in the Gulf

Despite more structured international maritime security measures, a recent encounter between Iranian and U.S. naval forces reiterated the potential for miscalculation, especially under a more assertive government in Tehran.

Nov 22, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi

Ardeshir Zahedi, then Iran's ambassador to the United States, with Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington, DC.

Articles & Testimony

Ardeshir Zahedi: Legend and Lesson

The career of Iran's last pre-revolution ambassador to the United States offers both an example and a warning to American policymakers and diplomats today.

Nov 19, 2021

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Martin Kramer

Fake image of MC-12W Liberty over Baghdad concurrent with Nov 7 attack

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militia Technical Disinformation and the Nov. 7 Drone Attack

To deflect responsibility for the assassination attempt on Iraq’s prime minister, self-styled "resistance" groups have assembled a dodgy dossier of convincing-looking disinformation.

Nov 17, 2021

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Anwar al-Zamani
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Iranian woman drummer with bandmate at cafe

In-Depth Reports

Iranian Perceptions of the U.S. Soft Power Threat

Fearing a Western-inspired overthrow, Tehran has intensified enforcement of morality laws, purged professors from universities, and poured billions of dollars into the creation of a separate national intranet.

Nov 14, 2021

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Amir Toumaj

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Sabereen News Criticizes Iran for Lack of Support

Elements of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah are seemingly trying to extract domestic and Iranian support for more forceful pushback against their recent political isolation.

Nov 13, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Quadcopters in Syria and Iraq, 2019-2021

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Muqawama Meltdown, Part 2: Drone Attack on the Prime Minister

Militias followed up Qais al-Khazali's threats against Kadhimi by attacking his residence, shattering the narrative of victimhood they had been building through protests.

Nov 7, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

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

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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Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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