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.
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.
In an August 9 interview with Axios, when asked about the endless swings of the Iran standoff, he shrugged it off as familiar territory. “It’ll work out in the end. It always does. It’s like a chess game.”
Since 1967, Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been a contested feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ultimate disposition of the settlements and ongoing activity related to their growth have repeatedly defied agreement in negotiations over a resolution to the conflict.
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.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a proposed multinational infrastructure initiative aimed at upgrading connectivity between the three regions through integrated trade, energy, and digital networks. Announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, IMEC is envisioned partially as a counterweight to China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
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.
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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.
The introduction of the draft in Gulf monarchies — after decades of sovereign statehood — presents an interesting puzzle. What are the reasons behind the newly implemented conscription? What broader implications does this phenomenon have for the Gulf? This essay addresses these questions.
Six Challenges to U.S.-Israel Relations under Trump
In the early 2000s, the Bush administration’s global ratings were at historic lows. There was only one allied country in which public opinion was favorable to U.S. policies—Israel. Like its citizenry, the Israeli government was strongly supportive of “the freedom agenda,” “the global war on terror,” and the need to eradicate “the axis of evil.” A decade later, President Donald Trump’s inauguration created a very similar effect, winning overwhelming governmental support and backed by a majority of Israelis.
Tehran Views GCC Overture as “Sign of Weakness,” Not Goodwill Gesture
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah has arrived in Tehran today to deliver a message from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on a strategic dialogue between the Gulf Arab states and Iran, the Iranian and Arab media report. “Gulf states have a true desire that relations with Iran are normal and based on international law,” Sabah said on Tuesday after attending the inauguration of a NATO center in Kuwait.
Trump’s Missile Defense Plan Raises Questions in Iran
The Trump administration’s plan to develop a missile defense system (MDS) to counter potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats has raised many questions in Iran.
Shortly after Donald Trump took the oath of office, the White House website released a policy statement – titled “Making Our Military Strong Again” – which stated that the administration will “develop a state-of-the-art missile defense system to protect against missile-based attacks from states like Iran and North Korea.”
Rouhani’s Brother and Corruption in Iran Government
According to the speaker of the Iranian parliament (Majlis), Ali Larijani, 45 parliamentarians are insisting that President Hassan Rouhani look into the alleged wrongdoings of his younger brother, Hossein Fereidun.
Swedish Prime Minister Reminded of Political Prisoners in Tehran
As the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven prepares for his February 11-12 visit to Tehran he is facing pushback from Iranians that are urging Sweden not to overlook human rights violations while pursuing business interests in that country. A number of open letters have been published by Iranian activists about dire conditions for political prisoners in Iran. It will remain to be seen if Lofven will push the issue while in Tehran.
The Poor of Baluchistan Ignored by Rouhani Minister
Abbas Akhundi, one of the more controversial ministers in the government of President Hassan Rouhani, has once again come under attack for his performance.
Rafsanjani Had Urged Khamenei to Release Top Political Prisoners
One Iranian opposition-leaning site, Kaleme, has reported that the recently deceased Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had strongly urged Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to release Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi from house arrest. “These are elderly people and if anything happens to them [while under house arrest] then the regime is responsible,” Rafsanjani is quoted to have said to Khamenei.
New Poll Shows Support for Rouhani Sinking ahead of Elections
A new opinion poll shows that public support for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is plummeting as Iranians are increasingly dissatisfied with the government’s handling of economic and democracy-related issues.
Ukrainian officials have confirmed that a shipment of missile components sized at a Kieve airport was destined for Iran. According to a report by IHS Jane’s, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (DPSU) said its personnel found 17 boxes with no accompanying documents that contained components for a Fagot anti-tank guided missile system. The DPSU also released photos of components from 9P135-series ground launching systems found on the Iran-bound airliner.
The once powerful Iranian reformist parties are today on the political margins. While they continue to enjoy significant support from voters at election times – which was last evident in the 2016 parliamentary elections when reformists secured about 41% of the vote – the public no longer seems to believe reformists can instill serious reform in Iran. In particular, the Iranian youth of today, which used to be the bedrock of support for reformists, is noticeably disillusioned with the political process in the country.
Fars News, an outlet that is linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), reported that ethnic Chechen forces from Russia are now acting as police units in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The outlet reported that Chechens had also from December 2016 been deployed “to serve in the military police to protect Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria.”
Tehran’s fears of losing out influence during the ongoing peace talks on Syria in Astana were evident even in the makeup of the Iranian delegation. According to Iranian sources, Tehran had been compelled to dispatch a top military figure with extensive experience in Syria in order not to be eclipsed by Russian and Turkish militaries.
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.
