Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Potential Economic Impact of an Iran Deal

Although a nuclear agreement might encourage banks and investors to reengage with Iran, low oil prices and longstanding economic problems could affect how the deal is perceived.

Nov 26, 2014

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Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

What Next for Iran and the P5+1?

Washington needs to change the negotiating dynamics so that the next round of talks is more successful than the past year's efforts.

Nov 26, 2014

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

What Difference Would an Iran Deal Make?

Implementing a nuclear agreement will be no easier than reaching one, and Washington will have little influence over what Iran decides to do over time about the deal.

Nov 25, 2014

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Patrick Clawson
Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Israel Views Extension of Iran Talks as Lesser of Two Evils

Officials believe a bad deal would leave Iran with the ability to develop more advanced centrifuges, continue with previously undisclosed missile work, avoid intrusive inspections at certain facilities, and 'sneak out' with insufficient warning.

Nov 25, 2014

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Regional Nuclear Plans in the Aftermath of an Iran Deal

While the purpose of multilateral negotiations with Iran is to reduce proliferation concerns, successful talks may in fact accelerate nuclear plans in the Gulf states and Jordan.

Nov 21, 2014

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Simon Henderson
Olli Heinonen

Articles & Testimony

The Catch in Lifting Sanctions Against Iran

In waiving sanctions related to the nuclear program, the president would also blunt his most effective tools for countering Tehran's other illicit activities, effectively rewarding the regime for steps it has not taken.

Nov 18, 2014

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Policies and Politics Will Test U.S.-Israel Ties

As the Iran deadline approaches, violence flares up in Jerusalem, and respective election cycles ebb and flow, U.S. and Israeli officials will need to work harder than ever to manage bilateral tensions.

Nov 10, 2014

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

What Obama's Letter to Khamenei Says About U.S. Policy Toward Iran

Any agreement to cooperate against ISIS without addressing Tehran's own contributions to regional instability would be a Faustian bargain.

Nov 10, 2014

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Michael Singh

The Iranian Nuclear Negotiations: A Washington Institute Backgrounder

Will Iran be able to build nuclear weapons? The answer could be determined by the November 24 deadline for talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany (P5+1). The outcome has profound consequences for America and the Middle East. Over the years, Washington

Nov 10, 2014

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Dennis Ross
Michael Singh
Michael Herzog
Michael Eisenstadt
Nima Gerami
Simon Henderson
Olli Heinonen

Brief Analysis

Oman Ruler's Failing Health Could Affect U.S. Iran Policy

The death of Sultan Qaboos with no clear successor would jeopardize U.S.-Iran diplomatic contacts, the latest of which will be the meeting tomorrow in Muscat between Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Nov 7, 2014

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

How the U.S., Not Iran, Is Making Concessions

By overlooking Iran's longstanding policies, making unrequited nuclear concessions, remaining ambiguous on Syria, and allowing tensions to persist with regional allies, Washington is sending the wrong message to Tehran.

Nov 3, 2014

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

How to Muddle Through with Iran

By revealing all the offers that Iran has rejected, Washington could block Tehran's potential Plan B, which will likely involve constructing a reasonable public image in order to erode the international sanctions regime.

Oct 19, 2014

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Dennis Ross

Assessing Iran-P5+1 Talks as Deadline Nears

The former chief of staff to Israel's defense minister discusses the pros and cons of the interim nuclear agreement with Iran and the prospects for continued negotiations past the upcoming deadline.

Oct 15, 2014

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Michael Herzog

Video

Brief Analysis

Keynote Address: Samuel W. Lewis Memorial Symposium

The deputy secretary of state speaks about Sam Lewis's diplomatic legacy and the lessons it holds for today's most pressing regional issues.

Sep 29, 2014

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William J. Burns

Articles & Testimony

China's Military Presence in the Gulf

Little noticed amid the tumult in Syria, two Chinese naval ships -- a guided missile destroyer, the Changchun, and a frigate, the Changzhou -- visited the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Monday and began a four-day joint exercise with Iranian naval forces. According to China's navy, this was the

Sep 26, 2014

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Iran Remains Our Biggest Challenge

The coincidence of mutual opposition to a radical Sunni terrorist group should not blind Washington to the enduring threat that the Iranian regime represents.

Sep 19, 2014

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Eric Edelman
Dennis Ross
Ray Takeyh

In-Depth Reports

How Iranians Might React to a Nuclear Deal

As the P5+1 and Iran negotiate about the nuclear impasse, Iranian factional politics has heated up. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made disparaging comments about the nuclear negotiations, yet supported continuing the talks. The Rouhani government is facing a variety of criticisms: it is vigorously defending its record at

Sep 11, 2014

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Patrick Clawson
Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Iran's Expanding Military Role in Iraq

Despite the loss of a close ally in outgoing prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) appears ready to move on by offering substantial military support to his successor in Baghdad.

Sep 8, 2014

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

No Iran Deal Is Better Than Any (Feasible) Deal

At present, Iran is unlikely to accept more limitations on its nuclear activities, but that doesn't mean Washington has to settle for a watered-down deal that further damages U.S. strategic interests.

Aug 13, 2014

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

Iran: Status of the P5+1

A good deal with Iran is one that clearly advances U.S. interests -- not only the interest in nuclear nonproliferation globally, but in the stability of the Middle East and U.S. prestige and influence in the region.

Jul 29, 2014

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Michael Singh

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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