Whatever understandings the Trump administration reaches after the Islamic State is defeated, it needs to be clear about the stakes: if America does not stop the Iranians in Syria and Iraq, they will soon emerge as the region’s dominant force. During his recent meetings with Arab leaders in Riyadh, President Trump signed up to a… Keep reading →
Washington’s working relations with the next president should not preclude it from leading the fight against the IRGC’s missile proliferation and regional militancy. Iran is a country at war, in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Yet the candidates campaigning for the May 19 presidential election have hardly spoken a word about the country’s regional and military… Keep reading →
The regime’s latest atrocity was spurred by clear military motivations, and the situation will likely worsen as the army begins a wider ground campaign against rebel strongholds in Idlib province. In claiming that the Syrian army was not responsible for the April 4 chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Russia has argued that the Assad regime… Keep reading →
Iran’s budget and banking system are being held hostage by unaccountable revolutionary institutions like the IRGC, but for some reason the IMF is not calling Tehran out on the glaring lack of transparency. On February 27, the International Monetary Fund released its annual report about the Iranian economy. The report is important not only for… Keep reading →
Two leading experts on clerical succession in Iran and Iraq discuss how the passing of Ayatollah Sistani and Supreme Leader Khamenei would affect American interests across the Middle East. On February 6, Ali Mamouri and Suzanne Maloney addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mamouri is the editor of Al-Monitor’s Iraq Pulse Desk and… Keep reading →
The following is based on remarks delivered by Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky at a Washington Institute Policy Forum on February 8. His views on these issues are spelled out in greater length in the Transition 2017 paper “Toward a New Paradigm for Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” coauthored with Dennis Ross. Read Robert Satloff’s remarks… Keep reading →
Regardless of how the details surrounding Sunday’s launch shake out, it was an unhelpful move at a time when the Trump administration is determining its policy toward Iran’s missile program and broader regional behavior. According to recent media reports, Iran conducted a weapons test on January 29 that involved either a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, a… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON – Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which rolls back the Iranian nuclear program and verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. To reach Implementation Day last year, Iran had to ship out 25,000 pounds of its enriched uranium, dismantle two-thirds of… Keep reading →
Amid uncertainties about the incoming U.S. administration’s approach to the Middle East and the nuclear deal, Tehran and Beijing appear to be entering a new era in their strategic partnership, including the potential transfer of advanced weapon systems down the road. Last week, Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan concluded a three-day trip to Tehran, the… Keep reading →
As Turkey looks for alternative partners, it is not Russia or Iran but China that offers the most promise, so the United States should shore up its own ties with Ankara in response. U.S.-Turkish relations were strained before the July coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and they have only worsened since. Turkish officials… Keep reading →
