The Middle East Institute (MEI) invites you to join a breaking news briefing on the ongoing joint US-Israeli military operation in Iran, targeting the country’s military and leadership. US and Israeli officials have indicated that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in these strikes. As events continue to unfold rapidly, what are the broader implications of this escalating conflict?
To help us make sense of these developments, we are joined by Ambassador Barbara Leaf, Major General Scott Benedict, and Alex Vatanka. The discussion will be moderated by MEI Vice President for Policy, Ken Pollack.
Speakers
Ambassador Barbara A. Leaf is a Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a Senior International Policy Advisor at Arnold & Porter. She served as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from May 2022 to January 2025. Her previous assignments include Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa and Special Assistant to the President (2021-2022), US Ambassador to the UAE (2014-2018), and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Arabian Peninsula (2013-2014).
MG Scott Benedict, USMC (ret.) is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a retired US Marine Corps Major General who last served as the Commanding General of Second Marine Aircraft Wing. MG Benedict’s joint assignments included service as the Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5) at US Central Command; the Director Politico-Military Affairs, Middle East, within the Joint Staff J-5, and Special Assistant to the Assistant Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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.
Kenneth M. 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.
