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Ahmad Khalid Majidyar is a Middle East & South Asia analyst with a focus on Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was previously a senior fellow and the director of IranObserved Project at the Middle East Institute.
From 2008 to 2015, Majidyar worked as a senior research associate at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he co-authored two monographs on Iran: Iranian Influence in the Levant, Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan (AEI 2012), and The Shi’ites of the Middle East: An Iranian fifth column? (AEI 2014). He also published a number of research papers on Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As an instructor with the Naval Postgraduate School’s Leadership Development and Education for Sustained Peace program (2008-2016), Majidyar provided graduate-level seminars to more than 3,000 U.S. and NATO military leaders on Afghanistan and the broader region. In addition, he has provided briefings on Iran and Afghanistan at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Joint IED Defeat Organization, the National Defense University, the State Department, and Congress; and he has spoken as a guest analyst at think tanks, universities, and world affairs councils.
Majidyar’s articles on Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been published in Foreign Policy, The New York Times, Fareed Zakaria’s GPS, Fox News, U.S. News & World Report, Daily Telegraph, and Forbes, among others. He has also discussed Middle Eastern topics on the BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera English, Sky News, CBC Canada, Bloomberg News and Voice of America’s Dari, Farsi, Urdu and English services.
Previously, Majidyar worked as a media analyst with the BBC Monitoring in Afghanistan and as a humanitarian aid worker with the UNHCR in Pakistan.
I.R.G.C. Outlet: Seizure of al-Sukhnah Helps Regime Operations in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor
The recent seizure of al-Sukhnah region in Syria’s Homs Governorate has prepared the ground for the Syrian Army and its foreign allies to advance toward and capture the oil-rich Deir Ezzor Governorate, according to
Iran Finalizing Plan to “Counter America’s Adventurous and Terrorist Actions”
The Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Wednesday approved a bill titled “Countering America’s Adventurous and Terrorist Actions” in response to the latest U.S. sanctions, the Iranian media reported.
Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Group Vows to Fight with Hezbollah against Israel
Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iranian-supported Iraqi militia group, has announced that it will support the Lebanese Hezbollah in the fight against the “occupying Zionist regime” of Israel, Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) reports.
P.M.F. Forces Reportedly Barred from Participating in Tal Afar Operation
A commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) has said that the United States, Turkey and the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdistan are pressuring the Baghdad government not to allow the paramilitary forces to participate in upcoming military operation to liberate the city of Tal Afar, Fars News Agency reported. Jawad al-Talibawi, a spokesman for the armed wing of Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, added that P.M.F. units have received “orders” forbidding them from taking part in the operation.
Zarif to Trump: U.S. Will Pay High Price for Annulling Nuclear Deal
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has warned the Trump administration that the United States will pay a high price if it decides to walk away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers two years ago. He reportedly made the remarks in a meeting with members of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Tajikistan Accuses Iran of Sponsoring Terrorism, Restricts Iranian Organizations’ Activities
Tajikistan has accused Iran of having played a subversive role in the country’s civil war in the 1990s by sending terrorists to the Central Asian republic, the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Iraqi Paramilitary Forces to Participate in Tal Afar Operation despite Concerns
The spokesperson for the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) has announced that the paramilitary forces will participate in the upcoming military operation against the Islamic State in Tal Afar despite regional concerns, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported today. “In the operation to liberate Tal Afar, all Hashd al-Shaabi forces, the Iraqi army, the federal police and also counterterrorism and rapid-reaction forces will participate,” Ahmed al-Assadi was quoted as saying.
Iraqi Militia Leader Says Will Hold U.S. Responsible for Killing 40 Militiamen, 7 I.R.G.C. Officers
The commander of an Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary unit has accused the American troops of colluding with the Islamic State and killing dozens of Iraqi militiamen and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) officers along the Iraqi-Syrian border last night – a charge the U.S.-led coali
Iran-Allied Iraqi Militia Group Threatens Violence over Kurdistan Independence Plan
A senior official of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, an Iran-supported militia unit within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.), has threatened violence against the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.).
I.R.G.C. Commander: Iran Won’t Repeat Libya’s Mistake of Giving up Its Military Assets
The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) Aerospace Force has said that the Islamic Republic has stepped up its efforts to enhance its miss
Top Iranian Nuclear Official: All Options on Table If Washington Abandons Deal
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (A.E.O.I.) has warned that Tehran will keep all options on the table if Washington walks away from the nuclear agreement the Islamic Republic signed with the United States and five other world powers in July 2015. In an interview with Lebanon’s Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen TV, Ali Akbar Salehi said the nuclear accord is an international document and it will be difficult for the Trump administration to cancel the deal.
P.M.F. Spokesman: We’ll Not Be Disbanded, Will Remain Key Player in Iraq
The Popular Mobilization Forces – the Iraqi paramilitary forces also known by its Arabic name Hashd al-Shaabi – will not be disbanded after the fight against the Islamic State is over and will remain a key player in Iraq, the alliance’s security spokesman said on Sunday. “Hashd al-Shaabi is an official military organization affiliated with the government of Iraq.
Damascus Asks Tehran to Play Major Role in Syria’s Rebuilding, Economic Revival
The Syrian government greatly appreciates Tehran’s unwavering support in “the fight against terrorism” over the past years and now wants Iran to play an active role in the war-torn country’s reconstruction and economic development, Syria’s Prime Minister Imad Khamis said in a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday.
Senior Iranian political and military officials have said that the Islamic Republic will not allow the United States or any other Western country to inspect its military sites under any circumstances, the Iranian media reported.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry says it has arrested 27 terrorists linked with the Islamic State, the Iranian media reported today. A statement released by the ministry claimed that the terrorist group planned terrorist attacks in Iran’s strategic provinces and religious cities, and that Iranian intelligence agents also confiscated weapons and explosive material the militants were attempting to smuggle into Iran.
