Join the Middle East Institute (MEI) for an on-the-record virtual briefing discussing the ongoing developments in Iran. A new wave of US–Israeli airstrikes hit Iran today, prompting retaliatory blasts in US-allied Gulf states and Israel. Amid rising tensions and uncertainty over a post-Khamenei future, Iranian officials say a successor will be named soon, fueling questions about whether the Islamic Republic’s system is beginning to crack.
To help us make sense of these developments, we are joined by former US CENTCOM commander and MEI Distinguished Military Fellow, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, MEI Senior Fellow, Colby Connelly, and will be moderated by MEI’s Vice President for Policy, Dr. Ken Pollack.
Speakers
Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., USMC (Ret.)
Gen. McKenzie served as Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), where he oversaw US military operations across the Middle East. His four-decade Marine Corps career included combat leadership in Afghanistan and Iraq and senior strategic roles at the Pentagon and on the Joint Staff.
Colby Connelly
Colby Connelly is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where he focuses on oil and gas markets, liquified natural gas (LNG), aboveground risk, corporate strategy, and the impact of the energy transition on oil- and gas-producing states. He is also the head of Middle East content and senior analyst at Energy Intelligence, where he works with the firm’s research and advisory practices.
Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator)
Dr. Ken Pollack 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.
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