New Iran Nuclear Site Revealed
Bottom Line up Front Iran’s construction of a new, hardened centrifuge assembly plant further undermines the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear agreement. Iran’s confirmation of […] More
Iran
Top issues for the next leader of the Free World
OPINION – The United Nations’ decade-long embargo on the sale of arms to Iran expired on Sunday based on a provision in the 2015 Joint […] More
What Does Closer Cooperation between China and Iran Mean?
Iran and China are reportedly moving forward with an economic and security agreement that could pose a significant challenge to US efforts to isolate and […] More
Why Should the U.S. Care about a renewed Iran-Venezuela Relationship?
Earlier this Spring, an oil tanker from Iran arrived in Venezuela with a much-needed delivery, despite the fact that both nations are under US sanctions. […] More
What Follows a ‘Sayonara’ Foreign Policy
Cipher Brief Expert and former Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International […] More
Implications of Iran Arms Ban Expiration
Bottom Line up Front The October 2020 expiration of the U.N. ban on arms transfers to and from Iran would have little material impact […] More
The New Dynamic Cyber Threat Environment
An attempted cyberattack on Israel’s water system in late April, just months after the global pandemic hit, prompted fears that cyber adversaries are getting even […] More
Iran’s Shifting Posture in Syria
Bottom Line up Front Iran’s apparent drawdown of its military presence in Syria likely reflects Tehran’s calculation that the regime of President Bashar Al […] More
Iran and Israel Continue Their Shadow Conflict in Cyberspace
Bottom Line Up Front Israeli cyberattacks against Iran are intended to send a signal, as a means of pushing back against Iran’s actions in […] More
Iran and Hezbollah’s Pre-Operational Modus Operandi in the West – Part Two
In part one of Iran and Hezbollah’s Pre-Operational Modus Operandi in the West, authors Mitch Silber and Ioan Pop pulled from court documents and open […] More
Iran and Hezbollah’s Pre-Operational Modus Operandi in the West – Part One
Cipher Brief Expert Mitch Silber and Ioan Pop have pulled from court documents and open source reporting to compile a modus operandi of Iran and […] More
Iran Space Launch Signals Growing Threat
Bottom Line up Front The April 24, 2020 launch of a satellite by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) indicates that Iran might intend […] More
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
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
The Uneasy Balance between Care and Provocation
OPINION — This past March and April, US Naval Forces attached to Central Command carried out live fire exercises in the North Persian Gulf’s international […] 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
United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again
Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating […] More
OSINT Global Trendline Report: COVID and the Americas
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