Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

The Gulf's View on Washington's Plan B for Iran

Can Washington turn its Arab partners' favorable rhetoric on the administration's new Iran policy into concrete actions to curb Tehran's regional adventurism? Join us for an expert conversation and live webcast on Tuesday, June 5.

May 23, 2018

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Barbara A. Leaf
Ali Shihabi

Articles & Testimony

Petroleum's Rising Price Depends on Supply and Politics

A boost in Saudi production to make up for any Iranian shortfall, joined by an expansion in regulated U.S. fracking, might help keep fuel costs in check.

May 21, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Next Mideast Explosion

An all-out war between Iran and Israel is approaching, and the Trump administration has no strategy for preventing it.

May 20, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Video

Brief Analysis

The JCPOA Decision: Managing Reactions, Evaluating Sanctions

An expert panel assesses sanctions and the future of U.S. Iran strategy in light of the Trump administration's exit from the nuclear deal.

May 18, 2018

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Katherine Bauer
Patrick Clawson
Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Iraqi Elections and U.S. Interests: Taking the Long View

The emerging vote tallies are just the beginning of government formation in Iraq, and they indicate a need to focus on U.S. principles, not specific outcomes.

May 17, 2018

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Here's What Trump Should Do Post-Nuke Deal

The United States must explain to its allies how withdrawing from the Iran deal fits into a larger strategy for the Middle East.

May 17, 2018

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

The Hodeida Campaign (Part 3): Deterring Houthi Retaliation

The Houthis will likely try to intensify their cross-border missile strikes and other asymmetric tactics to internationalize the battle, steps the United States should firmly oppose.

May 16, 2018

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Farzin Nadimi
Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Has the Assad Regime 'Won' Syria's Civil War?

Not only is the war far from over, but a series of developments could undermine the regime's recent gains—and create opportunities for the United States.

May 15, 2018

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

The Hodeida Campaign (Part 2): Can Yemen Recapture Major Ports from the Houthi Rebels?

The United States should not interfere in the campaign, which has begun and stands a good chance of succeeding, except through steps to make the operation quicker and less destructive.

May 15, 2018

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Alex Almeida
Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Iraqi Elections Deepen Political Fault Lines amid U.S.-Iran Tensions

The U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, along with the parliamentary gains made by former militia members, could turn Iraq once again into a war theater.

May 14, 2018

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Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

The Hodeida Campaign (Part 1): Humanitarian and Political Role of Red Sea Ports

Hodeida and al-Salif will process substantially more food imports after the Houthis are evicted, so the United States should back some form of demilitarization of the ports or help liberate them.

May 14, 2018

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Trump Broke Iran Policy. Let Him Fix It.

The administration doesn’t seem to have a day-after strategy for drawing the Europeans back into the fold after essentially rejecting months of negotiations with them.

May 11, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Miscalculated Escalation in the Golan

The latest clash indicates that Tehran has underestimated how far the IDF will go to prevent Iranian military entrenchment on its northeast border.

May 10, 2018

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Farzin Nadimi

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Technical Implications of Trump’s JCPOA Announcement

Now that the nuclear deal is off, Iran’s next steps will be shaped at least in part by the technical capabilities of its enrichment program and related efforts.

May 9, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Is Washington Too Focused on Iran’s Nuclear Program?

What the United States really needs is a new Iran policy, not just a nuclear policy—and the will to roll up its sleeves and carry it out.

May 9, 2018

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Israel’s Intel Coup Actually Provides Good Arguments for Staying in the Iran Nuclear Deal

Historically, outside pressure on Iran has been most effective when Washington acts with its allies rather than on its own, and the recent intelligence revelations support the former path.

May 5, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

The Details Reveal the True Danger of Iran’s Secret Nuclear Program

A guide to the key jargon and technical minutiae underlying Netanyahu’s troubling accusations against Iran.

May 1, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

If Trump Pulls Out of the Iran Deal, What’s Our New Strategy?

Withdrawal alone doesn’t offer a means of keeping Iran from nuclear weapons, responding to reactions from friends and adversaries, or clarifying the administration’s wider regional objectives.

May 1, 2018

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Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

Bracing for an Israel-Iran Confrontation in Syria

Despite the recent escalation, the United States has options for preventing, or at least limiting the scope of, a regional showdown in Syria.

Apr 30, 2018

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Ehud Yaari

Articles & Testimony

Israel’s 2007 Strike on Syrian Nuclear Reactor: Lessons Learned for Iran

Israel’s intelligence agencies deserve praise for their role in the operation, but they must also consider what their prior miscalculations mean for future counterproliferation efforts.

Apr 25, 2018

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Michael Herzog

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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Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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