Trump Ends the Folly of De-escalation
In my first year at West Point, I was part of a cordon of cheering cadets who lined Thayer Road to welcome back to American soil 52 people who had been held hostage by the Iranian regime for...
Baghdad
Iraqi military bases targeted in overnight strikes
As Israel and Iran exchanged final volleys of fire in the early hours of June 24 after US President Donald Trump brokered a still-uncertain ceasefire, unknown actors, strongly thought to be Iran-backed...
Op-eds
After the Ceasefire, Will Iran Abandon its ‘Axis of Resistance’?
The Decline of Iran’s Proxies: How Tehran’s Regional Power Crumbled ...
Op-eds
Iranian-backed militias threaten US amid rising tensions in Iraq over Iran-Israel conflict
The Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq has threatened to target “US interests” in the Middle East if the US intervenes in the Israel-Iran conflict, according to several regional Arabic reports. The...
Op-eds
Iranian and Iranian-Backed Attacks Against Americans (1979-Present)
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the clerical regime in Tehran and its proxies have committed a range of attacks against Americans. This memorandum provides select documentation of these assaults. While...
Insights
Iraq in the Crossfire
Iraq was in crisis before Israel and Iran started trading blows. Now, it’s next door to a conflict.
Op-eds
Iraqi militias largely rely on rhetoric in response to Israel-Iran conflict—for now
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have resorted mainly to words, not actions, to support Iran since direct conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13. The statements issued by the groups have included...
Op-eds
U.S. Forces in the Middle East: Under Attack and Defending Israel
U.S. forces are under attack in the Middle East. U.S. officials stated on June 14 that three drones had been launched at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed. The drones were almost certainly fired by Iranian-backed proxies and were intercepted before hitting their targets. The attack comes amid renewed threats from Tehran, which has vowed to continue strikes against Israel and said it would attack U.S. bases as the U.S. military helps defend the Jewish state from Iran’s long-range missile and drone barrages.
Policy Briefs
US adds Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Imam Ali to list of terror organizations
The US Treasury Department added Kataib Imam Ali (the “Imam Ali Brigades”) to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on June 12, 2025. Kataib Imam Ali is one of the many Iraqi...
Op-eds
The Iranian Regime of War and Death
When I was in elementary school in Baghdad, in the early 1980s, teachers took us to the streets to shout angry slogans against “Khomeini the Hypocrite” for refusing to end Iran’s war with Iraq. Little...
Op-eds
Efforts continue to free kidnapped Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov
Over the last week, there have been increasing reports about attempts to free Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq in March 2023. Tsurkov, who holds Israeli and Russian...
Op-eds
Has the Era of Extremism Ended in the Middle East?
On May 20, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the U.S. decision to engage with the new Syrian government in Damascus. Rubio said that an unstable Syria has historically...
Op-eds
IDF Launches Renewed Ground Operation Against Hamas in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Resume in Qatar
Latest Developments IDF Operation Drives Hamas to Negotiating Table: Overnight operations in Gaza resulted in the elimination of “dozens of terrorists” and the destruction of “multiple terror...
Flash Briefs
Iran’s Quds Force commander travels to Iraq ahead of Arab summit
Esmail Qaani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), traveled to Iraq on May 14. He met with Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al Araji after arriving...
Op-eds
Pro-Iranian Iraqi politicians, militia leaders object to Syrian president visiting Iraq
A possible visit by Syria’s new transitional president, Ahmad al Sharaa, is causing controversy in Iraq. Several key Shiite political and militia leaders have come out against the visit and called on...
Op-eds
Major Shiite parties to run separately in Iraq’s November election amid disagreements
The Coordination Framework, the ruling Shiite alliance in Iraq, announced its intention for parties to run on separate lists in the November 11 election but reunite the coalition under the same...
Op-eds
Iran displays missiles and drones at Baghdad military expo
An Iranian delegation led by the country’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) attended the 13th International Defense Exhibition (IQDEX) in Baghdad on April 20, boasting of a range...
Op-eds
Pro-Iranian Iraqi network releases documents on Ahmad al Sharaa’s identity
On April 16, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani invited Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, to attend the Arab League summit scheduled for...
Op-eds
Why do Iraqi Shiites hate the new Syria and its leader?
One might assume that the most unpopular individuals in Iraq are US President Donald Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Op-eds
Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah militia denies report it will disarm
Kataib Hezbollah has denied a recent Reuters report that stated it was considering disarming, according to numerous reports quoting the group’s statement. Kataib Hezbollah is one of the Iranian-backed...