Iran’s New ‘Nuclear’ Weapon
What happens if the U.S. declines to fight for the Strait of Hormuz.
Baloch people
Iran braces for internal unrest as US and Israeli attacks persist (March 14-16 updates)
From March 14 to 16, US and Israeli operations continued targeting key elements of the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, including missile infrastructure, naval command sites, and facilities...
Op-eds
Iranian Baluch separatist factions establish Popular Fighters Front coalition
On December 10, several Iranian separatist groups belonging to the country’s Baluch minority announced that they will operate under the umbrella of the Popular Fighters Front (JMM). The new coalition...
Op-eds
10 Iranian Jails the Regime Uses To Brutalize Political Prisoners
Iran routinely detains and imprisons citizens who publicly question the regime. The suffering of these political prisoners is immense: Inmates have reported pervasive sexual assault, beatings, sleep deprivation,...
Insights
Iran’s loss is Turkey’s gain
Recent diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Iran reflect a broader shift in the Middle East: Turkey has filled the vacuum left by Tehran, much to the Islamic Republic’s discontent.
Op-eds
Jaish al-Adl claims responsibility for twin attacks in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province
The Islamist and Baluch separatist group Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for two attacks on October 1 that killed six Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Islamic Republic law enforcement...
Op-eds
The Islamic Republic prepares to avenge Ismail Haniyeh
“Bloodlust” is a term cascading across the Iranian media space this week: “Bloodlust is commanded,” declared Jam-e Jam newspaper, connected to Iran’s state-sanctioned...
Op-eds
Iranian President in Pakistan, Pledges to Strengthen Ties
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Islamabad on April 22, kicking off a three-day visit to Pakistan. Raisi’s trip comes three months after Iran and Pakistan exchanged airstrikes...
Flash Briefs
Iran’s grasp is loosening on its eastern borders
On April 4, Iranian media reported a series of attacks by the Baluch separatist group Jaish al-Adl in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province. The militants claimed they targeted six regime...
Op-eds
Pakistan-Iran tensions: What’s next as countries escalate attacks?
The series of attacks threaten to escalate tensions between the countries and escalate tensions in South Asia.
Op-eds
Iran’s Slow Boil
The clerical regime in Tehran has held the streets. It remains to be seen, however, if the strategies employed to keep the ayatollahs afloat will prevail. When Mahsa Amini, a young Sunni Kurdish-Iranian girl, died on September 16 in the custody of the morality police, nationwide demonstrations erupted, often with young women and girls on the frontlines.
Op-eds
The Iranian theocracy’s downfall is a goal worth working toward
Fate is sometimes kind to America. Such merciful intervention happened last summer when Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, rejected the Biden administration’s effort to revive former President Barack...
Op-eds
How Iran’s Ethnic Divisions Are Fueling the Revolt
Non-Persian minorities, often overlooked in the West, may hold the key to the uprising’s course.
Op-eds
The Israeli Moment
If anyone is going to derail the Islamic Republic’s regional ambitions, Israel is really the only local counterweight that counts.
Op-eds
Iran Is More Than Persia
Ethnic Politics in the Islamic Republic
Monographs
Iran Conducts Major Wave of Executions and Shootings of Ethnic Minorities
Tehran has killed dozens of members of Iran’s ethnic minorities in recent weeks, especially among Iran’s Baluch and Ahwazi Arab communities. Ethnic minorities are increasingly conducting anti-regime...
Policy Briefs
Iran’s Multiethnic Society Explains Why Tehran Fears Democracy
Iran faces the democracy conundrum: in multi-ethnic states where one non-majority group prevails over others, democratization entails risk of loss of empire.
Op-eds
State Department designates Hizballah operative, Baloch separatist group
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Op-eds
Jaish al-Adl claims deadly IRGC bus bombing
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Op-eds
Labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Co-written by Ray Takeyh. Last month, the Donald Trump administration noted that it was contemplating whether to designate Iran’s Is...