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Iran

Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished
  • Commentary
  • Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished

    Of all the fronts in President Trump’s peacemaking agenda, the South Caucasus has delivered the most concrete results. The August 2025 Washington Declaration, signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan and witnessed by Trump, marked an important step toward peace in the region. The two sides initialed a peace agreement and advanced plans to unblock regional connectivity, including through the establishment of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhijevan exclave through southern Armenia. Implementation of TRIPP has since made notable progress, but construction has yet to start. A breakthrough on those two tracks would, in turn, unlock Armenia–Türkiye normalization, transforming a long-fractured region into an area of trade and interdependence.

    The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change
  • Commentary
  • The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change

    Wars don’t just end. They get interpreted, reinterpreted, and turned into strategic doctrine. That is what happened after the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, a conflict that saw the United States back Tehran’s Iraqi adversaries. The war taught Tehran three lessons it never unlearned: that Washington wants the Islamic Republic gone, that Iran stands essentially alone in the world, and that it cannot survive a direct, overt fight with the U.S. and Israel.

    Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One
  • Analysis
  • Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One

    Within 48 hours this week, Iran filled six of the most important posts in its battered military and security establishment. Read together with the biographies and mandates behind them, the appointments show how Tehran is drawing lessons from successive wars and preparing for a prolonged period of insecurity, without proving it has abandoned negotiation.

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    Iran’s Islamic Azad University Plans to Open New Branches in Lebanon and Iraq
  • Analysis
  • Iran’s Islamic Azad University Plans to Open New Branches in Lebanon and Iraq

    Iran’s Islamic Azad University (IAU) plans to open new branches in Lebanon and Iraq, according to Ali Akbar Velayati, the head of the university’s board of founders and an influential political figure in the Islamic Republic.

    July 13, 2017

    I.R.G.C. Asks Rouhani for Larger Role in Iran’s Economy
  • Analysis
  • I.R.G.C. Asks Rouhani for Larger Role in Iran’s Economy

    The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) has said that his forces are actively involved in economic and developmental projects across the country and stressed that the I.R.G.C. is keen to further expand its role in the Iranian economy to create jobs and fight poverty.

    July 13, 2017

    Iran Vows to Respond to Trump Administration’s Regime Change Remarks
  • Analysis
  • Iran Vows to Respond to Trump Administration’s Regime Change Remarks

    The deputy chief of Iran’s armed forces has warned that the Islamic Republic will take action against U.S. interests in the Middle Eastern region in retaliation to the Trump administration’s regime change remarks.

    July 13, 2017

    Panel: Challenges in Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan
    Middle East Institute

    Panel: Challenges in Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan

    July 12 – January 1, 1970, July 12 - 4:15 PM – 12:00 AM
    January 1 - 4:15 PM – 12:00 AM

    Middle East Institute, 1319 18th St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Panel: Challenges in Syria and Iraq
    Middle East Institute

    Panel: Challenges in Syria and Iraq

    July 12 – January 1, 1970, July 12 - 3:00 PM – 12:00 AM
    January 1 - 3:00 PM – 12:00 AM

    Middle East Institute, 1319 18th St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Panel I: Assessing the Threat, Calibrating a Strategy
    Middle East Institute

    Panel I: Assessing the Threat, Calibrating a Strategy

    July 12 – January 1, 1970, July 12 - 12:30 PM – 12:00 AM
    January 1 - 12:30 PM – 12:00 AM

    Middle East Insitute, 1319 18th St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Keynote Remarks by U.S. Senator Christopher Coons
    Middle East Institute

    Keynote Remarks by U.S. Senator Christopher Coons

    July 12 – January 1, 1970, July 12 - 12:30 PM – 12:00 AM
    January 1 - 12:30 PM – 12:00 AM

    Middle East Institute, 1319 18th St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Soleimani Details Iran’s Military Role in Iraq, Hails Iraqi Paramilitary Forces and Hezbollah
  • Analysis
  • Soleimani Details Iran’s Military Role in Iraq, Hails Iraqi Paramilitary Forces and Hezbollah

    On Monday, the head of Iran’s Quds Force revealed that the country’s defense ministry worked over time in recent years to manufacture weapons to equip Iraq’s Army and the Hashd al-Shaabi – the Iraqi paramilitary forces also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces [P.M.F.] – in their fight against the Islam

    July 11, 2017

    Iran’s Defense Minister Reacts Angrily to Mattis’ Regime Change Remarks
  • Analysis
  • Iran’s Defense Minister Reacts Angrily to Mattis’ Regime Change Remarks

    U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ latest remarks about the need for regime change in Iran have triggered angry reactions in Tehran. The Iranian defense minister described the Mattis’ comments as “interventionist” and claimed they violated all principles of international law.

    July 11, 2017

    With Islamic State Crumbling, Iran and Its Proxies in Iraq Intensify Anti-U.S. Propaganda
  • Analysis
  • With Islamic State Crumbling, Iran and Its Proxies in Iraq Intensify Anti-U.S. Propaganda

    A commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) – also known as Hashd al-Shaabi – has said that the paramilitary forces will not agree to the presence of American forces or foreign private security firms in post-Islamic State Iraq, particularly in regions near the Syrian border. “The central government has almost agreed to Blackwater controlling the borders. But Blackwater doesn’t have the authority and resources to control the borders or fight Daesh [Islamic State].

    July 10, 2017

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