On Saturday, President Donald Trump threatened to launch the “biggest attack since World War II” against Iran, before ultimately scrapping the plan in favor of diplomacy at the behest of Riyadh and other Gulf allies. Tehran has denied the president’s claim that negotiations to end the war would begin on Monday. Iranian officials are instead reportedly focused on talks with Oman to establish a temporary passageway allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
To assess the current situation, including US military options, the thinking of US allies in the Gulf, and the prospects for a negotiated solution, the Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow and former Commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral (Ret.) Kevin Donegan, and Professor F. Gregory Gause III, the dean of American Middle East scholars.
Speaker Biographies
Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.), is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He previously served as Commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Commander of the 32 Nation Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East. In those roles he led teams that planned and executed joint and combined combat, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy operations at sea and in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen.
Dr. F. Gregory Gause III is an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute and Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University. He is the author of three books and numerous articles on the politics of the Middle East, with a particular focus on the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf.
Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator) is Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute. Dr. Pollack began his career as a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and served twice on the National Security Council, first as Director for Near East and South Asian affairs and then as Director for Persian Gulf affairs.
