Skip to main content

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Main navigation

Analysis
Experts
About
Support
Maps & Multimedia

Trending:

Great Power Competition
Proliferation

Iran
Lebanon
North Africa

Regions & Countries

Egypt
Gulf States
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Middle East
North Africa
Palestinians
Syria
Turkey

Issues

Arab & Islamic Politics
Arab-Israeli Relations
Democracy & Reform
Energy & Economics
Great Power Competition
Gulf & Energy Policy
Military & Security
Peace Process
Proliferation
Terrorism
U.S. Policy

TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية TWI Persian: فارسی Fikra Forum

Search Policy Analysis

Breadcrumb

Policy Analysis

Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Filter by:

Keyword

Issue

Type

U.S. and Iranian flags

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Iran Policy So Far: Beware the New, Non-Nuclear Options

Instead of giving Tehran free carrots, the administration should adopt a clear transactional stance, such as approving sanctions relief only if militias stop their missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.

David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

Addressing Iran’s Weaponization Work Will Fortify the Nuclear Deal

Allowing Tehran to whitewash its nuclear activities and sites would set a terrible precedent for other nations who might be tempted to pursue a covert weapons program.

Jay Solomon

Articles & Testimony

How Should Joe Biden Respond to Russia’s Middle East Strategy?

Washington has prioritized counterterrorism for years and is only now shifting to great-power competition, but Moscow has never lost sight of geopolitics, and its actions in the region should be seen through that lens.

Anna Borshchevskaya

Saudi ARAMCO oil storage facility

Articles & Testimony

Attack on Saudi Oil Facility Means New Headache for Biden

One obvious remedy involves asking Riyadh to end its production cutback, but any such request could be complicated by the administration’s recent friction with the crown prince.

Simon Henderson

Assistant secretary of state David Schenker speaks at the Department of State in Washington, DC, alongside secretary of state Mike Pompeo

Middle East Policy from Trump to Biden: Views from Inside the State Department’s Near East Bureau

The former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Middle East portfolio from 2019-2021 discusses his time in office and how the region’s challenges and opportunities are evolving at the start of the Biden administration.

David Schenker
Robert Satloff

Pope Francis departs an airplane

The Pope Meets the Ayatollah

The Vatican’s outreach to Iraq is laudable in its goal of decreasing religious violence, but Western officials should be realistic about what engagement with Shia religious leaders can accomplish in the near term.

Mehdi Khalaji

Understanding Iran’s Vast Media Network in Arab Countries

Designating Iranian-linked media outlets can limit their activities, but a more holistic strategy is needed if Washington hopes to effectively counter the regime’s regional propaganda machine.

Hamdi Malik

Figure 1: Qais al-Khazali’s interview with iNEWS TV, June 1, 2021.

Maps & Graphics

In Their Own Words: Senior Leaders Admit to Membership in the Tansiqiya

Militia Spotlight

Qais al-Khazali, Muhammad Mohi, and Nasr al-Shammari have all provided televised prima facie evidence of their groups' involvement in acts of anti-coalition terrorism.

Hamdi Malik

U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias

Articles & Testimony

Why Biden’s Airstrikes on Iran Militias Matter

The operation on the Iraq-Syria border could prove more significant than critics allow, but only if the administration keeps showing that there are limits to what it will tolerate in pursuing a new nuclear deal.

Phillip Smyth

Biden’s Warning to Iran and Its Proxies: Implications of the Syria Strike

The administration’s early recourse to armed force may have surprised Tehran, but the proxy tests will continue, suggesting the need for sustained U.S. intelligence support and multilateral engagement with partners.

Michael Knights

Attributing the Erbil Attack: The Role of Open-Source Monitoring

Even Iran’s proxies now have proxies, but authorities can still untangle and attribute their illegal acts through expanded use of rich open-source evidence.

Crispin Smith
Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik

Iran's Majlis head Qalibaf, former defense minister Dehghan

In-Depth Reports

The 2021 Iranian Presidential Election A Preliminary Assessment

Sudden Succession Essay Series

Whoever wins, the result will intimate deeper trends in Iranian society, such as public support for the regime and the Supreme Leader’s intentions for the country’s future.

Albert B. Wolf

U.S. and Israeli flags

Israel Braces for U.S. Revival of the JCPOA

The best approach for both governments is to internalize lessons from 2015 and enter a comprehensive, discreet discussion focusing on constructive ideas and realistic outcomes.

Michael Herzog

Articles & Testimony

Rocket Attacks on Erbil: Part 2

The U.S. response needs to get more specific, while the KRG and Baghdad need to patch up their urgent security differences and stop entangling them with broader territorial, constitutional, or budgetary issues.

David Pollock

President Joe Biden speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House

Articles & Testimony

Iran Just Handed Biden His First Credibility Test

Proxy rocket attacks in Iraq require a clear response, otherwise the safety of U.S. troops and the prospect of nuclear negotiations will both be in doubt.

Michael Knights

Rockets over Erbil: How to Respond to an Iraqi Militia Outrage

Iran-backed militias took the unprecedented step of rocketing a major city and U.S. base in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Biden administration must quickly find its own formula for restoring deterrence.

Michael Knights

Russian president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

Articles & Testimony

Don’t Expect Russia to Help Save the Iran Deal

In seeking to salvage the JCPOA, Biden should not assume cooperation from Moscow, but instead focus on building a unified strategy that strengthens the U.S. negotiating position.

Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Iran Dilemma

Tehran’s nuclear and regional activities are part of a single strategy that aims to paralyze stronger foes, so Washington’s policies for responding to each challenge should likewise overlap considerably.

Michael Singh

Pylon

Maps & Graphics

“Pylon-Gate”: Reconstruction of a Muqawama Disinformation Operation

Militia Spotlight

The KH-affiliated media group Unit 10,000 planted disinformation about a nonexistent U.S. airstrike, stoked the story, and then tried to remove its fingerprints from the original "fake news."

Crispin Smith

Iran’s New Narrative: The Regime Is Not in a Hurry, But Washington Should Be

By steadily implementing parliament’s anti-JCPOA law and making public statements about “cornered cats” and “closing windows,” Tehran has sought to give Washington a sense of urgency, but this approach could be a double-edged sword.

Omer Carmi

Pagination

Previous page
First page
…
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Current page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
…
Last page
Next page

Sign Up for Updates on Iran

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, podcasts, and special reports.

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

Contact
Press Room
Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

About TWI
Support the Institute

Social media

The Washington Institute on Facebook
The Washington Institute on Twitter
The Washington Institute on YouTube
The Washington Institute on Soundcloud

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Footer

Employment
Privacy Policy
Rights & Permissions