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Iran

Iran at the Breaking Point: How Afghanistan and Iraq Still Inform U.S. Strategy

Masoud Andarabi

Iran at the Breaking Point: How Afghanistan and Iraq Still Inform U.S. Strategy

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Iran is experiencing its most consequential period of internal unrest in years. Nationwide demonstrations driven by economic [...] More

IranMiddle EastExpert View

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The Two-Front Nuclear Challenge: Iran, North Korea, and a New Era of U.S. Deterrence

The Two-Front Nuclear Challenge: Iran, North Korea, and a New Era of U.S. Deterrence

DEEP DIVE — While Washington is focused on Iran’s accelerating uranium-enrichment program and increasingly aggressive regional posture, an equally [...] More

IranNorth KoreaNuclearMiddle EastAsia
A drone flies in front of an Iranian flag in southern Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2024.

Tehran’s Espionage Network in the U.S. Is Bigger and Bolder Than You Think

DEEP DIVE — Front companies, campus networks, diaspora recruits — Tehran’s espionage push on U.S. soil is bigger, bolder, and harder to track than [...] More

AmericasIranMiddle EastEspionage
Witness to a Sea Change in the Middle East: Jack Keane Says Israel Has a Window to Break Iran’s Proxies

Witness to a Sea Change in the Middle East: Jack Keane Says Israel Has a Window to Break Iran’s Proxies

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – The White House rolled out a 20-point plan on Monday calling for a permanent truce in Israel's war against Hamas that calls for [...] More

Middle EastIranIsrael
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) speaks during a press conference after arriving at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran on September 27, 2025

Defiance Meets Desperation as Iran Faces Fresh UN Sanctions

EXPERT INTERVIEW – The United Nations has reimposed sweeping economic and military sanctions on Iran, ten years after lifting them under the 2015 [...] More

Middle EastIranInternational

Spy Versus Spy: Iran’s Playbook for Espionage in Israel

Matthew Levitt

Spy Versus Spy: Iran’s Playbook for Espionage in Israel

OPINION — Israel’s intelligence penetration of Iran played out in dramatic form over the course of the 12-day war this summer, but Iran is running an [...] More

IranIntelligenceMiddle EastAlternative Perspectives
The Middle East is Reshuffling the Deck. Is the U.S. Ready to Play a New Hand?

The Middle East is Reshuffling the Deck. Is the U.S. Ready to Play a New Hand?

EXPERT INTERVIEW – The past year has brought a whirlwind of dramatic developments in the Middle East, reshaping long-held assumptions about the [...] More

IranIsraelSaudi ArabiaMiddle EastSyria

Regime Change in Iran: Complexities and Limits

Sami Omari

Regime Change in Iran: Complexities and Limits

OPINION — Iran and Israel have been at odds since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when the new Islamic Republic declared Israel to be illegitimate [...] More

IranMiddle EastAlternative Perspectives
Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump meet at the White House Monday, they will bring different ideas for resolving two [...] More

Middle EastIranIsraeli War

Expert Q&A: Former CENTCOM Commander on U.S. Troops in the Middle East

General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)

Expert Q&A: Former CENTCOM Commander on U.S. Troops in the Middle East

EXPERT Q&A — The American force posture in the Middle East — some 40,000 troops spread across the region — came into focus following the 12-day war [...] More

IranMiddle East
Former CIA Director on the Priority Intelligence Requirement in Iran

Former CIA Director on the Priority Intelligence Requirement in Iran

EXPERT INTERVIEW – Tehran’s response on Monday to U.S. attacks against its nuclear facilities over the weekend was measured and possibly calibrated [...] More

IranNuclearIntelligenceIsraelMiddle Eastmilitary

Will Anything Stop Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons?

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Will Anything Stop Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons?

OPINION -- The weekend bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow surprised the leadership in Tehran. It shouldn’t have, given [...] More

IranAmbassador Joseph DeTraniNuclearMiddle East
Experts Assess Iran Strikes, Response and What Comes Next

Experts Assess Iran Strikes, Response and What Comes Next

EXPERT SUMMARY -- Given this weekend’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the incredible fast pace at which events are unfolding, The Cipher [...] More

Middle EastIranNuclear