Iran’s Threat to Iraq Is a Threat to the US

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently released its annual threat assessment, in which Iran is mentioned no fewer than 60 times as part of a “diverse array of threats” facing the US. Iran is moving toward its goal of full domination of Iraq and the expulsion of the last remaining US forces from that country, a result that would represent a great success for the Islamic Republic.

Can Hamas, an Iranian Proxy, Be Deterred?

Ofira Seliktar
May 31, 2021
Paper No. 2058

The question of how to deter Hamas from starting another conflict has dominated recent discourse. Most observers ignore the fact that the terror group is an Iranian proxy, meaning it presents unique challenges to deterrence.

Smugglers’ Protests: Iran Succumbs to Trauma and Demons

Recent clashes in the Iranian province of Sistan and Balochistan highlight Iran’s vulnerabilities as well as its inability to overcome trauma and control its demons.

Who Is Muhammad Reza Fallahzadeh?

Iran’s newly appointed Deputy Commander-in- Chief of the Quds Force, Muhammad Reza Fallahzadeh, is not only an experienced military man but also a politician with diplomatic experience. He is a vital asset for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which wants to see its own man elected president in the June elections.

The IRGC’s Media Network in Europe

Erfan Fard
May 19, 2021
Paper No. 2036

While most European intelligence services are alert to the terrorist activities of Iran’s IRGC, they pay too little heed to the IRGC’s media network, which spreads pro-regime propaganda across the continent from Frankfurt, London, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Prague.

The World Must Cooperate to Prevent Threats to Maritime Chokepoints

The recent blockage of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given tanker demonstrated the vulnerability of maritime chokepoints. The importance of maritime lanes to global trade makes them highly susceptible to interference and sabotage by terrorist organizations and rogue states. Global cooperation is essential to prevent such threats.

Al-Qaeda in Iran Threatens the US and Israel

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first American politician to openly charge Iran with providing support for al-Qaeda, though the matter was not news to Congress. A recently released CIA report indicates that Iran has allowed al-Qaeda to plot against the US from its territory.

Iran Might Purge Its Intelligence and Counterintelligence Community

Mohsen Rezaee, a high-ranking official of the Islamic Republic in Iran, has admitted that top-secret Iranian nuclear documents were stolen in a raid of a Tehran warehouse by Israeli operatives in 2018—a raid the regime had denied ever occurred. Rezaee is calling for a purge of the Iranian intelligence and counterintelligence community, which could result in Iranian intelligence operatives fleeing the country or dying in “accidents.”

Security Implications of the Iran-China Deal

The implications of the newly signed Sino-Iranian deal go beyond economics. The deal also covers security matters pertaining to intelligence and military cooperation that provide both Iran and China with advantages over rival states.

The Logic of the JCPOA—Then and Now

The Biden administration must stop the Iranian regime’s rush toward nuclear weapons threshold capability. A new nuclear agreement, which many governments and observers in the West advocate (but not Iran), must address the weaknesses of the previous agreement, which worked to the advantage of the Iranian regime. The Biden administration faces an immense challenge in devising formulas for a workable new deal.