Trump and Tillerson Disagree Over Iran Nuclear Deal
The debate on verifying Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal rages on behind closed doors in the White House with Donald Trump reportedly eager to find the noncompliant with the dea...
John Kerry
Trump eager to declare Iran noncompliant on nuclear deal; Tillerson argues for leverage
A heated behind-the-scenes debate is playing out among high-level Trump administration advisers over whether the president should declare Iran in violation of the nuclear accord reached under his...
Op-eds
The Iranian Express
On November 30, 2016, Syria watcher Tobias Schneider tweeted out pictures of an Iraqi Shia militiaman boarding an Iranian commercial airliner en route to Damascus. One selfie taken on the plane s...
Op-eds
As Iran Berates US to Mark Second Anniversary of Nuclear Deal, Critics Warn of ‘Nuclear Armed Genoci
Iran’s foreign minister marked the second anniversary of the 2015 nuclear deal on Friday by accusing the US of undermining the agreement. “We expect all the sides to abide by...
Op-eds
Can Trump Make Mideast Peace Without Gaza?
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will visit the White House this week for the first time in three years. By all accounts, his host is eager to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. &ldqu...
Op-eds
Syria’s chemical program: Rubio ‘gravely concerned’ about Iran & Russia complicity
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told Fox News he’s “gravely concerned” about Iran’s role in helping Syria develop its chemical warfare program that ended up killing dozens of peo...
Op-eds
How Iran Enables Syria’s Chemical Warfare Against Civilians
The 59 Tomahawk missiles the US fired at the Shayrat Air Base served to punish dictator Bashar Assad for his use of chemical weapons against civilians. The strikes on April 6 also helped...
Op-eds
We can’t punish Syria and ignore Iran: Assad’s allies have been complicit in his crimes
The Iranian regime’s role in enabling Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s chemical attacks on civilians last week has sadly been ignored, in part because of Tehran’s accurate asserti...
Op-eds
The (limited) mission accomplished in Syria
If you’re still unsure about whether President Trump did the right thing when he launched 59 cruise missiles at Syria’s Shayrat air base last week, consider the alterna...
Op-eds
Iranian Officials: Obama-era Prisoner Release was ‘Ransom’
Iranian intelligence agencies are fighting over credit for forcing the U.S. to pay ransom for...
Policy Briefs
The Face-Off
Donald Trump has promised a foreign policy of muscular retrenchment, in which a better-resourced U.S. military intimidates our enemies without serving as a global cop. More than any pr...
Op-eds
Iran’s missile tests reveal weaknesses of UN Security Council Resolution
Iran’s latest missile test on January 29 received a swift response, as warranted. The United Nations Security Council...
Policy Briefs
Abbas on the Ropes
For most of his 12 years as president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas has enjoyed the Wh...
Op-eds
Protecting Palestine
Not long ago, I was talking to a Fatah official about Palestinian aspirations, especially his party’s sharp emotions about Hamas, the Palestinian fundamentalist movement that rules Gaza and...
Op-eds
In strong attack on Israel, German foreign minister says settlements jeopardize peace
German Foriegn Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a staunch proponent of the Iran nuclear deal, has slammed Israel in a series of tweets and statements since last Friday’s Security Council re...
Op-eds
Kerry’s Address: More Posturing Than Policy
Secretary of State John Kerry, in a speech...
Policy Briefs
Team Obama is not done slamming Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fuming over President Obama’s abstention in last week’s anti-Israel vote at the United Nations. Israelis warn Obama may have even more in...
Op-eds
Iran Concessions Would Erode Anti-Money Laundering Standards
The 10-year extension of the Iran Sanction Act (ISA) – a 1996 law imposing sanctions on Tehran’s trade, energy, defense, and banking sectors over its nuclear program, ballistic-missil...
Policy Briefs
Mahmoud Abbas, the winner…
One man, one vote, one time: In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected to a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority. He hasn’t bothered to run for re-election since. He a...
Op-eds
Iran and China Get Cozy
Co-written by Ilan Berman. Scattered among the hundreds of kiosks that made up the massive China–Eurasia Expo held in the western Chinese city of Urumqi in late Sept...