Iran on the verge of collapse
Deliver the death blow by weakening proxies
Government of Iran
Operation Economic Outcast Commences, And Where It Could Head
And so, it begins. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast in a bid to expand the architecture of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its network...
Insights
Operation Economic Outcast’s Success Depends on Aggressive, Sustained Enforcement
First there was the maximum pressure campaign during President Trump’s first term. Then came Operation Economic Fury in April 2026. Now, with Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump administration is launching...
Policy Briefs
Tehran’s Negotiators Are Not a Counterweight to the IRGC
Whatever separates Tehran’s senior leadership, a strategy of escalation to extract concessions from Washington unites them. President Donald Trump confirmed on August 17 that his administration has...
Policy Briefs
Checkmate In Tehran: Converting Trump’s Economic Pressure Into Victory
A reactive Iran policy need not be an unprepared one.
Op-eds
In Iran, the New Lineup Is the Same Hardline Regime
The latest reshuffle of Iran’s government looks less like renewal than a game of musical chairs among regime veterans. Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose status and capacity to...
Policy Briefs
Subterranean Warfare: Can Pickaxe Mountain Be Destroyed?
The Iran Breakdown
10 Iranian Judges Sanctioned by U.S. Allies — but Not Washington
Iranian authorities hanged two individuals in public who participated in the January 2026 Lion and Sun Revolution, the largest anti-regime uprising in the Islamic Republic’s history, in which millions...
Insights
Amid war and persecution, Iranians remain hungry for change
What is unmistakable is the depth of loathing for the Islamic Republic among its long-suffering citizens: At 71%, “dissatisfaction with the Islamic Republic” was the top reason for joining protests, according to a survey.
Op-eds
Iran thinks it won the war with US — now Christians are paying the price
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) published a list of “hostile” media organizations on July 14, including multiple Christian evangelical broadcasters based outside of Iran. Those Tehran finds...
Op-eds
What would Joe Biden do?
Vis-à-vis Moscow and Tehran, Trump should do the opposite
Op-eds
The time for talk is over — Trump needs to get tough with Iran
Just three weeks after it was signed, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran is on life support. Tehran’s promise to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for international...
Op-eds
Is Iran becoming a post-Islamic society?
Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that has not stopped the exchange of fire in the Gulf but has already produced a renewed and more aggressive repression campaign inside...
Op-eds
Of Presidents and Persians
Foreign Podicy
The Deal With Tehran Comes at the Expense of Iranians
As Washington negotiates, Tehran executes. Iran’s judiciary announced on June 22 that authorities had arrested more than 3,000 people since the start of the conflict on charges of collaborating with...
Policy Briefs
Letter to Melania: Beyond the oil and nukes, you can fight for Iranian women
Dear Mrs. Trump, Or may I call you Melania? If that is too familiar, no problem, I understand. But you can certainly call me Cliff! I am a longtime admirer. I have heard you speak out for human rights,...
Op-eds
Trump Administration Provides Billions in Unrestricted Oil Sanctions Relief to Iran
The Trump administration is laying the groundwork for a major cash infusion for the Iranian regime. On June 22, the Treasury Department issued General License (GL) X, a 60-day authorization for the...
Policy Briefs
In Iran, Christians Are Prosecuted as ‘Zionist Traitors’
It takes little to be branded a traitor in the eyes of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But since the start of Operation Epic Fury, Iran’s Christian communities have been accused of something worse: being...
Op-eds
Do not forget the Iranian people who still suffer, President Trump
President Donald Trump has announced that Washington and Tehran have signed an agreement with two pillars: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring the Islamic Republic cannot develop...