Great Satan

What would Thomas Jefferson do?  

America’s third president understood that jihadis don’t make good deals

How Trump Miscalculated in Iran

He followed his Venezuela model, not accounting for the ideological character of the regime in Tehran.

Know thine enemy

The “great, proud people of Iran” are not among them

Breaking Down the Islamic Republic

Strait talk 

American victory passes through Hormuz

A battle to make America great again

Guess who that’s making angry

Sanctioned Iranian leader denounces US, but his daughter lives here

Ali Larijani likely regards himself as a principled man. As the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, he remains a loyal foot soldier of the Islamic Republic, boasting a lifetime...

Freedom for Iran: Learning From U.S. Support for Polish Anti-Communists in the 1980s

Using Human Rights as a Weapon Against Iran

The uprising began because of an Iranian woman’s hair. In September 2022, Iran’s morality police arrested and then killed 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. Her murder...

A major battle in The Long War 

The roots of the current Middle East conflict trace back centuries

The Iran nuclear deal President Trump wants 

It’s not a warmed-over version of Obama’s fatally flawed JCPOA

Ali Khamenei’s revealing glimpse into the Islamic Republic’s fears

When Iran’s supreme leader speaks, the world expects a predictable mix of praise for his Palestinian allies, blustery predictions of Israel’s demise, and bitter denunciations of...

Hamas and Turkey: Partners in Terror

Naim Qassem commemorates 40 days since Hassan Nasrallah’s death

Naim Qassem’s second speech as secretary-general of Hezbollah, delivered on November 6, was as predictable in content as timing. It came, as is the group’s custom, to commemorate 40 days since the...

Naim Qassem is finally the bride

Hezbollah has a new secretary-general, though far from the obvious choice. On October 29, the group announced that its demure and soft-spoken Naim Qassem, rumored to be hiding in Iran, had succeeded...

Naim Qassem vows Hezbollah will continue fighting

Naim Qassem, newly appointed as Hezbollah’s secretary-general, has become the centerpiece of the group’s narrative efforts. On October 15, as then-deputy secretary-general, he gave his third speech...

The ‘How’ over the ‘What:’ Israel’s dilemma beyond target selection in Iran

Israel’s war cabinet has reportedly agreed on what Iranian targets to strike in response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack. So, the question now is what method Israel will employ to carry...

Palestinian Islamic Jihad calls for Ramadan to be ‘month of terror’

The PIJ comments are also linked to those made by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has called for escalation during Ramadan.

Iranian-backed Bahraini militias eulogize killed Hezbollah Brigades commander

In a joint statement, Saraya al-Ashtar and Saraya Wa’ad Allah, both Iranian-backed militias in the island Kingdom of Bahrain, sent their condolences to the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades – itself an Iranian...

Hamas vs. Western Civ

Gaza is a significant battleground