Washington’s Counter-Mine Wakeup Call
The Islamic Republic of Iran delivered a wakeup call to the U.S. Navy regarding the service’s ability to clear mines. The still-contested Strait of Hormuz demonstrates that mine clearing under fire is...
Iran Missiles
FDD Analysis
Trump must answer Houthis’ airport strike — and punish Iran for its chaos
The death toll from the Houthis’ weekend attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has risen to over 15, including one American — and Iran’s Yemeni partner shows no signs of stopping...
Op-eds
You Probably Have the Iran War Backward
The blockade proves the success of sanctions. If the U.S. keeps its chokehold, Tehran will likely break.
Op-eds
Have We Lost the Iran War?
Has the United States lost the Iran war? The Iranian regime certainly thinks it has. The big Iranian funk that came after the 12-Day War in June, which climaxed the Israeli multi-front offensive...
Op-eds
U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Aviation Should Be Followed by Operational Isolation
Washington first tightened the chokehold on Tehran at sea and is now extending it to the skies. On September 8, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned all 27 remaining active Iranian airlines...
Policy Briefs
Iran continues attacks on Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq
On September 7, Iran launched a drone targeting the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan party in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, the latest attack on the region and the latest against Kurdish...
Op-eds
Obama Figures Chastising Trump on Iran Have Zero Self-Awareness
Democratic officials ignore how they contributed to the situation in the Middle East.
Op-eds
Russia helps Iran sharpen its sword
Russia is shipping explosives and other military goods to help Iran replenish arsenals depleted in fighting with the United States and Israel, according to an August 17 report by NBC News. If accurate,...
Op-eds
Is Iran Rebuilding Its Ballistic Missile Production Capacity?
Has Tehran built back better when it comes to its ballistic missile infrastructure? That is the question set to decide how effective Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion by the U.S. and Israel,...
Op-eds
How China and Russia keep Iran armed and dangerous
Chemicals and intelligence keep Tehran’s war machine alive.
Op-eds
Iran’s missile attack was a surprise. It should not have been.
Years of muted U.S. responses taught Tehran what it could get away with.
Op-eds
Saudi Participation in U.S. Airstrikes on Iraq Signals Impatience With Baghdad’s Inability To Control Armed Factions
Baghdad’s failure to address drone attacks from Iran-backed Iraqi militias is forcing other countries to act. American and Saudi forces, in a first for the ongoing war with Iran, launched joint...
Policy Briefs
Iran Strikes Jordan To Probe Washington’s Escalation Limits
Despite a lull in fighting between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran broke with its established pattern of portraying direct missile attacks against U.S. forces as retaliation. On...
Policy Briefs
How to break Iran’s terrorist regime
“Gradually, then suddenly” could work
Op-eds
The Middle East Moves Toward a Multifront Maritime War
Yemen’s Houthis have brought the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into the conflict between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran — blocking millions more barrels of oil from easily...
Policy Briefs
The Unrelenting Reality of the Iran War
This is probably Trump’s last chance to show why the regime should fear him.
Op-eds
CENTCOM strikes Iran as Tehran condemns US sanctions waiver revocation
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on July 7 that it had launched an attack wave on targets in Iran “to impose heavy costs” in response to the Islamic Republic’s strikes...
Op-eds
Iranian ballistic missile operations: 2024–2026
Over the past two years, the Islamic Republic has engaged in at least 15 distinct ballistic missile operations from its territory against foreign targets. These attacks, starting in January 2024, ended...
Op-eds
For Tehran, negotiation is war by other means
Iran’s rulers think Trump is as beatable as his predecessors
Op-eds
Why Is Saudi Arabia Appeasing Iran?
Normalization with Israel would be far more beneficial for Saudi security than conciliation with the regime that has bombed its territory.