Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Iran’s Predetermined Parliamentary Election

The vote will further consolidate Khamenei’s authoritarian rule, while the Majlis seems set to continue its decline in importance.

Feb 19, 2020

◆

Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Arab, Iranian, and Turkish Responses to President Trump’s Impeachment

A survey of how regional media outlets discussed the congressional impeachment process and its potential ramifications on the 2020 presidential election.

Feb 19, 2020

Brief Analysis

FATF’s Approach to Iran Should Mix Engagement with Pressure

Although it is time for the international standard-setter to act, returning Iran to the blacklist need not be seen as the end of FATF engagement with the country.

Feb 18, 2020

◆

Katherine Bauer

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

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S. Strategy Toward Iran: Restoring Deterrence, Enabling Diplomacy

Three experts discuss how Washington can manage escalation and catalyze diplomacy while still using its military instruments to apply pressure.

Feb 14, 2020

◆

Michael Eisenstadt
Kori Schake
David Deptula

Brief Analysis

Establishing a Response Ratio for Iranian and Proxy Attacks

Enhancing deterrence and protecting Americans in Iraq and Syria requires a more formalized system for rationing out retaliatory strikes at the proper intensity, time, and place.

Feb 13, 2020

◆

Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

The UN Exposes Houthi Reliance on Iranian Weapons

In addition to dispelling any lingering notion that last year’s Aramco attack came from Yemen, the report documents Iran’s efforts to help the rebels acquire advanced missiles, weapons components, and training.

Feb 13, 2020

◆

Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Centering Iraq Policy on Human Rights and Fair Elections

The surest way to counter Iran’s malign influence is to proactively focus on human rights issues that the new prime minister can actually affect, such as organizing free elections and preventing further violence against protestors.

Feb 4, 2020

◆

Michael Knights

Video

Brief Analysis

Shia Militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon Post-Soleimani

Will the various regional militias once controlled by Qasem Soleimani continue to take sometimes-unwanted direction from Tehran after his death? Read or watch a spirited conversation with three experts.

Jan 30, 2020

◆

Michael Knights
Phillip Smyth
Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

Soleimani Is Dead: The Road Ahead for Iranian-Backed Militias in Iraq

Iraqis have expressed broad political, religious, and public support for checking the militias more quickly, so the U.S. government should take several steps toward that end.

Jan 27, 2020

◆

Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Iranian Succession and the Impact of Soleimani’s Death

The general’s peerless domestic stature would have served a crucial mediatory role during the eventual transition to Khamenei’s successor, so his death brings significant uncertainty to that process.

Jan 23, 2020

◆

Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

The New Iranian General to Watch

The regime has promoted a hardened veteran of the Lebanon front, raising questions about the IRGC’s next steps following Soleimani's death.

Jan 23, 2020

◆

Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

Lifting the Arms Restrictions on Iran: What Will and Won’t Change

UN limits on Iranian weapons transactions will expire in a few short months, and even snapback sanctions may be insufficient to prevent proliferation of dangerous arms to and from the regime.

Jan 23, 2020

◆

Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Who Is Mohammad Hossein-Zadeh Hejazi, the New Deputy Commander of Iran’s Qods Force?

The general’s background includes often-buried links to the pre-revolutionary MEK, along with a sobering record of transforming the Basij into a fine-tuned engine of domestic repression and organized vigilantism.

Jan 22, 2020

◆

Ali Alfoneh

Brief Analysis

Expediting Evidence of Iranian Attacks: The Aramco Case

Internal components that are common across Iran’s illicit weapons transfers and domestic manufacturing industry can help investigators link the regime to attacks in the region.

Jan 21, 2020

◆

Tim Michetti

Brief Analysis

Behind Rouhani’s Uranium Enrichment Claim

His troubling numbers could be accurate given Iran’s past JCPOA violations and large number of operational centrifuges.

Jan 17, 2020

◆

Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Europe Is Creating an Opportunity for Iran Talks, and Washington Should Take It

By triggering the nuclear deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, Britain, France, and Germany are opening diplomatic space that could help the United States and Iran return to the negotiating table.

Jan 17, 2020

◆

Elana DeLozier

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

Brief Analysis

Khamenei’s Rare Friday Sermon Reflects Four Pressing Concerns

Public anger is exploding over the regime’s mishandling of the airline tragedy, and the Supreme Leader seems to realize that his normal methods of extinguishing unrest and exploiting election cycles may not suffice.

Jan 16, 2020

◆

Mehdi Khalaji

Video

Articles & Testimony

U.S.-Iran Tensions: Implications for Homeland Security

On January 15, 2020, Ambassador Barbara Leaf testified at a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security on the homeland-security implications of ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. The following are her prepared remarks. Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Rogers, Distinguished members of the Committee, Thank you for

Jan 15, 2020

◆

Barbara A. Leaf

Articles & Testimony

Why Soleimani’s Killing Is a Gift to Vladimir Putin

Both Trump and Khamenei need an off-ramp from the latest crisis, and Putin could well become the intermediary.

Jan 11, 2020

◆

Dennis Ross

Video

Brief Analysis

The DEA's Targeting of Hezbollah's Global Criminal Support Network

The head of the Counter-Narcoterrorism Operations Center discusses how the group uses drug trafficking and other schemes to fund its activities, and what the DEA is doing to stop it.

Jan 10, 2020

◆

John Fernandez

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

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.

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, and special reports.

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.

Regions & Countries

Issues

Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

Featured experts

Regions & Countries

Issues

Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Featured experts