Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Reimplementing Iran Sanctions: Where, How, and How Much?

Read or watch a conversation with former Treasury and State Department officials on how the Trump administration should go about renewing financial pressure on Iran's oil industry and other sectors.

Jul 20, 2018

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Daniel L. Glaser
Suzanne Maloney
Katherine Bauer

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Brief Analysis

Putin’s Golan Comments: Implications for Israeli Security

Moscow has seemingly reaffirmed Israel’s right to keep Iranian forces away from the Golan frontier, but it is unclear whether Assad’s southern offensive will actually help or hinder that goal in the long term.

Jul 19, 2018

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

What the Stolen Iranian Nuclear Secrets Do, and Don’t, Reveal

The Israeli revelations make the argument for sticking with the nuclear accord much more difficult to sustain.

Jul 17, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iran After the JCPOA Withdrawal (Part 2): Shaping Tehran’s Response

Tehran will likely resort to measured countermoves in the nuclear domain at first, but successful U.S. pressure could spur it to challenge JCPOA limits, take action in non-nuclear domains, or push back against U.S. and allied forces.

Jul 17, 2018

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Iran After the JCPOA Withdrawal (Part 1): Lessons from Past Pressure Campaigns

Tehran has generally responded to pressure by issuing threats, ramping up its nuclear activities, accepting temporary limits, and, when the heat is turned up, launching cyber, military, and terrorist operations.

Jul 16, 2018

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Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

We Already Gave Syria to Putin, So What’s Left for Trump to Say?

Given Moscow's repeatedly broken promises, the president should make clear that the United States will stay in Syria to continue fighting the Islamic State—and to back Israel against Iran if necessary.

Jul 5, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Accepting Regime Forces in South Syria Will Only Further Iran’s Goals

Whether openly or in disguise, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies are deploying to the south in large numbers, greatly increasing the potential for cross-border escalation.

Jun 29, 2018

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Hanin Ghaddar
Phillip Smyth

In-Depth Reports

A Tale of Six Tribes: Securing the Middle Euphrates River Valley

THE ISLAMIC STATE is now largely defeated militarily, with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces taking the eastern bank of the Euphrates River and a mosaic of largely Iran- and Russia-supported Assad-regime forces taking areas west of the river. As anti-IS operations wind down and the Trump administration considers its options

Jun 21, 2018

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Andrew J. Tabler

Articles & Testimony

OPEC Nations, Including Iran, Subject to Moscow-Riyadh Decisions

The cartel’s latest meetings may solidify a Saudi-Russian axis on oil, and could portend future diplomatic cooperation and military sales as well.

Jun 21, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iran's Vulnerabilities to U.S. Sanctions (Part 2): Working Smarter, Not Harder

Pending policy decisions on reimposing sanctions will give Washington opportunities to calibrate its arsenal of measures against illicit Iranian financial activity.

Jun 18, 2018

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Katherine Bauer

Articles & Testimony

If a Trump-Iran Summit Happens, Ayatollah So

With little risk for the United States, making the offer would provide an opportunity to restate important non-nuclear demands and show the Iranian people their leaders’ true priorities.

Jun 18, 2018

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Vulnerabilities to U.S. Sanctions (Part 1): Finding the Weak Spots

The regime’s most vulnerable point is its precarious banking system, whose persistent mismanagement, capital shortfalls, and lack of transparency have already sparked public protests.

Jun 14, 2018

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Patrick Clawson

Video

Brief Analysis

North Korea in the Middle East: A Dangerous Military Supply Line

Pyongyang has long threatened U.S. regional allies and interests with military support for terrorists, militias, and hostile regimes. Can a potential bilateral deal sever these supply lines?

Jun 12, 2018

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Anthony Ruggiero
Kongdan Oh
Jay Solomon

Articles & Testimony

Yemen Is Not a Sideshow

Curbing Iran's foreign meddling and ending the cycle of destructive fighting will require greater political engagement by the Trump administration.

Jun 12, 2018

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Barbara A. Leaf

Brief Analysis

Iranian Militias in Iraq's Parliament: Political Outcomes and U.S. Response

As Washington mulls sanctions on Asaib Ahl al-Haq and similar groups, it should mind the volatility of Baghdad’s near-term political situation and the questionable efficacy of ‘wing’ distinctions.

Jun 11, 2018

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Phillip Smyth

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Nuclear Model: Japan or North Korea?

Given Tehran’s threat to scale up its enrichment efforts, how far might its nuclear program go post-JCPOA, and what lessons might it draw from U.S. discussions with Pyongyang?

Jun 8, 2018

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Omer Carmi

Brief Analysis

Iran Will Spare Hezbollah in Its Conflict with Israel, for Now

Hezbollah is an organic part of the IRGC-QF, so its purported desire to distance itself from Iran would only mean its end.

Jun 5, 2018

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Hanin Ghaddar
Nader Uskowi

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Treasury Increases the Pressure on Iranian Airlines

Numerous individual aircraft and front companies were added to the Treasury sanctions list, but naming even more of them could boost U.S. efforts to pressure Iran and close the IRGC’s Syrian air bridge.

Jun 1, 2018

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Current Turmoil in Middle East Producing One Winner: Putin

Even though Moscow seems less invested in Iran's presence in Syria, Putin's political opportunism should still draw concern from Israel and the United States.

May 27, 2018

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, gestures while speaking

Brief Analysis

When the Ayatollah Cried Mouse

Khamenei’s Ramadan speech combined explicit attacks on the United States, implicit criticism of Rouhani’s approach, and excessive demands on Europe, seemingly bracing the regime for one of the toughest challenges of his thirty-year rule.

May 25, 2018

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Omer Carmi

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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