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Webcast Thursday: Russia, the Iran War, and the Middle East

Join us for an expert conversation exploring how the Iran war will change Russia's ambitions in the Middle East. Featuring Keith Kellogg, Anna Borshchevskaya, and Matt Tavares. Watch live starting at 12:00 noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Thursay, July 9, 2026.

Learn more about this event.

$300 Billion for Iran? Don’t Expect Much Impact

The heftiest portion of the theoretical financial windfall discussed in the U.S.-Iran agreement is unlikely to materialize, let alone have a big economic or political impact inside the Islamic Republic.

Jul 7, 2026

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Patrick Clawson

Iraqi Visit Can Help Shape the Future Fight Against the Islamic State

Despite other pressing priorities and the imminent end of the coalition mission, Zaidi’s trip is a vital opportunity to make sure Baghdad has the targeted assistance it needs to keep IS from resurging at a time of great domestic and regional turbulence.

Jul 8, 2026

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Devorah Margolin
Gabriel Wein

A photo illustration depicts Israeli and Palestinian flags - source: Reuters

Abolishing Lebanon’s ‘Anti-Normalization’ Laws: A Prerequisite for Peace

Recent Lebanese media engagement with Israelis is a welcome sign, but U.S. mediators should let this organic trend gain momentum for the time being rather than pressuring Beirut to make immediate legislative changes.

Jul 1, 2026

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David Schenker

A phosphate mine in Morocco - source: Reuters

The Phosphate Pivot: Why Morocco and Tunisia Matter to U.S. Food Security

The Maghreb can help counter China’s growing pressure on “critical” fertilizer supply chains, particularly if Washington focuses on mutually beneficial economic partnerships rather than democratic conditionality alone.

Summer 2026

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Ghazi Ben Ahmed
Sabina Henneberg
Mohsine El Ahmadi

Moroccan flags fly in front of a mosque in Rabat - source: Reuters

How Morocco’s Religious Rehabilitation Model Could Help Gaza

Although local religious and social differences would present some obstacles, the proven exportability of Rabat’s deradicalization machinery and the kingdom’s good working relations with the Israeli government make it an intriguing candidate for inclusion in the wider Gaza stabilization effort.

Jul 1, 2026

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Salma Annasse

Podcast: Can Gaza Have a Brighter Future?

In this week's episode of the Decision Points podcast, experts Ghaith al-Omari and Shira Efron explore what it will take to make progress toward easing the appalling humanitarian conditions in Gaza and jumpstarting reconstruction.

Institute Expertise on the Iran War

Holly Dagres

A widely cited scholar, Institute Libitzky Family Senior Fellow Holly Dagres has published groundbreaking scholarship on social media use by young Iranians. Curator of The Iranist Substack newsletter, she has been featured in interviews across radio, television, and print, including the Associated Press, BBC News, CNN, NPR, Fox News, and The New York Times.

Noam Raydan

Noam Raydan, The Washington Institute's William Sudhaus Senior Fellow, studies topics related to energy and maritime risk in the Middle East. She is a co-creator of the Institute's interactive map of maritime attacks in the Middle East since 2017.

Dennis Ross

Ambassador Dennis Ross, the Institute's Counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, played a leading role shaping U.S. Middle East policy in the George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations.

Dana Stroul

Formerly the top civilian official responsible for the Middle East at the Pentagon under President Biden, Dana Stroul is Director of Research and Michael Kassen Senior Fellow at the Institute.

Interactive Map: Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region

Explore this new interactive tool to shed light on the actions of actors such as Iran and Yemen's Houthis that have threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the waters off the Middle East and North Africa.

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Interactive Maps

Screen shot of the Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region interactive map

Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region (Since 2017)

Shed light on the actions of actors such as Iran and Yemen's Houthis that have threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the waters off the Middle East and North Africa.

Screenshot of the Hezbollah External Operations Interactive Map

Lebanese Hezbollah Select Worldwide Activity

Access this interactive map to explore an open-source database of Hezbollah global operations and break through the terrorist organization's "Golden Rule" of secrecy.

Screenshot of the Islamic State Worldwide Activity interactive map

The Islamic State Select Worldwide Activity

Explore the most comprehensive public archive of Islamic State attack data, media output, government designations, and legal cases to understand the organization’s global reach,

Screenshot of the Iran External Operations interactive map

Iran External Operations 1979-present

Access this powerful interactive tool, which maps over forty-five years of Iranian clandestine operations around the globe.

Video: America and the Middle East at 250 with Dr. Martin Kramer

Historian Martin Kramer, the Walter P. Stern Fellow at The Washington Institute, explains how America's early leaders navigated the republic's first encounters with the Middle East—and hears some echoes of today's policy dilemmas.

Recently in Fikra Forum

Fikra Forum

The Iran War's Pressure on the Egyptian Pound: Fragile Stability and Expected Shocks

The Egyptian pound is weathering significant challenges to its stability as the Iran war continues to impact oil markets and Egypt's revenue streams, raising concerns about the longterm impact of continued conflict.

Jun 10, 2026

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Heba El Koudsy

Fikra Forum

Sanctions and Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood: Decoupling Burhan from Sudan’s Islamists and Iran

Sanctioning Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood will likely have an impact on Burhan's approach to the group, but a true decoupling will likely require additional pressure given their political influence and role in the current conflict.

Apr 17, 2026

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Areig Elhag

In Syria, an Amnesty Decree Without Justice?

The debates sparked by Decree No. 39 raise questions about how the country will bridge the troubling gaps between official

Apr 8, 2026

Iran’s Western Frontier: Iranian Kurds Navigate Risk and Opportunity

For the estimated 7 to 15 million Kurds in Iran, the current war represents a narrow window for change, albeit one

Mar 23, 2026

Arab Public Opinion 2014 to Today

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Maps & Graphics

TWI Interactive Polling Platform

Interactive datasets, from 2014 to today

Jun 30, 2022

In Focus: Iran

$300 Billion for Iran? Don’t Expect Much Impact

Jul 7, 2026

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Patrick Clawson

Screenshot of a map showing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Maps & Graphics

Iran Is Still Intent on Preventing a Return to the Old Navigational Order

Constricted traffic patterns, escalating warnings, uncertain mine threats, and a new drone attack all suggest that Tehran has no intention of willingly going back to business as usual in the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of diplomatic breakthroughs.

Jun 26, 2026

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Noam Raydan

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks next to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani at the start of a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland - source: Reuters

Iran Didn’t Win the War: Tehran Is Still Losing the Long Game

The task now is not to achieve an unattainable final victory, but to consolidate allied gains, prevent bad outcomes on

Jun 25, 2026

Making the Best of Iraqi Militia “Disarmament”

Although claimed compromises by some of Iran’s proxies are unlikely to result in actual disarmament anytime soon, Washington can still

Jun 24, 2026

Regions & Countries

Issues