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Middle East and North Africa

Will the War Change Iran's Way of War?

In the News
Lawfare
Ariane Tabatabai

"This war has allowed Iran to test its strategy and operational capabilities, giving the regime an opportunity to adjust them to strengthen its resistance capacity," Ariane Tabatabai, Council senior fellow on the Middle East, and Madison Rinder write.

troops stand while attending a maneuver in northwestern Iran
Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Ground Force via AP
Defense and Security

What We Know About the Status of a US-Iran Deal

In the News
NPR
Ariane Tabatabai

"The picture that is being painted . . . is one where the United States is giving a lot more to Iran and is receiving a lot less in return," Ariane Tabatabai, Council senior fellow on the Middle East, tells NPR.

A woman walks past an anti-US mural painted on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran
Vahid Salemi / AP
US Foreign Policy

Can There Be Peace with Iran?

In the News
Fox 32 Chicago
Paul Poast

"The Trump administration has found itself kind of in a 'no win' situation," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Poast tells Fox 32 Chicago.

Paul Poast speaks with a Fox 32 anchor US Foreign Policy

US-Iran Tensions Flare Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

In the News
Bloomberg
Leslie Vinjamuri

"The sort of immediate and urgent crisis is Iran, and it's not the nuclear program, it's the strait," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri tells Bloomberg. "He will be seeking to see whether China will do anything to help unlock that."

Leslie Vinjamuri on Bloomberg News US Foreign Policy

Bloomberg Surveillance: US and Iran Wrangle Over Terms

In the News
Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast
Leslie Vinjamuri

"I think for the US president, the number one thing is really the Strait [of Hormuz], not the nuclear issue," said Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri while discussing the stalled peace talks between the US and Iran on the Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast.

President Trump points at reporters during a news conference at the White House on April 6, 2026.
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
US Foreign Policy

Could This Peace Deal Be the Real Deal for Iran?

In the News
Fox 32 Chicago
Leslie Vinjamuri

"I think all parties would like to see some regular traffic through the strait," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri says. "The problem is that even if we get there, Iran is still going to have this . . . this incredible tool that it can play."

Leslie Vinjamuri speaks in the Fox 32 studio US Foreign Policy

Beyond OPEC: The Geopolitical Earthquake Reshaping the Middle East and Its Neighbors

Analysis
by Rachel Bronson

The Iran war may have been the catalyst, but the UAE’s decision to leave the oil cartel is the culmination of years of geopolitical divergence with Saudi Arabia.

The skyline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Fatima Shbair / AP
Global Politics

Rational Security: The "Tavern Style" Edition

In the News
Lawfare
Ariane Tabatabai

Ariane Tabatabai, the Council's vice president of research on security and defense and senior fellow on the Middle East, joins the podcast to talk through the week's biggest national security stories.

Ariane Tabatabai and other podcast guests on a screen Defense and Security

Live from Delphi: Europe Breaks With the US Over the War in Iran

In the News
Monocle Radio
Leslie Vinjamuri

Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri examines the broader consequences of the war in Iran, live from the Delphi Economic Forum.

Two people talk while sitting in chairs on stage US Foreign Policy

What International Law Experts are Watching in Iran

Analysis
by Priyanka Motaparthy

The laws of war were designed to protect civilians amid armed conflicts. Are they still fit for purpose?

Pedestrians look at a destroyed building in Zanjan, Iran
Francisco Seco / AP
Human Rights