Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

The Flaw in Trump’s Maximum Pressure Campaign Toward Iran

Tehran won’t change its behavior without the prospect of real economic relief, coupled with the threat of meaningful consequences for bringing the region to the brink of war.

Aug 29, 2019

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Dennis Ross
Dana Stroul

Brief Analysis

How Will Hezbollah Respond to Israel’s Drone Attack?

With the IDF seemingly expanding its missile hunt to Lebanon and Iraq, the actions of Iran’s proxies, their host governments, and U.S. officials will do much to determine if wider escalation is in the cards.

Aug 28, 2019

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Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

Iran Develops Air Defense Capability for Possible Regional Role

A newly announced system could further the regime’s longstanding desire to create an A2AD umbrella in the Gulf and forward-deploy antiaircraft missiles in other countries.

Aug 27, 2019

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

The U.S.-Iranian Scuffle Over a Ship Is a Sideshow to Events in the Gulf

Thus far, Britain’s willingness to stand firm in the Persian Gulf has been more consequential than Washington’s legal challenge in the Mediterranean Sea.

Aug 22, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Militias Are Threatening Public Safety in Iraq

Exploding ammo dumps are only one of many problems posed by out-of-control militias, making it more urgent than ever to warehouse heavy weapons, halt mass detentions, and protect Iraqis and Iraq’s investors alike.

Aug 14, 2019

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Michael Knights
Alex Almeida

Articles & Testimony

The Men Responsible for the AMIA Bombing Are Known—and Still at Large

Twenty-five years later, some of the perpetrators hold senior positions within the Iranian and Hezbollah leadership, where they continue to oversee international terrorist plots.

Aug 12, 2019

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

Iran’s Expanding Militia Army in Iraq: The New Special Groups

Tehran-backed militias must be monitored more closely on a host of destabilizing activities, though policymakers should be careful not to lump them in with the many PMF factions that don't support Iran.

Aug 9, 2019

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Inside Hezbollah’s American Sleeper Cells: Waiting for Iran’s Signal to Strike U.S. and Israeli Targets

If hostilities break out with the United States, Tehran may try to minimize risk to its most important assets in the Middle East by drawing on black ops units further abroad instead.

Aug 4, 2019

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

The Road Ahead on Iran Policy: Toward a Multilateral Strategy

Iran’s recent actions in the region challenge the core interests of many American allies, and rallying those partners around shared objectives would give U.S. policy a better chance of success.

Jul 26, 2019

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Fake Tweets Put Israel in Bed with Iranian Exile ‘Terrorists’

We’re looking at the new face of cyber-ops in our hyperconnected, digitized world. It too often resembles the real thing. And it looks like Iranians are pretty good at it.

Jul 25, 2019

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Neri Zilber

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Iran Across the Border:

Israel's Pushback in Syria

Of all the threats in Israel’s strategic landscape, none have loomed larger in recent years than Iran’s ambitions and developing military capabilities in neighboring Syria and Lebanon. Exploiting regional turmoil as well as the 2015 nuclear agreement, the IRGC’s elite Qods Force has embarked on an ambitious plan to build

Jul 25, 2019

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Clarifying Freedom of Navigation in the Gulf

Legal ambiguities have led to disagreements over how vessels can use the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf, so Washington should highlight them in any future talks with Iran.

Jul 24, 2019

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Sanctions on Iraqi Political Figures: Shaping the Impact and Message

The United States is now designating politicians who place personal or Iranian interests above the needs of the Iraqi people, but these efforts could go awry if locals don’t understand the justification or consequences.

Jul 19, 2019

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Will Iran 'Break Out' for a Nuclear Weapon, and What Can Trump Do?

Seeing that the president wants out of “endless Middle East wars,” Tehran seems to think that raising the pressure might get him to back off.

Jul 16, 2019

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Dennis Ross

A Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Response to Britain’s Tanker Seizure

Recent Iranian rhetoric and actions point to further retaliation, but taking that route may lead to the same strategic miscalculations and international intervention that cost the country so dearly in the 1980s.

Jul 15, 2019

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Farzin Nadimi

Video

Brief Analysis

Iran's Disinformation against Religious Minorities

What are the consequences of the Iranian government's massive, systematic campaign to spread disinformation about religious minorities through social and traditional media? Watch an in-depth conversation with leading scholars.

Jul 10, 2019

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Simin Kargar
Azadeh Pourzand
Hamid Gharagozloo

Articles & Testimony

There’s a Deal to Be Had Between the U.S. and Iran

If Tehran agrees to extend the JCPOA’s sunset provisions and curtail its activity in Syria and Lebanon, Washington may be willing to lift the nuclear sanctions and create a special-purpose vehicle.

Jul 10, 2019

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Iran Crisis Moves Into Cyberspace

Iranian cyber actors are showing signs of battlespace preparation, so the United States should heed the lessons of past attacks and bolster its defensive posture.

Jul 9, 2019

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Micah Loudermilk

Articles & Testimony

Recent decisions by the Iraqi PM to curtail militia influence may just swap one threat for another.

Jul 8, 2019

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Thirteen Years Since the Hezbollah-Israel War

On the anniversary of the 2006 conflict, a former IDF chief of staff assesses current power dynamics, risks, and opportunities along Israel’s northern borders.

Jul 8, 2019

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Gadi Eisenkot

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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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

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