Assessing the Dangerous Unrest in Iran

Iran is at a critical juncture. The clerical establishment is confronting the most sustained and deadly unrest it has faced in years, responding with a sweeping crackdown as protests continue to spread across the country. Iranian authorities report that 2,000 people have been killed so far, while uncertainty looms over the trajectory of the unrest and the possibility of US involvement.

The Middle East Institute invites you to an on-the-record briefing examining what comes next for Iran‘s leadership and the protest movement. To unpack these issues, we will be joined by MEI Distinguished Military Fellow Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (Ret.), former senior advisor at the World Bank Nadereh Chamlou, and MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka.

We hope you’ll join us for this urgent conversation as events continue to unfold by the hour. If you are not able to attend our event in person, please register here to attend online.

Speaker Biographies

Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN, (Ret.)
Commander of the Fifth Fleet, US Navy

Nadereh Chamlou
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council (Former)

Alex Vatanka
Senior Fellow, MEI

Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator)
Vice President for Policy, MEI

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Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN, (Ret.) 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.

Nadereh Chamlou was a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and an International Development Advisor. Previously, she was a Senior Advisor at the World Bank, where over a 30+ year career, she held managerial, technical, coordination, and advisory positions in such fields as economic management, financial markets, environment, infrastructure and gender.

Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where he specializes in Middle Eastern regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran. He has testified before the US Congress and lectured widely for both governmental and commercial audiences, including the US Departments of State and Defense, and US intelligence agencies.

Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator) is Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute. He 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.