A Post-War Model for Verifying Iran’s Missile Arsenal
This study proposes a model for constraining and verifying Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal by employing a layered Strategic Verification Model with seven components: comprehensive baseline declarations; missile test and launch monitoring; intrusive inspections; quantitative and qualitative limits on missile capabilities; production controls, especially on solid-fuel manufacturing; a robust enforcement and compliance architecture; and regional confidence building measures.
The 2026 Iran war has made Lebanon a core Gulf security concern, and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar now have a narrow opportunity to curb Hizballah’s influence by leading reconstruction, strengthening Lebanese state institutions, and tying economic re-engagement to reform.
The Houthis are a political-military faction and Zaydi religious movement founded in northwestern Yemen in the 1980s. A key member of Iran’s Axis of Resistance with links to other militant organizations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the group has continued to pose a threat to Western interests on a global scale.
This backgrounder provides an overview of how the Abraham Accords came about, the US interests involved, their economic and strategic consequences, and the prospects for further enlargement going forward.
After a decade of post-Arab Spring isolation, Turkey’s leaders have recognized that their ambition to position the country as an agenda-setter on the world stage requires active engagement in all directions. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of executive authority has centralized foreign policy decision-making and tied it to his domestic political priorities, transforming the country’s revisionist approach to one shaped primarily by personal and pragmatic interests.
As the Western Sahara conflict reaches its fifth decade, the territorial dispute remains unresolved and largely unknown. MEI’s Intissar Fakir unpacks the Western Sahara’s complex history and the rival claims by Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. She examines recent developments, such as President Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and the collapse of a 30-year cease-fire, as well as the core questions that remain unanswered after half a century.
Podcasts
Middle East Focus
MEI’s flagship weekly podcast on US foreign policy and contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East.
MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East.
Global LNG Markets in a State of Flux: Qatar in the Crosshairs?
International markets for natural gas — fragmented regionally and with differing price-setting mechanisms — are undergoing profound changes. The foundation is being laid for the emergence of a more globally integrated gas market, and the rapid expansion of the seaborne liquified natural gas (LNG) trade, which has forged links between distant markets, is a major reason why. Qatar — an LNG powerhouse — has dominated the Asia Pacific market, the world’s largest LNG-importing region. However, the Asian market is in a state of flux, as is the entire global LNG sector. This article explores the major changes taking place in international LNG markets, with particular attention to how Qatar is being affected by, and is adapting to them.
The Multiple Sorrows of Trump’s Jerusalem Announcement | Monday Briefing
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Charles Lister, and Gonul Tol provide analysis on the international fallout from President Trump’s Jerusalem announcement and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Syria and then to Turkey to discuss Syria, Jerusalem, and energy matters.
The commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force today called leaders of Palestinian “resistance groups” to pledge Iran’s “all-out support” for them in their armed struggle against Israel,
Iran-Backed Militia Leader’s Tour of Lebanese-Israeli Border Raises Concern
A prominent Iranian-supported Iraqi militia commander has visited the Lebanese-Israeli border and pledged to support Hezbollah in a potential war against Israel in the future, Iranian and
Marginalizing Religious Minorities Risks Fueling Radicalism in Iran
A senior aide to President Hassan Rouhani has revealed that “rogue and radical elements” within the government oppose the integration of Iran’s disenfranchised Sunni community into the sociopolitical fabrics of society.
Iran Rules out Missile Negotiation despite International Pressure
Iranian leaders are urging European powers not to side with Washington to pressure the Islamic Republic to curb its controversial missile program and moderate its policies and actions in the region.
Senior Iranian Cleric: We Increase Missile Range to Target Israel, “Deprive White House of Sleep”
During Friday prayer in Tehran today, a senior Iranian cleric said that the Islamic Republic will further enhance the range and power of its ballistic missiles to threaten America and annihilate Israel, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported. “We have missiles and we produce missiles. And we increase the range of our missiles as much as we can so that we deprive the residents of the White House of sleep.
The killing of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh marks a major turning point in Yemen’s ongoing civil war. Nadwa Al-Dawsari (POMED) and Gerald Feierstein (MEI) join Paul Salem to discuss the immediate fallout and what lies ahead.
Iran-Backed Militia Calls U.S. Troops in Iraq “Legitimate Target”
Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iranian-sponsored Iraqi militia group fighting in Iraq and Syria, today threatened to attack American troops in Iraq and the broader region in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement yesterday about the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Iran Provokes “New Intifada” in Response to Trump’s Jerusalem Decision
The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will “usher in a new intifada against the Zionist occ
Iran-Backed Iraqi Groups Threaten Violence Following U.S. Terrorism Bill
Two Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups have threatened violence against the United States in Iraq and the broader region after a proposed U.S. congressional bill designated them as terrorist organizations. On November 3, a bill was introduced the U.S.
After the 2014 Israel-Gaza war, I tried and failed to convince Hamas to hand over a key border crossing between Gaza and Israel to the control of the Palestinian Authority (P.A.).
Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital Carries Enormous Risk
President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a major policy shift that carries enormous risk. Warnings from Arab and European allies of the “explosive” consequences of the move aptly reflect the fragile dynamics in the region and the sensitivity of the question of Jerusalem to millions worldwide.
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
