Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

What Did the Gulf Coalition War Achieve in Yemen?

A conversation on the causes, consequences, and lessons of the Yemen war, including its implications for potential future conflicts between the Gulf states and Iran.

Apr 9, 2016

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Fighting in the Caucasus: Implications for the Wider Region

As Moscow continues its pattern of fomenting conflict and carving up countries in its near-abroad, the United States and regional players such as Iran, Israel, and Turkey will once again feel the ripples.

Apr 7, 2016

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Brenda Shaffer

Brief Analysis

Potential U.S. Clarification of Financial Sanctions Regulations

Proposals for clarifying or relaxing certain U.S. financial restrictions would be a cumbersome way for Iranian trading partners to access U.S. dollars, but would give Iran modest, unreciprocated benefits.

Apr 5, 2016

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Katherine Bauer

Brief Analysis

Iran Locks Itself Out of the International Financial System While Blaming Washington

Out-of-date Iranian banking practices and rank deception have made international banks leery of risking their reputations.

Apr 5, 2016

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Patrick Clawson

Fikra Forum

Repercussions of the Saudi-Iranian Conflict on North Africa

March 31, 2016 The Iranian Shura Council and Assembly of Experts elections in February have resulted in gains for moderate reformists in a peaceful political contest. The elections’ contrast to the region’s political turmoil brings to mind the ironic words of British Parliamentarian Jock Bruce-Gardyne. In 1966, the politician described

Mar 31, 2016

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Nouh El Harmouzi

Fikra Forum

A New Iran for a New Middle East: Aligning Discourse and Behavior

March 31, 2016 In the aftermath of the P5+1 agreement with Iran, the Arab Middle East has been processing two widely conflicting messages from Tehran. The first message is a soft appeal for friendship directed at the global community as a whole, which is built on promise and good intentions

Mar 31, 2016

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Hassan Mneimneh

Video

Brief Analysis

Putin's Middle East Policy: Causes and Consequences

Two experts discuss Russia's increasingly assertive regional policy and what it means for American and allied interests. Read a summary or watch video of the full event.

Mar 23, 2016

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Philip Gordon

Brief Analysis

Anomalies in Iran's Assembly of Experts Election

Seemingly inflated vote totals and jumbled candidate lists raise questions about the transparency of the government's official election results and turnout estimates.

Mar 22, 2016

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Patrick Schmidt

Articles & Testimony

Hezbollah's Growing Threat Against U.S. National Security Interests in the Middle East

In-depth testimony on the group's ongoing criminal, terrorist, and military activity in the region and beyond, including the implications of a potential cash influx from Iran as international sanctions are relaxed.

Mar 22, 2016

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Matthew Levitt

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers public remarks.

Brief Analysis

Khamenei Intensifies His Anti-Americanism to Weaken President Rouhani

The Supreme Leader used his Nowruz address to launch a strong attack on the United States and make Rouhani the scapegoat for continued American pressure, which augurs poorly for U.S.-Iranian cooperation.

Mar 21, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

The Costs of Lost U.S. Credibility

If the Obama administration is truly committed to containing Iran in the wake of the nuclear deal, it needs to understand how others in the region perceive its handling of Tehran's provocations.

Mar 21, 2016

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Mashhad Appointments Show Tightened Hardliner Grip

Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, who is taking over a massive organization, has a repressive record dating back to the 1980s.

Mar 14, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Iranian Casualties in Syria and the Strategic Logic of Intervention

Iran's battlefield losses have continued even after the drawdown of forces it surged into Syria late last year and the subsequent 'cessation of hostilities,' raising questions about Tehran's strategy and tactics in the war.

Mar 11, 2016

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Ali Alfoneh
Michael Eisenstadt

Articles & Testimony

Behind the GCC's Terrorist Designation of Hizbullah

The decision, which has been coming for some time, is a function of increased Hizbullah activities in the Gulf states and growing tensions with Iran.

Mar 10, 2016

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

What Does It Mean To Be a Reformist in Iran?

An unprecedented combination of regional turmoil, international pressure, and authoritarian machinations have coopted the reformist movement, leading many Iranians to view the current regime as Iran's only means of survival.

Mar 10, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Salafism: Ideas, Recent History, Politics

Download this presentation (PDF)

Mar 9, 2016

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Jacob Olidort

Brief Analysis

Reformists Apply the 'Lesser Evil' Theory to Iran's Elections

With most of their favorite candidates disqualified, the reformists embraced politicians who were little different from the hardline incumbents, raising questions about their claims of victory.

Mar 9, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Fikra Forum

Hezbollah Labeled Terrorist by GCC States – But What Do Their People Think?

March 8, 2016 In a remarkable if little-noticed development last week, all six GCC states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain – formally designated the Lebanese movement Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called this step “important and even amazing,” but

Mar 8, 2016

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David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

Why the Nuclear Deal Hasn't Softened Iran's Hard-Line Policies

As the election process and continued regional aggression have shown, the regime won't change what it's doing at home or abroad until the price for such behavior is made clear and unmistakable.

Mar 6, 2016

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Third Time the Charm for Reform in Iran?

Tehran has a history of showing hints of reform to hopeful citizens and Western observers only to snatch them away in the end.

Mar 4, 2016

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Patrick Clawson

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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Iran

Policy Analysis on Iran

Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy

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