Tehran May Tempt Trump With Talks
The Islamic Republic is on the ropes, but it could still exploit the threat of rapid nuclear breakout.
Council on Foreign Relations
Erdogan Gets His ‘Leader of the Muslim World’ Moment
Syria's change of leadership has given Turkey’s president the regional influence he has always wanted.
Op-eds
Why Iran May Dash for the Bomb
Regime voices are pushing for it, and panic over Trump may offer a new impetus for action.
Op-eds
Why Israel Is Worried About Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, learned the limits of his foreign policy strategy this week: Even well-armed and well-trained surrogate forces can prove unreliable if a determined modern...
Op-eds
Iran Is Waiting for a President Harris
The mullahs haven’t avenged Haniyeh’s killing because they’re playing a longer—nuclear—game.
Op-eds
Iran Counts on U.S. Weakness to Check Israeli Strength
The Biden administration has pressed the Jewish state for a cease-fire, so far without success.
Op-eds
Meet Iran’s New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian is a kinder, softer regime loyalist. Khamenei and the Islamic Guard Corps still rule.
Op-eds
The Death of Iran’s President Does Not Bode Well
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not always seen eye to eye with his country’s presidents. Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani nudged the Islamic Republic too close to the West for the supreme leader’s...
Op-eds
Iran’s Nuclear Calculus Has Now Become More Dangerous
Supreme Leader Khamenei must wonder if the Islamic Republic’s situation would be better if it had already tested a nuclear weapon. The West shouldn’t underestimate the ailing ayatollah’s need for a glorious legacy.
Op-eds
Putting U.S. Power Behind Israel Will Keep Iran at Bay
Until Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones against Israel, the two countries had avoided open military intrusions into each other’s territory. Tehran most often acted through proxies, and...
Op-eds
Post-Erdogan Turkey Is Finally Here
Last weekend’s elections offer a first glimpse of a political future beyond the reigning strongman.
Op-eds
Iran Is Winning the War
Right now things look good for Israel. But the Islamic Republic is playing the long game. And its advantages, alas, are many.
Op-eds
Khamenei’s Strategy to Dominate the Middle East Will Outlive Him
Iran’s aging supreme leader is ensuring that any successor will stay the course.
Op-eds
When Iran Goes Nuclear
The Islamic Republic will even more aggressive toward Israel and improve its standing with Russia and China.
Op-eds
Iran’s Leaders Say They Don’t Want a War. Should We Believe Them?
The war in Gaza has now gone where many feared it would, expanding into conflict in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. With America’s repeated strikes against the Houthis in Yemen this...
Op-eds
The Stalinist approach to peacemaking
It’s simple, homicidal logic: No Israel, no problem
Op-eds
China and Russia Encourage Iran to Go Nuclear
An aloof U.S. leaves a regional vacuum that the Islamic Republic is exploiting brilliantly.
Op-eds
Smears and Myths—The October Surprise Revisited
The New York Times revives the claim that Reagan won in 1980 by conspiring to prolong the Iran hostage crisis.
Op-eds
How Iran’s Regime Is Threatened by Its Clerics
A new wrinkle in the Islamic Republic’s continuing political crisis
Op-eds
Who Is Poisoning Iranian Schoolgirls?
The attacks, which have sickened thousands, are the latest evidence that the regime is losing its grip.