Iran

The US-Iranian relationship has experienced significant challenges over the past forty years. The lack of diplomatic relations, changes in both the US and Iranian administrations, repeated US military interventions in the region as well as Iran’s support for militant groups and increasingly harsh rhetoric on both sides have further undermined chances for reconciliation. Through a balanced approach of engagement and containment, there is a need to push back against Iranian intervention while promoting US interests, regional conflict resolution, and the well-being of the Iranian people.

Conference Call on Iranian President Rouhani’s Inauguration

Dispatches
Mar 6, 2026

How would a Kurdish offensive change the war in Iran?

By
Atlantic Council experts

Our experts explain the goals of the various Kurdish groups the United States is reportedly backing for an attack against Iran and how their involvement could impact the wider war.

Conflict
Defense Policy

Conference Call on Iranian President Rouhani’s Inauguration

Dispatches
Mar 6, 2026

Washington’s limited levers to shape a post-Khamenei Iran

By
Nate Swanson, Ingrid Small

The United States and its allies do have some options to coax change that might result in a more Western-leaning Tehran.

Conflict
Iran

Conference Call on Iranian President Rouhani’s Inauguration

MENASource
Mar 3, 2026

Trump wants Iranians to ‘take back their country’ from the regime. Can they?

By
Alan Pino

To succeed in overthrowing the Iranian regime, an uprising would likely require a unifying leader, an effective organization, and the support of whatever remains of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

Programs

Middle East Programs

Working with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

EXPLORE THE Atlantic Council’s Middle East PROGRAMs

Content

Event Recap

Aug 13, 2013

Conference Call on Iranian President Rouhani’s Inauguration

On August 12, 2013 the South Asia Center’s Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin conducted a briefing call on Iran following President Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2013

Obama’s Red Lines

By Henry Johnson

President Obama’s tepid response to Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons illuminates how he might react to a decision by Iran to build nuclear weapons. In both cases, he has drawn red lines that are extremely costly to enforce.

Iran Missile Defense

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2013

US and Iran Cautious about Direct Talks

By Barbara Slavin

Iran’s president may have changed, but the leadership’s reticence about talking one-on-one with the United States continues – along with U.S. reluctance to recognize Iran’s quasi-representative government as legitimate.

Iran United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2013

Hassan Rouhani: The Immoderate Moderate

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

The Islamic Republic of Iran has a new president: Hassan Rouhani. There has been a lot of talk about Rouhani’s supposed political moderation and pragmatism, just as in 1982, there was talk that Yuri Andropov’s supposed fondness for jazz indicated a liking for the West in general, and the possibility that there would be a […]

Elections Iran

New Atlanticist

Aug 5, 2013

John Kerry’s Six-Month Report Card

By R. Nicholas Burns

Until a few weeks ago, a small army of critics and armchair quarterbacks took aim at Secretary of State John Kerry’s first months in office in roughly similar fashion — too much globe-trotting, too many meetings, and too singular a focus on the lost cause of diplomacy — the 65-year search for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. […]

Iran National Security

New Atlanticist

Aug 2, 2013

New Iranian President Undertakes ‘Damage Control’

By Barbara Slavin

This Sunday Iran will trade an abrasive diplomatic embarrassment for a far more presentable figure.

Elections Iran
Mural on US Embassy in Tehran

New Atlanticist

Aug 1, 2013

The Iran Culture Opportunity

By Ramin Asgard and Barbara Slavin

Many in the foreign policy community have suggested that the election of Hassan Rowhani, the least hard-line candidate running in Iran’s presidential elections, has opened a new window of opportunity for resolving Iran’s complex disputes with the United States and its negotiating partners. The most pressing issue, Iran’s nuclear program, will require deliberate multilateral diplomacy […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jul 30, 2013

Hezbollah, Iran Pay Price for Syria Role

By Barbara Slavin

Two years after President Barack Obama confidently predicted a swift demise for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president seems relatively secure. Pro-regime forces have clawed back swaths of key territory as the opposition splinters into hundreds of rebel groups.

Iran Iraq

Event Recap

Jul 30, 2013

Iran’s Cyber Capabilities Pose a Threat to United States

On July 29, the South Asia Center‘s Iran Task Force and the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security‘s Cyber Statecraft Initiative launched an issue brief entitled, “Iran: How a Third Tier Cyber Power Can Still Threaten the United States” by Barbara Slavin and Jason Healey, and hosted a public briefing on past and possible future […]

Cybersecurity Iran

Issue Brief

Jul 29, 2013

Iran: How a third tier cyber power can still threaten the United States

By Barbara Slavin and Jason Healey

The Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force and Cyber Statecraft Initiative have colaunched a new issue brief entitled “Iran: How a Third Tier Cyber Power Can Still Threaten the United States.” Written by South Asia Center Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin and Cyber Statecraft Initiative Director Jason Healey, the brief evaluates Iran’s cyber warfare capabilities and the […]

Cybersecurity Iran
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Experts

Fellow

Bahar Ghandehari

Junior Policy Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Afghanistan English

Fellow

Michelle S. Giuda

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy

Staff

Britt Gronemeyer

Assistant Director, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights International Organizations

Fellow

Nicholas Hopton

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia Iran

Fellow

Khosro Sayeh Isfahani

Former Researcher

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arms Control Civil Society

Fellow

Simin Kargar

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Cybersecurity Disinformation
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