Iran is not Venezuela, President Trump, and this man is no moderate
Seeking a shortcut out of Iran, the administration considers its Venezuela playbook.
Esmail Qaani
Israel intensifies strikes on repression sites, expands outreach to Iranians as regime repression deepens (March 8-10 updates)
On March 10, marking 10 days of Operation Epic Fury, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that more than 5,000 targets in Iran have been struck, including command-and-control centers, Islamic Revolutionary...
Op-eds
Iraq’s Election Plays Out in the Shadow of Influence From Washington and Tehran
Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 11, but voters aren’t holding their breath for change. Allegations of pervasive vote buying and reliance on patronage systems already taint...
Policy Briefs
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in spotlight after Secretary of State Rubio’s call with Prime Minister Sudani
Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al Sudani “urged the United States to avoid unilateral decisions in Iraq, insisting that all actions impacting bilateral ties must go through formal diplomatic channels,”...
Op-eds
US forces begin withdrawal from Ain al Asad airbase as US presence in Iraq transitions
Arab media reported on August 18 that a US military convoy departed Ain al Asad airbase, a military facility hosting US forces in western Iraq, on its way to Syria. An Iraqi security source speaking...
Op-eds
Behind Khamenei’s post-war shake up: Salvaging the remains of the ‘Axis of Resistance’
In the post-war era, the power players are no longer focused solely on succession; they are now deeply invested in survival in the post-Islamic Republic era as well.
Op-eds
Tehran Seeks to Consolidate Its Influence in Iraq
Iran still seeks to project power in the Middle East — not only by arming proxies and smuggling oil but also by shaping regional parliaments and policies. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s new Supreme...
Policy Briefs
Iran and its militias brace for another conflict with Israel
The Qatari New Arab reported on July 17 that Esmail Ghaani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), met with Tehran’s Iraqi proxies in Baghdad earlier this...
Op-eds
Israel targets Iran’s nuclear sites and senior military figures
In a joint operation led by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure and key leaders. The attack, reported by...
Op-eds
Iran’s shadow looms large over the Houthi ceasefire
It’s too soon for another US “mission accomplished” in the Middle East. President Donald Trump this month announced a halt to US airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, claiming the group “capitulated” and would cease targeting American vessels and Red Sea traffic.
Op-eds
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
Washington Must Pressure Baghdad to Disarm Iran’s Proxy Militias in Iraq
Gaza and Yemen are well established as two arenas of the ongoing struggle between the United States and Iran, but Iraq is another vital stage that has garnered comparatively less attention. That may now...
Policy Briefs
Iran braces for possible US attack amid proxy setbacks
An anonymous Iranian official told Reuters on April 6 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has instructed Iranian armed forces to be on high alert. The source also said Tehran has...
Op-eds
10 Rockets Fired at Israel Amid Renewed Anti-Hamas Protests in Gaza
Rockets Hit Israeli Communities: Hamas terrorists launched 10 rockets at Israeli communities on April 6, the heaviest barrage since the October 2024 anniversary of the atrocities...
Flash Briefs
Iranian personnel reportedly leave Yemen as US strikes intensify
Iran has ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen amidst the ongoing US bombing campaign in the country, The Telegraph reported on April 3. The newspaper’s source added that regime...
Op-eds
Iraq wrestles with US pressure over Iran-backed militias
The US is reportedly applying pressure on the Iraqi government and Iran to disband Iraq’s pro-Iranian militias. These efforts come amid calls from some Iraqi leaders to dissolve the militias or integrate...
Op-eds
Iran urges the Houthis to de-escalate ‘tensions’
Iran has made private requests to Yemen’s Houthis to “cool tensions” in the Red Sea, according to Reuters. The report states that two senior Iranian officials said Iran sent a message to...
Op-eds
From Afghanistan to America: the rising reach of the Islamic State Khorasan Province
Four years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the threat posed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has expanded beyond the region, now endangering both American and European soil.
Op-eds
Trump’s Return Pushes Iran Into a Defensive Posture
Increasingly fearful of their loosening grip on power, the Islamic Republic’s rulers are recalibrating their foreign policy, at least temporarily, to gauge the impact of Donald Trump’s return to the...
Policy Briefs
Iranian FM and Quds Force do outreach to Iraq
High-level meetings in Tehran signal deepening Iran-Iraq security cooperation, while Iran simultaneously advances its regional agenda through talks with Turkey, Russia, and Lebanon.