Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

When the Tansiqiya Speaks in AAH's Absence

The May 20 Gaza protest in Baghdad saw the Tansiqiya speak in the notable absence of any Asaib Ahl al-Haq members, and the event was conspicuously ignored by AAH channels.

May 24, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

The Tansiqiya Signals Escalation Versus the United States

The Iraqi militia coordination committee is laying out its political and legal arguments for the removal of U.S. forces.

May 24, 2021

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Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casts his vote for president

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Presidential Election Season Kicks Off: Five Takeaways

The upcoming campaign will likely focus on a three-way race between conservative Raisi, conservative-turned-pragmatist Larijani, and reformist-affiliated Jahangiri.

May 17, 2021

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Omer Carmi

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

How Iraqi Militias Are Exploiting the Gaza Conflict

Hamas's example could embolden Iraqi factions to accelerate attacks on U.S. facilities at home, as well as seek some reflected glory by claiming Syria-based attacks against Israelis.

May 16, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Kataib Hezbollah Leads Drone Warfare Inside Iraq

The group is employing sophisticated drone capabilities against U.S. airbases in Iraq, mirroring tactics and systems used in Yemen.

May 14, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Bahrain’s Interlocking Regional and Domestic Tensions

Manama is still grappling with the complex challenge of developing ties with Israel while coping with homegrown Shia militancy.

May 10, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Distinguishing Kawader Hezbollah al-Qudama and Kataib Hezbollah

Nouri al-Maliki is gathering various Iraqi resistance figures who fought both Saddam and the coalition, but this marginal "old timer" party is not the same as Kataib Hezbollah, which has yet to show its hand in parliamentary politics.

May 6, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Military Establishment Doubles Down on “Revolution”

By dismissing the Zarif tape and calling for further securitization of government decisionmaking, the officials truly in charge of Iranian foreign policy are previewing what negotiators and neighbors can expect from Tehran for the foreseeable future.

May 5, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Ahd Allah Islamic Movement

Ahd Allah Islamic Movement is a social and cultural movement built around Kataib Hezbollah ideologue Hashem al-Haidari.

May 5, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada

A U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization that emerged from Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah, works directly with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and has a transnational focus on the shared regional agenda of Iran's "axis of resistance."

May 3, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Articles & Testimony

Is Stalemate the Least Bad Option in Syria?

If only to avoid far worse outcomes, Washington should reject Assad’s bogus “reelection” and keep supporting Israeli strikes, the SDF’s viability, and refugee aid.

May 3, 2021

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David Pollock

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

How Iran Employed Iraq's Muqawama in Its Post-Natanz Response

Militias falsely claimed attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets in retaliation for the nuclear incident, underlining how Tehran directs and coordinates each proxy's kinetic and information operations in a centralized manner.

May 3, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

The artist Jacques-Louis David's painting "Napoleon Crossing the Alps"

Brief Analysis

The Rise of “Bonapartism” in Iran

Interest in a strong military president is growing in unexpected sectors, but such an outcome is more likely to strengthen Khamenei’s power than drastically reform the system.

Apr 30, 2021

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Mehdi Khalaji

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Sharia Youth Gathering

The Sharia Youth Gathering is an umbrella movement of social service, cultural, sports, and scouting organizations that is effectively controlled by Kataib Hezbollah through a cadre of linked commanders.

Apr 29, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Imam Hussein Scout Association

The Imam Hussein Scout Association is Kataib Hezbollah’s youth organization and an affiliate of Lebanese Hezbollah's Kishaf al-Imam al-Mahdi youth movement.

Apr 29, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

Brief Analysis

The Zarif Tape: Revelations on Russia, the Qods Force, and Iran’s Election

The foreign minister had much to say about the IRGC branch’s political interference at home and close relations with Moscow, and the regime has done nothing to dispute his account so far.

Apr 29, 2021

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Mehdi Khalaji

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba proved its "axis of resistance" credentials in Syria, but its role in terrorism and repression in Iraq is more enigmatic.

Apr 27, 2021

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Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
Ameer al-Kaabi
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Asaib Ahl al-Haq

Asaib Ahl al-Haq is a major Iraqi armed group that identifies as part of Iran's axis of resistance but stubbornly maintains a degree of independence, forming numerous cells to conduct kinetic, media, and social operations, some bankrolled by the Iraqi state.

Apr 27, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Articles & Testimony

For Diplomacy to Work, Iran Must Understand That It Cannot Overplay Its Hand

Although the Biden administration strongly favors a diplomatic path to ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, it needs to show that it will exercise other options if Tehran makes a viable deal impossible.

Apr 26, 2021

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Dennis Ross

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Fatemiyoun Electronic Squad

Fatemiyoun Electronic Squad is a facade group that undertakes cyberattacks on behalf of Kataib Hezbollah, in close collaboration with other affiliates.

Apr 26, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

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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