Iran’s rulers are true believers
That’s why they’re so difficult to deter or constrain
Iraq War
U.S. Forces Interdict Vessel in Indian Ocean Transporting Oil From Iran
Vessel Interdicted: The U.S. Department of Defense announced on April 23 that “overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned...
Flash Briefs
Iran’s War on Iraq’s Oil Industry
Iran-aligned militias in Iraq have been attacking the country’s oil sector while the world’s attention focuses on the Strait of Hormuz.
Op-eds
Home of Kurdistan Region president targeted, American universities threatened as attacks escalate in Iraq
The home of Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, was targeted in a drone attack on March 28. The following day, Reuters, citing security sources, reported, “Air defenses shot...
Op-eds
Shabaab celebrates October attack on Mogadishu prison in new video
In a new video posted online as a so-called Eid celebration, Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, highlighted and celebrated last year’s assault on the Godka Jilacow prison in Mogadishu, which...
Op-eds
Defying Trump, Swiping at Israel: Pedro Sanchez’s Brilliant, Empty Foreign Policy
Spain formally withdrew its ambassador from Israel on March 11. The announcement, published in the Boletin Oficial del Estado, terminated the appointment of Ana Maria Salomon Perez, downgrading Madrid’s...
Insights
International Union of Muslim Scholars criticizes Iranian strikes on Arab states but says Israel is main threat to region
A senior leader in the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has condemned Iran’s recent strikes on several Middle Eastern countries while simultaneously urging Muslims to unite against...
Op-eds
U.S. Must Pressure Baghdad To Rein in Iran-Backed Militias
After largely sitting out the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran in June last year, Tehran’s proxies in Iraq quickly jumped into the fighting after the United States and Israel began operations against...
Policy Briefs
Scouting America Is Vital to the Pentagon’s Warfighting Potential
The Pentagon may be on the verge of cutting ties with Scouting America, one of America’s preeminent youth organizations that has helped produce generations of American servicemembers. This decision would...
Op-eds
An inside look at the US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center for Gaza stabilization
The US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in southern Israel’s Kiryat Gat continues to grow as efforts to stabilize Gaza ramp up. The center, created on October 17 by US Central...
Op-eds
Shabaab claims prison assault in Mogadishu
Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu was yet again the victim of a brazen terrorist attack conducted by Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa. Yesterday, at least seven Shabaab gunmen stormed the...
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
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
Iran Nuclear Program Talks
Media Calls
The Iranian Negotiating Tactic the Trump Administration Doesn’t Get
Sanctions and ‘maximum pressure’ have never made the clerical regime abandon its nuclear ambitions.
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
Deterring Iran’s Dash to the Bomb
Monographs
Jihadis mount prison mutinies across Africa
Over the last few days, jihadis have mounted two attacks inside prisons in Somalia and Niger. While the mutiny inside the Nigerien prison was successful, the Somali prison assault appears to have been...
Op-eds
The consequences of US weakness in Iraq and Syria
U.S. forces in the Middle East are on high alert after Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, suggested on Monday that Tehran may attack U.S. forces in the region following...