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Middle East

Propaganda paintings with american flag an "Down with the USA text" in Tehran, Iran - stock photo

What Iran Wants and How It Can Still Fight

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is touting success out of the latest round of talks in Switzerland focused on seeking a permanent end to the war in [...] More

Middle EastIran

The Latest

Houthi's are Positioned to Close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Chip Usher

Houthi's are Positioned to Close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Despite suffering heavy losses to combined U.S.-Israeli military strikes, the Iranian regime remains defiant. It’s recent reluctance to send a [...] More

Middle EastChip Usher

Trump, Iran, and the Stress Test of Western Alliances

Sami Omari

Trump, Iran, and the Stress Test of Western Alliances

The war with Iran has grown beyond just a regional war; it is also a preliminary test of the cohesion of Western alliances under President Donald [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesIranMiddle East
Iranian president meets with Putin, discusses ways to boost cooperation in all sectors

What Iran Is Learning from Russia’s War and Why the U.S. Should Be Concerned

KREMLIN FILES/COLUMN: The war in Ukraine is often framed by optimistic academics, and some policymakers as a cautionary tale—an example of how [...] More

Middle EastIran
U.S. And Israel Wage War Against Iran

U.S. Intel’s Sobering Assessment of Iran’s War Resilience

Six weeks into Operation Epic Fury, with airstrikes having killed a sitting supreme leader, wiped out scores of top military and intelligence [...] More

Middle EastIran

A Declining Demand for Strategic Intelligence? U.S. and Israeli cases

Itai Shapira

A Declining Demand for Strategic Intelligence? U.S. and Israeli cases

Strategic intelligence, usually perceived as intelligence supporting the formulation of strategy, has always had limited influence over national [...] More

Itai ShapiraMiddle EastIsrael

Iran War Scorecard Looks Bad for America’s Strategic Interests

Beth Sanner

Iran War Scorecard Looks Bad for America’s Strategic Interests

While the war has yet to conclude, we have enough information to create a preliminary net assessment of its effects on U.S. security and prosperity. [...] More

Middle EastIranBeth Sanner

While the U.S. Focuses on Iran, Russia and China See Strategic Gain

Dave Pitts

While the U.S. Focuses on Iran, Russia and China See Strategic Gain

Russia and China are certainly concerned about the desperate state of Iran’s regime, an invaluable transactional partner to both countries. Yet they [...] More

Middle EastIranDave Pitts

Why the ‘Day After’ Is The Most Important Day in the Iranian Conflict

Paul Miller

Why the ‘Day After’ Is The Most Important Day in the Iranian Conflict

The countries that get held up as models for this kind of US led attack are worth looking at closely, because they’re instructive in the wrong [...] More

Middle EastIran
How Iran Determines Who Gets Through Hormuz

How Iran Determines Who Gets Through Hormuz

For roughly two weeks, the Karachi, a Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker loaded with crude at Das Island in Abu Dhabi, sat waiting for a signal that [...] More

Middle EastIran

Why the ‘Day After’ Is The Most Important Day in the Iranian Conflict

Paul Miller

Why the ‘Day After’ Is The Most Important Day in the Iranian Conflict

The countries that get held up as models for this kind of US led attack are worth looking at closely, because they’re instructive in the wrong [...] More

Middle EastIran

Down But Not Out: Iran’s Axis of Resistance

Michele Kernitsky

Down But Not Out: Iran’s Axis of Resistance

When HAMAS attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, Iran and its partners around the Middle East—collectively known as the Axis of Resistance—were riding [...] More

Middle EastIran
STRAIT OF HORMUZ - 17 JANUARY 2026

At the Center of the World’s Most Dangerous Chokepoint

EXPERT INTERVIEW – Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and growing concerns about the security of global energy supplies, the Strait of [...] More

Middle EastIran