COVID and Navigating the New Middle East Challenges
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has added a significant layer of uncertainty to an already complicated situation in the Middle East. The Cipher Brief […] More
Iran
The OSINT Global Trendline Report
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data to track trends around the world that impact national and global security. We break the world […] More
OSINT Global Trendline Report: The Middle East and Africa
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national and global […] More
Soleimani and the True Measure of Deterrence
CONVERSATION STARTER — Few would argue that the January 3 drone strike that killed Iranian General and Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani was a […] More
Avenging the Death of Qassem Soleimani
The U.S. targeting and killing of Iranian Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani by a drone strike in Baghdad on Friday has prompted a series of […] More
Is the Maximum Pressure Campaign Working with Iran?
As the U.S. continues to announce new sanctions aimed at Iran, there are some signs that indicate the U.S. policy of applying maximum pressure on […] More
Tom Bossert’s Plan to Hijack the Hack
Tom Bossert spends a lot of time thinking about hacking. The former Homeland Security Advisor to President Trump who also served as the country’s Chief […] More
What Are Protests in the Middle East Signaling?
Protesters came out in support of Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Sunday but they were followed by anti-government protesters who have been calling for a […] More
Managing Iran’s Actions to Avoid Collapse of Global Economy
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman is warning that military conflict with Iran would collapse the global economy. He made the statement during an […] More
The Drone Attack on Oil and the Larger Iran Problem
When a series of drones were used to attack a key Saudi oil facility over the weekend, the impact on oil production was noted by […] More
Signs of Iranian Strategy
It was a busy weekend of activity for Iran, much of it rooted in its desire to seek ways around U.S. sanctions that are targeting […] More
Iran, Tankers and the Threat of Greater Destruction
New audio of the seizure of a British-flagged tanker indicates the vessel was too far away from help to avoid being forced to change course […] More
Iran’s State of Play
Tensions remain high between Iran and several EU countries, even after some of the primary signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement vowed their continued support […] More
The Iran Brief
As part of The Cipher Brief’s special coverage in the run up to our 2019 Threat Conference in Sea Island, GA March 24-26th, we will […] More
The Islamic Revolution’s Impact on Political Islam and the Middle East
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
Shifting Sands of the Middle East and the Impact on the Arab World
In part two of his two-part exclusive series for The Cipher Brief, AEI Scholar Kenneth Pollack, the author of the recently-released Armies of Sand: The Past, […] More
Iran in 2019: Cautiously Surviving
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made clear during remarks in Jordan on Tuesday that the U.S. is intent on putting more pressure on Iran in the […] More
Iran: Maximum Pressure and Perfect Storms
Last spring, two weeks after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the international arms control deal that curbed […] More