Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Articles & Testimony

After ISIS, the U.S. Military Could Help Keep Iraq Stable

A limited troop presence would support a strategy aimed at containing Iranian aggression.

Apr 16, 2017

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James Jeffrey

Brief Analysis

Iran Is Still Using Pseudo-Civilian Airlines to Resupply Assad

While some international sanctions against Iranian civil aviation have been lifted, Tehran's insistence on using Mahan Air and other companies to send personnel and weapons to Syria may jeopardize the industry's future.

Apr 13, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Rojava Seeks to Break Out in Syria

Despite their desire for greater independence, Syria's Kurds have shown a willingness to broker agreements with the Assad regime in order to secure their near-term economic interests, and they may soon do the same with Iran.

Apr 12, 2017

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Fabrice Balanche

Articles & Testimony

Trump Raises the Stakes for Russia and Iran

Even if the U.S. strike in Syria has not fundamentally changed the dynamic in the war, opening a new window of possibility, Washington has sent the powerful message that using chemical weapons carries a price.

Apr 7, 2017

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

Middle Kingdom Meets Middle East

China's enhanced Middle East profile sends an important message to the Trump administration about America's role in the region.

Apr 3, 2017

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Richard Fontaine
Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Testing the Limits: Iran's Ballistic Missile Program, Sanctions, and the IRGC

A military expert lays out the short- and long-term strategic challenges posed by allowing Tehran to continue building up its missile arsenal.

Mar 29, 2017

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Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

The View from Congress: U.S. Policy on Iran

A former National Security Council director outlines the three pillars on which Washington can build a policy of curbing Iran's more destabilizing regional ambitions.

Mar 28, 2017

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Iran May Be Renewing Its Interest in Armored Warfare

The Syria war will likely spur Tehran to increase the role of armor in its future military planning, but it is still years away from developing an advanced tank force of its own.

Mar 27, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Will Morocco Extradite a Hezbollah Financier to the United States?

Last week's arrest highlighted the kingdom's role as a key counterterrorism partner, and following through on the U.S. extradition request could deliver a significant blow to Hezbollah's reputation and finances.

Mar 23, 2017

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Hanin Ghaddar
Sarah Feuer

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking

Brief Analysis

Khamenei's Nowruz Nuances

The Supreme Leader's two New Year's speeches provide a valuable look at the regime's internal dynamics as it attempts to balance economic concerns, electoral maneuvers, regional pan-Shiite issues, and the nascent policies of a new American administration.

Mar 22, 2017

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

The President's Syria Conundrum

In deciding whether to cooperate with Russia militarily, the U.S. administration must consider the Kremlin's ties to Iran and its Shiite proxies, and the associated risks of fueling future Sunni jihadist movements.

Mar 15, 2017

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Dennis Ross

In-Depth Reports

Defeating Ideologically Inspired Violent Extremism

A Strategy to Build Strong Communities and Protect the U.S. Homeland

Preventing and countering violent extremism is not a soft alternative to counterterrorism, but an essential toolkit to complement law enforcement's ongoing efforts to prevent violence.

Mar 13, 2017

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Matthew Levitt
Aaron Y. Zelin
Katherine Bauer
Jacob Olidort
Rand Beers
Adnan Kifayat
Samantha Ravich
Eric Rosand

Brief Analysis

Iran's Economy Post-Nuclear Deal: A Misleading IMF Scorecard

Iran's budget and banking system are being held hostage by unaccountable revolutionary institutions like the IRGC, but for some reason the IMF is not calling Tehran out on the glaring lack of transparency.

Mar 10, 2017

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Patrick Clawson

Iran's navy commander speaks in front of a map

Brief Analysis

Is Iran Attempting to Thwart U.S. Naval Surveillance of Its Missile Tests?

Tehran seems eager to extend the range and capabilities of its antiship missiles, and just as eager to prevent the West from monitoring its progress toward that end, even at the risk of escalating naval tensions.

Mar 9, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

In-Depth Reports

Deterring Tehran:

An Iran Policy for the New Administration

The United States should adopt a strategy on Iran that erects daunting defenses to dissuade the Islamic Republic from challenging the interests of the United States and its allies and that imposes sharp, painful costs should Iran do so nonetheless. In this transition paper for the new administration, Institute managing

Mar 7, 2017

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Iran Takes Another Step Toward Fielding S-300 Missiles

If this and other recent air defense developments bear fruit, Iran might soon become self-sufficient in such technology and could even begin offering it for export.

Mar 7, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Burning Questions for Trump on the Middle East: We Still Don't Know Where His Gut Instincts Are

Short-term benefits aside, America's partners in the Middle East will all suffer in the end if estrangement from the region becomes the norm of U.S. foreign policy.

Mar 7, 2017

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Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

What an Egyptian-Iranian Thaw Would Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy in the Region

If Washington fails to address Egypt's financial problems, its dispute with Saudi Arabia, and its over-emphasis on the dangers of Sunni Islamism, then American efforts to contain Iran could be in jeopardy.

Mar 4, 2017

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Haisam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

Bab al-Mandab Shipping Chokepoint Under Threat

Reports of Yemeni rebel mining activity are only the latest in a string of threats to international vessels transiting the narrow link between the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.

Mar 1, 2017

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Jeremy Vaughan
Simon Henderson

Fikra Forum

To Kurdistan and Back: Iran's Forgotten Front

At a conference in Dahuk in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq a few weeks ago, I was intrigued to see the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I) -- which the Tehran regime considers a subversive, terrorist group -- address the assembled notables. Sitting in the front row

Feb 28, 2017

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David Pollock

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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Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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