Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

High Noon in Bahrain: Will Tehran Blink First?

Bahrain's action against a high-profile Shiite figure has brought long-simmering tensions with Iran to a boil, and extremists could feel empowered to further escalate the crisis even if officials turn down the dial.

Jun 27, 2016

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Takfiris in Tehran: The Sectarian Face of Iranian Counterterrorism

While the severity of the Sunni extremist threat inside Iran is debatable, the regime's recent operations against suspected terrorists highlight its pattern of exploiting sectarian sentiment to bolster its regional adventurism.

Jun 24, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Little Change Expected in Upcoming FATF Statement on Iran

The organization's forthcoming statement will likely underline the fact that Iran's recent efforts are only the first steps toward complying with international standards.

Jun 23, 2016

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Katherine Bauer

Brief Analysis

Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Election Is No Step Forward for Rouhani

Ali Larijani's projected victory likely won't help Rouhani, who needs ample support from parliament in order to bolster his chances of winning next year's presidential election.

May 27, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Iran's Air Force Overshadowed by the IRGC

A recent crash highlights the air force's struggles to maintain its readiness and budget at a time when Revolutionary Guard leaders are pushing for a deterrence posture based solely on their own ballistic missile arsenal.

May 27, 2016

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Iran's New Assembly Chair Shows Who Really Won the Elections

Despite weeks of reformist spin about the spring election results, the decision to name a notorious hardliner as head of the Experts Assembly shows that Khamenei is intent on making life even more difficult for President Rouhani's camp.

May 24, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

The IRGC Morphs Into an Expeditionary Force

Funeral notices indicate that Iran has increased its use of IRGC Ground Forces in Syria to offset mounting losses by the elite Qods Force, and this pattern could signal a wider transformation in how the IRGC operates abroad.

May 12, 2016

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Ali Alfoneh

Articles & Testimony

The View from Tehran's Twilight Zone:

Iran's Continued Illicit Finance Activities and Their Implications

In Tehran's alternative reality, there is no risk to doing business in the Islamic Republic because sanctions no longer exist, yet such claims ignore the role that the regime's own actions play in scaring foreign banks away.

May 11, 2016

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

Why Middle Eastern Leaders Are Talking to Putin, Not Obama

Russia is less dominant militarily but more willing to act, and that has changed the dynamics in the region.

May 8, 2016

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Dennis Ross

In-Depth Reports

U.S. Military Engagement in the Broader Middle East

Reflecting broad foreign policy themes dating to World War I, U.S. grand strategy in the Middle East since the Cold War has focused on establishing and managing a global security system to contain and deter outside threats. Given Eurasia's demographic and economic/technical strength, a dominant power or powers arising from

May 3, 2016

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James Jeffrey
Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

Possibilities for a Turkish-Iranian Rapprochement

The prospect of warmer Iranian-Turkish ties is manageable so long as the United States maintains the intent and capability to promote regional security, and assuming Ankara continues to balance any such rapprochement with its ties to the West, Israel, and Arab states.

May 1, 2016

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

One Year After the Nuclear Deal: Is Iran Moderating?

While Western officials should remain true to their longstanding support for human rights and civil liberties in Iran, they should nevertheless be cautious about their ability to shape the country's internal dynamics, focusing instead on influencing its regional and foreign policies through a mixture of pressure and engagement.

Apr 29, 2016

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Iran Nuclear Deal: Meeting vs. Exceeding U.S. Obligations

Washington shouldn't rush to resolve issues such as banking restrictions and heavy-water stockpiles without prodding Tehran to take helpful steps of its own.

Apr 29, 2016

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Misleading Claims About U.S. Barriers to Iran-Europe Financial Ties

Few people understand that Iranian banks do not live up to the standards U.S. agencies require of all foreign financial institutions, and that this shortcoming has nothing to do with the nuclear deal.

Apr 27, 2016

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Patrick Clawson

Brief Analysis

Inside Iran's Runoff Election

A detailed look at what happened in the first round of this year's parliamentary elections and how it might affect round two.

Apr 25, 2016

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Patrick Schmidt

Articles & Testimony

Where Iran's Complaint About Banking Integration Misses the Mark

Until Iran stops engaging in illicit behaviors such as terrorist financing, banks are likely to see prohibitive reputational, regulatory, and other risks to doing business there.

Apr 18, 2016

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

What the U.S. Has and Hasn't Learned From Imposing Sanctions

By heeding the lessons garnered from past experience and empirical studies, Washington can mitigate concerns about sanctions overreach and greatly increase their effectiveness.

Apr 15, 2016

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Michael Singh

Video

Brief Analysis

Does the Middle East Still Matter? The Obama Doctrine and U.S. Policy

Four eminent scholars and policy practitioners debate the president's worldview and how it will shape American interests and options in the next administration.

Apr 14, 2016

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Derek Chollet
Ellen Laipson
Michael Doran
Michael Mandelbaum

Brief Analysis

Russian S-300 Deliveries to Iran Have Apparently Begun

New evidence indicates that components of the old but potent missile system have made their way to Tehran, though the scope and timing of their contribution to Iran's air-defense capabilities remain uncertain.

Apr 13, 2016

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

Iran's Army Suffers Its First Casualties in Syria

Elements of the national army have officially joined the IRGC on Syria's battlefields, but Tehran's apparent public-relations strategy could backfire at home if casualties mount.

Apr 12, 2016

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Farzin Nadimi

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

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