Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Iran Plans to Make Its Oil Industry More Resilient

To counter U.S. sanctions, Tehran is pursuing a three-pronged strategy of diversifying its export outlets, bumping up fuel production, and creating a strategic storage network.

Dec 11, 2018

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

All Is Quiet on Iran’s Western Front, Say UN Peacekeepers

Local UN forces need serious rebalancing if they are to help address Tehran’s blatant military buildup in the area.

Dec 11, 2018

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Assaf Orion

In-Depth Reports

Iran's Precision Missile Project Moves to Lebanon

Three experts examine Tehran's objectives, Russia's regional goals, and the way these translate to long-term threats and short-term risks for Israel.

Dec 10, 2018

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Katherine Bauer
Hanin Ghaddar
Assaf Orion

Brief Analysis

How to Read Lebanon’s Acceptance of Russian Military Aid

The assistance package is small but symbolically important, demonstrating Moscow’s growing influence in Beirut while potentially throwing Hezbollah and Iran for a loop.

Dec 7, 2018

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Hanin Ghaddar

Video

Brief Analysis

Do U.S. Actions Affect Iranian Policy?

A veteran U.S. policymaker and two notable Iranian expatriates look back at forty years of fraught relations, discussing ways to advance American interests and reduce bilateral antagonism without letting human rights issues lapse.

Nov 15, 2018

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Stuart Eizenstat
Mehrangiz Kar
Mehdi Khalaji

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

Tehran's International Targets: Assessing Iranian Terror Sponsorship

The State Department's top counterterrorism official discusses the Trump administration's latest actions against those who facilitate Iranian terrorist activity.

Nov 13, 2018

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Nathan Sales

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Brief Analysis

Iran Intensifying Its Crackdown on Citizens Abroad

The regime is once again targeting dissidents in Europe and arresting dual nationals, giving Washington and the EU common cause to sanction senior Iranian officials.

Nov 2, 2018

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

The Iran Deal Pullout: How Will Tehran Respond?

What can the Trump administration do to shape Iran’s choices?

Nov 1, 2018

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Getting to Zero Iranian Oil Exports

The world oil market will be the most sensitive indicator of how increased sanctions affect Iran.

Nov 1, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Procurement Channel (Part 2): The Clandestine Factor

Trying to stop Iran’s nuclear proliferation is a task better suited to allied intelligence services than customs authorities and procurement channels.

Oct 31, 2018

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Elana DeLozier
Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Procurement Channel (Part 1): Salvaging Nonproliferation Gains While Reimposing Sanctions

Washington can use sanctions as leverage to demand more vigilance from JCPOA signatories even as it allows certain useful procurements.

Oct 30, 2018

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Katherine Bauer
Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Economy Is Stagnating Even Before New U.S. Sanctions Hit

The impact of imminent sanctions will be magnified by the economy’s recent struggles, and Tehran’s bad financial policies will only make matters worse.

Oct 29, 2018

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Patrick Clawson

Brief Analysis

Iran’s ‘Resistance’ Bloc Rises amid New U.S. Sanctions

Hardliners see the latest pressure as proof that defiance works better than compromise—an attitude they are likely to change only if the pressure intensifies.

Oct 29, 2018

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Mehdi Khalaji

A banner of Iran's former Supreme leader Khomeini

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Anti-Western ‘Blueprint’ for the Next Fifty Years

Khamenei’s latest guidelines for Iranian culture and governance focus on resisting any efforts to reform the regime’s decisionmaking tendencies.

Oct 24, 2018

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Delicate Diplomacy in Western Sahara

As the UN mulls the future of the peacekeeping mission, Washington should proceed cautiously in encouraging negotiations to avoid undermining essential alliances.

Oct 18, 2018

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Sarah Feuer

Articles & Testimony

How Trump Can Get a Better Deal on Iran

The United States needs to keep Europe on board, go beyond sanctions, and ensure lasting bipartisan support for its new policy.

Oct 10, 2018

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Washington Should Reverse Its Retreat in Basra

The shuttering of a vital U.S. diplomatic outpost in Iraq sends all the wrong signals about America’s resolve to push back against Iran’s malign activities.

Oct 10, 2018

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

After the Ilyushin Crash: Israel's Anti-Iran Operations in Syria

Russia delivered advanced air-defense systems to Syria after the recent airplane-downing incident, but its desire to check Iran could permit continued Israeli operations in the Syrian skies.

Oct 3, 2018

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Assaf Orion

Brief Analysis

For a Second Time, Iran Fires Missiles at IS Targets in Syria

Tehran likely used the attack to demonstrate its unhindered regional reach, while flashing its enhanced deterrent posture through the testing of new military hardware.

Oct 1, 2018

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Nuclear Deal Was Not a Magic Wand for Rouhani—Iran in New Crisis

The Iranian president focused on the nuclear file to the exclusion of all other issues, and his country is feeling the consequences today.

Sep 28, 2018

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Mehdi Khalaji

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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