Members Only Tehran’s Protest Problem may run deeper than it thinks
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Students at dozens of universities across Iran faced tear gas and gunfire over the weekend as they continue to defy officials in […] More
Latest Iran Briefs
Members Only 
Members Only The Impact of JCPOA
As the world waits to see whether a new nuclear deal will be agreed to with Iran, Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly spoke […] More
Members Only Iran: Deal or No Deal?
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The EU may be losing confidence in the prospect of a new nuclear agreement with Iran. The Iran nuclear deal, known as […] More
Deal or No Deal on Iran’s Nuclear Program?
Bottom Line: After a several-day hiatus brought about by a now-withdrawn Russian demand concerning relief from newly imposed Western sanctions, JCPOA talks appear ready to […] More
How Iran is Winning, One Attack at a Time
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — This week, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement confirming that “U.S. forces at Al Dhafra Air Base, near Abu Dhabi in the United […] More
Members Only What Iran’s Election Tells Us About Where It’s Headed
Hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi won Iran’s presidential election on Saturday in a move that is expected to bolster the conservative legacy of the country’s supreme […] More
Members Only President Biden’s Middle East: A Briefing with Norman Roule
President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming its Middle East agenda on adhering to campaign promises, examining current policies and undoing some that were enacted under […] More
A New World of Global Security: A Briefing with Sir John Sawers
The new COVID-19 national security world is one shaped by a host of national and global security issues that were impacted – both good and […] More
Iran: Assassination and Retaliation
Just over a week ago, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed by what Iranian authorities describe as a remote-controlled weapon as his car […] More
Members Only A Consequential Killing in Tehran
The killing of Al Qaeda’s second in command reportedly at the hands of Israeli operatives working in Tehran signals a significant reduction among al Qaeda’s […] More
Members Only US National Security Challenges: A Conversation Among Experts
Understanding expert perspective on where the US stands in the world with regards to national security is a key component of how The Cipher Brief […] More
Members Only 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
Members Only 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 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
Members Only 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
What we’re learning about National Security from COVID-19
As of this writing, Johns Hopkins, is reporting more than 432,438 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, and nearly 1.5m confirmed cases worldwide. While […] More
Members Only Profile of a Private Sector Intelligence Analyst
Angela Lewis, Manager of Global Intelligence and Threat Analysis Team at The Walt Disney Company “The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for […] More
Members Only OSINT Global Trendline Report
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 […] More
Members Only 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
Members Only 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
Members Only The Cipher Brief’s OSINT Trend Line Report
The Cipher Brief’s NEW Open Source Collection Report (OSINT) uses open source data to track trends around the world that impact national and global security. […] More
Members Only 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
Members Only 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
Iran Strikes Back
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif confirmed Monday that Tehran has violated the limits imposed on uranium enrichment that were a key part of the 2015 […] More