Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Linking the Syrian Conflict to the Iranian Nuclear Agreement

Middle Easterners fear the White House will return to bad habits by dropping its demands on Syria in order to appease Iran.

Dec 13, 2013

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

An Unregulated Security Threat

The Syrian refugee crisis may force Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Iran to reevaluate their approach to Bashar al-Assad's war.

Dec 10, 2013

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Andrew J. Tabler

Articles & Testimony

Is Iran Set to Lash Out at Saudi Arabia?

The Beirut embassy bombing and Iran's anticipated retaliation against Saudi Arabia could threaten Lebanon's already tenuous stability.

Dec 10, 2013

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

GCC Summit Will Gauge Regional Confidence in U.S. Policy

The December 10-11 Gulf Cooperation Council meeting should indicate how member states will respond to U.S.-led nuclear diplomacy with Iran, among other issues.

Dec 9, 2013

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Building on the Joint Plan of Action: Toward a Sustainable Nuclear Deal with Iran

A viable comprehensive solution will need to resolve concerns about possible military dimensions, eliminate an automatic sunset clause, and define clear-cut incentives for compliance and disincentives for noncompliance.

Dec 6, 2013

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Why Some U.S. Allies Disapprove of the Iran Agreement

The problem lies not in the accord's substance, but rather in the lack of trust that the Obama administration is willing and able to run a regional security system requiring potential use of force.

Nov 27, 2013

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James Jeffrey

Brief Analysis

'We Are Not at the Table, but on It': Arabs React to the Iran Deal

Arab responses to the nuclear agreement with Iran suggest that the United States must work harder to allay the fears of allies and friends -- and be especially mindful of the deal's nonnuclear implications.

Nov 26, 2013

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David Pollock

An Israeli Assessment of the Iran Deal

BICOM Senior Visiting Fellow Brig. Gen. (res.) Michael Herzog gave his assessment of the Iran deal and its implications in a BICOM phone briefing on November 25. The following is a summary of his assessment, covering the positives and negatives of the interim deal, concerns around the endgame, and Israel's

Nov 26, 2013

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Michael Herzog

Articles & Testimony

How to Think about Obama's Deal with Iran

The agreement is neither a "breakthrough" nor an "abject surrender" but rather "a cap for a cap," with a limited rollback on each side for the next six months.

Nov 26, 2013

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Making the Iran Nuclear Deal Work

Now that an Iran nuclear deal has been signed, the next challenge is implementation. This step will entail at least two major challenges: interpreting the agreement and progressing toward what the deal calls "the final step of a comprehensive solution."

Nov 25, 2013

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Patrick Clawson

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

Brief Analysis

Iran's Leaders Emphasize Limitations of the Nuclear Agreement

While the Supreme Leader has expressed cautious support for Iran's nuclear negotiating team, conservative media outlets and officials are emphasizing that the new deal is only partial and that Tehran could readily back out.

Nov 25, 2013

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Answers to Key Questions Will Determine Iran Deal's Success

Only time and U.S. actions will tell whether the recent agreement is a step toward Iran's denuclearization or its rise as a nuclear power.

Nov 25, 2013

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Iran's Nuclear Program Is Still Growing, and America's Fist Is Shrinking

Israel may feel compelled to act if the Obama administration does not follow the Geneva deal with robust implementation, strict sanctions enforcement, and speedy negotiation of an even stronger final arrangement with Iran.

Nov 25, 2013

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Robert Satloff

Maps & Graphics

Text of the Joint Plan of Action

First-Step Agreement between Iran and the P5+1 Powers

Download the text of the Joint Plan of Action agreed in Geneva on November 24, 2013, between the P5+1 nations (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Iran.

Nov 25, 2013

Articles & Testimony

Turkey Fears a Shiite Alliance

Ankara would view an Iran nuclear deal and a negotiated settlement in Syria as Washington turning a blind eye to the emerging Shiite axis along Turkey's southern border.

Nov 25, 2013

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

'No One in the Region Will Sleep'

The Saudis are frustrated by their inability to block what they regard as Iran's return to diplomatic respectability and Washington's conciliatory approach to Tehran.

Nov 25, 2013

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Why a Nuclear Deal with Iran Is So Hard

The requirements of a credible, sustainable agreement are at odds with Tehran's goal of confirming its status as a nuclear threshold state while preserving ambiguity about its capabilities.

Nov 20, 2013

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Iran's Nuclear Narrative Needs to Be Challenged

A full explanation of Tehran's past and current nuclear activities should be a vital part of any interim agreement.

Nov 18, 2013

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Simon Henderson
Olli Heinonen

Articles & Testimony

Obama's Fight with Israel: This Time It's Serious

New rifts in U.S.-Israeli cooperation could mean that time is running out for peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Nov 17, 2013

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Robert Satloff

Saudi 'Hidden Hand' Steering Iran Nuclear Talks?

The first round of Iran nuclear talks in Geneva broke down earlier this month after the P5+1 failed to reach consensus on a short-term deal that would have eased up sanctions and allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium at reduced levels. Talks apparently ended over France's demand that Iran stop

Nov 14, 2013

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Simon Henderson

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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