Islamic Republic: On the brink or still standing?

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s identity, leadership dynamics, and regional posture have all shaped its response to the recent mass protests that have left thousands dead. 

Amid ongoing severe repression of the population and rising tensions with the United States, is the Iranian regime on the brink, or will it find a way to overcome the pressure it is under? This panel will explore the regime’s sources of strength and vulnerability, consider the durability of its ideological foundations, focus on how Iran’s regional strategy feeds back into domestic politics, and assess whether President Donald Trump’s threats of a US strike could push an already-shaken system toward greater escalation or deeper strategic deadlock.

The Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to a public, on-the-record webinar to critically assess these questions and the ongoing security situation in Iran. 

Please click the link below to register for the webinar.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Hamidreza Azizi
Visiting Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Alex Vatanka 
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute

Dr. Nazee Moinian (Moderator)
Associate Fellow, Middle East Institute

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Dr. Hamidreza Azizi is a Visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. He was an Assistant Professor of Regional Studies at Shahid Beheshti University (2016-20) and a guest lecturer at the Department of Regional Studies at the University of Tehran (2016-18).

Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, specializing in Middle Eastern regional security with a particular focus on Iran. Born in Tehran, he is the author of The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry Since 1979 (2021) and Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy, and American Influence (2015). He is currently working on his third book, Grand Contest: The Rivalry of Iran, America, and Israel in the Arab World.

Dr. Nazee Moinian is an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute and on the advisory board of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). She previously consulted on Iranian affairs to the Council on Foreign Relations, where she interviewed foreign diplomats and acted as a liaison between the country’s political figures and their western counterparts. She’s currently working on a book project on narratives of grievance in Iran’s foreign policy.