Iran Is Rewiring Its Proxy Network
The Islamic Republic’s preparation for renewed regional escalation is making it less vulnerable to outside attacks.
Najaf
Between Iraq and a Hard Place
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, only two months into his term, has a busy month of foreign engagements. In early July, he received the body of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which was visiting Iraq’s...
Op-eds
Body of slain Iranian leader Khamenei arrives in Iraq for Najaf and Karbala rites
The body of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on July 8 as part of his funeral procession. Large crowds gathered to mourn the slain leader...
Op-eds
Trump needs to shut down this key Iranian transit artery — ASAP
Iran’s corrupt economy is still bleeding; Washington has a narrow, perishable window to bring the regime to its knees. President Donald Trump has shown admirable resolve. His instinct...
Op-eds
Breaking the Myth of Hezbollah’s Captive Constituency
Israel’s Alma Center is wrong about Lebanon’s Shia population. In a recent article, the institute claimed that Hezbollah’s Shia constituency is a “captive audience” chained by dependency, fear,...
Op-eds
Iraqi security forces and politicians react to reports of ‘secret’ Israeli base
Iraqi politicians and security forces have responded to a May 9 report in The Wall Street Journal claiming that “Israel built and defended a secret Iran war base in Iraq.” The news provoked...
Op-eds
Iranian-backed militias continue attacks on US forces in Iraq
As America and Israel continued striking Iran, the Islamic Republic’s partners in Iraq claimed additional attacks against the “US presence” in the region on March 4 and 5, particularly...
Op-eds
Don’t Repeat Obama’s Mistake in Iran
The 44th president drew a ‘red line’ in 2013, then imposed no consequences when Syria crossed it.
Op-eds
Khomeini’s war: Sunni Islamists taught Shia Iran to hate Israel
The ayatollahs adopted the Muslim Brotherhood’s worldview to make the destruction of the Jewish state the regime’s holy cause. The Shia leadership in Najaf now has the chance to return the Shia world to pacifism
Op-eds
Hezbollah is the Antithesis of Shia Islam
A video went viral of a Lebanese woman standing at the Beirut Airport and berating other passengers, shouting: “We sacrificed our blood, this is our country, and whoever does not like it should emigrate.”...
Op-eds
Hezbollah c’est moi: The Party of God without Hassan Nasrallah
On September 27, the unimaginable happened. At approximately 5:22 p.m. local time, reports emerged of a massive Israeli strike on the predominantly Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, known colloquially as...
Op-eds
CBI Revoking Bank Melli’s License Is Unlikely to Curb Iran’s Sanction Evasion in Iraq
The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) revoked Bank Melli of Iran’s operating license on February 8, following increased U.S. pressure to untangle Iraq’s financial system from Iranian money laundering and...
Policy Briefs
‘Ghosts of Beirut’ gets Hezbollah’s most wanted all wrong
Showtime miniseries is thrilling but its portrayal of Hezbollah’s American-killing Imad Mughniyeh is wide off the historical mark
Op-eds
Senior Muslim Clerics Issue Fatwa Against Hamas
The Islamic Fatwa Council — a non-governmental clerical body headquartered in Najaf, Iraq — issued a fatwa, or religious edict, last week condemning Hamas’ repression of Palestinians...
Flash Briefs
Iraq election drubbing leaves Iran scrambling to save its militias
Amid the theatrics and walkouts, the meeting illustrated the magnitude of the defeat suffered by the parties loyal to the Iranian regime in the fourth election since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Op-eds
Helping Iran fail in Iraq
Hours after the failed Nov. 7 assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi, pro-Iran militias in Iraq claimed responsibility but denied that Tehran had ordered the attack. Not only...
Op-eds
Biden Administration Hesitates to Condemn Iranian Terrorism in Iraq
If Washington and the West stand behind the anti-Iran coalition, it might be able to overcome Tehran and disband its troublemaking militias.
Op-eds
In Private, Iraqis Support Peace With Israel
In public, they are forced to say the opposite. Even Iraqis living abroad fear Palestinian social shaming should they support peace and normalization with the Jewish state.
Op-eds
New Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Poses Threat to Iran, Opportunity for U.S.
The March 17 nomination of Adnan al-Zurfi as Iraq’s prime minister-designate highlights the extent to which Iran’s stranglehold on Iraqi politics could be eroding. As such, Zurfi’s nomination holds...
Insights
Crisis Of The Iranian Order
The “transnational”: this is how Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s Qods Force, who was killed in a January U.S. missile strike in Baghdad, is described in Hezbollah-run schools in Lebanon....