Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Why Trump and Netanyahu Might Keep Iran Nuclear Deal After All

Despite the prime minister's distaste for the deal, he will likely ask Washington to enforce it to the hilt instead of shredding it -- something the Trump White House seems ready to do given its actions toward Iran thus far.

Feb 15, 2017

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Matthew Levitt
Katherine Bauer
Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

Memo to Trump: Iraq Is Too Big to Fail

Actions like the travel ban on Iraqis could have the unintended effect of derailing the U.S. alliance with Baghdad -- an outcome that would benefit Iran, the Islamic State, and no one else.

Feb 13, 2017

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Michael Knights

In-Depth Reports

Reinforcing the Role of Sanctions in Restraining Iran

Even while the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is in place, the Trump administration could bring significant pressure to bear on Iran. In this Policy Note, Institute fellows Katherine Bauer, Patrick Clawson, and Matthew Levitt look at the role of sanctions in restraining Iran's regional aggression and disrupting its global-terrorism

Feb 13, 2017

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Katherine Bauer
Patrick Clawson
Matthew Levitt

Video

Brief Analysis

After the Ayatollahs: The Middle East Post-Khamenei

Two leading experts on clerical succession in Iran and Iraq discuss how the passing of Ayatollah Sistani and Supreme Leader Khamenei would affect American interests across the Middle East.

Feb 10, 2017

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Ali Mamouri
Suzanne Maloney

Brief Analysis

The Trump-Netanyahu Meeting in the Context of Emerging U.S. Middle East Policy

The two leaders will need to figure out where Israel's pressing concerns about Iran fit in with the Trump administration's emerging regional policy, particularly its emphasis on quickly destroying the Islamic State.

Feb 9, 2017

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Robert Satloff

In-Depth Reports

The Future of Leadership in the Shiite Community

Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, a former Iranian judiciary chief who holds a prominent position in the Assembly of Experts, now has two paths to leadership of the Shiite community. The first is as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, now seventy-seven; the second is to eventually take the place

Feb 7, 2017

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

The Plan to Defeat ISIS: Key Decisions and Considerations

Washington should pursue a 'day after' scenario that keeps the United States in the region, maintains its new (YPG) and old (Turkish and Iraqi) relationships, pushes back Iranian ambitions, and 'manages' an inevitable Russian presence.

Feb 7, 2017

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

Can Trump Break Up the Russian-Iranian Alliance?

One of the president's biggest early foreign policy tests will be navigating the aftermath of the nuclear deal, which brought the Islamic Republic even further into Russia's orbit.

Feb 6, 2017

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Iran's Warming Relations with the PKK Could Destabilize the KRG

Their emerging confluence of interests will only exacerbate the internal problems caused by factionalism and failed governance in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Feb 6, 2017

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Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Iran's Latest Missile Test: Scenarios and Implications for the New Administration

Regardless of how the details surrounding Sunday's launch shake out, it was an unhelpful move at a time when the Trump administration is determining its policy toward Iran's missile program and broader regional behavior.

Feb 3, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Cyber: Iran's Weapon of Choice

In the past decade, Tehran’s cyber toolkit has evolved from a low-tech means of lashing out at its enemies to a central pillar of its national security concept.

Jan 29, 2017

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Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

Rethinking American Military Intervention in the Middle East

An in-depth look at how the United States can reverse its policy missteps and subpar performance in various regional conflicts, in large part by correcting its inadequate understanding of the operational environment.

Jan 26, 2017

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Michael Eisenstadt

In-Depth Reports

General Principles to Guide U.S. Middle East Policy

Given the unprecedented turmoil and uncertainty afflicting the Middle East, the new administration will need to devote particular care and urgency to understanding the essence of America's interests in the region, and applying clear principles in pursuing them. This is the advice offered by two U.S. diplomats with a distinguished

Jan 19, 2017

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James Jeffrey
Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

Donald Trump Should Isolate Iran Immediately

Iran's destabilizing presence throughout the region has grown in the year since the nuclear deal, so the new administration should take firm steps to curb it.

Jan 19, 2017

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

President Trump Must Rally His Middle Eastern Allies and End Iran's War of Attrition

The new administration can succeed in the region if it understands the nature of the threats posed by Iran and radical Islamists, is prepared to work with America’s traditional partners, and appreciates how to take advantage of the latest local developments.

Jan 18, 2017

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Iran Appoints Seasoned Qods Force Operative as Ambassador to Iraq

General Masjedi reportedly has a long track record of overseeing deadly anticoalition operations and making threatening statements against Israel and other U.S. allies, so his appointment to the embassy in Baghdad is highly troubling.

Jan 18, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Potential Benefits of Easing Sudan Sanctions

The president's latest decision could encourage Sudan's ongoing shift toward more favorable policies in the Middle East, and without surrendering the incoming administration's leverage.

Jan 13, 2017

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Katherine Bauer

Brief Analysis

Iranian-Backed Terrorism in Bahrain: Finding a Sustainable Solution

The United States needs to balance tough love with public validation of justifiable security concerns as Manama seeks to reverse the dangerous growth of Iranian-supported militant cells on the island.

Jan 11, 2017

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Matthew Levitt
Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

The Counterintuitive Role of Air Defense in Iran's Anti-Status Quo Regional Strategy

While Iran's air defenses are a central element of its deterrent capabilities, newly arrived long-range mobile systems like the S-300 could also enable it to constrain the air forces of its neighbors over their own sovereign territory, thereby enhancing Tehran's ability to intimidate and coerce these neighbors.

Jan 11, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

More Information Is Needed to Evaluate Implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Experts need sufficient information to make informed judgments about whether the deal's terms are being implemented in full, and it is unclear whether any mechanism exists to detect procurement violations.

Jan 10, 2017

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Katherine Bauer
Patrick Clawson

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

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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