Iran

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.

Featured commentary & analysis

This Week in South Asia: February 1-7

MENASource
May 14, 2026

Five ways the Iran war will forever alter the Middle East

By
Amir Asmar

Expect the war to weaken the Iranian regime, keep the US in the Middle East, harm Israel’s standing in the region, and more.

Conflict
Iran

This Week in South Asia: February 1-7

MENASource
Apr 1, 2026

The US should rethink Iran as a Southwest Asia challenge

By
Mike Schoengold Beatty

Conventional instinct to treat Iran as another Iraq or Yemen risks misallocating resources and missing the real challenges ahead.

Iran
Security & Defense

This Week in South Asia: February 1-7

MENASource
Mar 23, 2026

The Iran conflict exposes the new cost curve of war

By
Nic Adams

The Pentagon must rapidly field innovative, lower-cost technologies alongside its exquisite capabilities, ensuring each is used where it delivers the greatest advantage.

Conflict
Defense Industry

Programs

Iran Strategy Project

The Iran Strategy Project is designed to synchronize and bring together the Atlantic Council’s policy and analytical efforts on Iran under a single banner, reflecting the unprecedented level of discord and uncertainty in Iran.

Learn more about the Middle East programs

Middle East Programs

Working with our 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

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 7, 2014

This Week in South Asia: February 1-7

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. IndiaEleven regional parties formally united to form a block in Parliament in the clearest indication of an emergence of a “Third Front” ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, due to be held by the […]

Afghanistan India

New Atlanticist

Feb 7, 2014

No Solution for Syria Without Iran

By Barbara Slavin

When Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart in Munich last weekend, Kerry raised Syria’s refusal to permit humanitarian aid to reach the embattled city of Homs and failure to relinquish its chemical weapons on schedule. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, however, kept the meeting focused on upcoming negotiations over a comprehensive […]

Iran Syria

New Atlanticist

Feb 3, 2014

Iran: Rethinking the Endgame

By Robert A. Manning and James Clad

It is with no small amount of trepidation that US and EU negotiators gear up for new talks on a final nuclear deal with Iran later this month. Fierce US congressional criticism of the “5+1” nuclear deal with Iran is missing the point, and promise, of an accord. One need not buy President Rouhani’s self-serving assertion […]

Iran

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 31, 2014

This Week in South Asia: January 25-31

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. India: Following Japan’s Prime Minter Shinzo Abe’s visit to India last weekend, India and Japan have signed agreements on cooperation in areas including energy, telecommunications, and tourism. The two countries also agreed to hold […]

Afghanistan India
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper

NATOSource

Jan 29, 2014

Intelligence Community’s Assessment of Cyber Threats to the US

By Office of the Director of National Intelligence

The following excerpt is from the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, delivered by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, January 29, 2014.

China Cybersecurity

In the News

Jan 28, 2014

Hof and LeBaron Speak at Middle East Policy Council Conference

Hariri Center Senior Fellows Richard LeBaron and Frederic Hof joined the Middle East Policy Council’s 75th Capitol Hill Conference to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and its policies in the region, the concerns of Gulf states and Israel, and how an agreement would affect the balance of power in the region.

International Organizations Iran
Vice President Joe Biden at the 2013 Munich Security Conference

NATOSource

Jan 28, 2014

US Should Challenge European Allies with ‘Frank Talk’ about Defense

By Clemens Wergin, International New York Times

In recent decades, many European states have largely outsourced their security to the United States, which provided a defensive umbrella and protected global trade routes vital for European commerce and energy supplies.

Germany Iran

Event Recap

Jan 27, 2014

Roundtable on Regional Perspectives on Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran

In November 2013, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) signed an interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. While a significant breakthrough, the deal has not been universally considered a guarantee against Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons. Focusing on regional views of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, the […]

Iran
Iranian frigate Jamaran

NATOSource

Jan 24, 2014

Iran Sends Flotilla of Warships to Atlantic Ocean

By FARS News Agency and ABC News

From FARS News Agency:  The Iranian Navy dispatched its first fleet of warships to the Atlantic Ocean in a ceremony participated by Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari

Iran United States and Canada

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 24, 2014

This Week in South Asia: January 18 -24

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week. AfghanistanLast Friday, a complex attack on a Kabul restaurant left 21 dead, including 13 foreigners, and prompted heightened concerns about the country’s uncertain future amongst the international community and Afghans alike. The attack dismantled […]

Afghanistan India
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Experts

Fellow

Brian O’Toole

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative GeoEconomics Center

Cuba Economy & Business

Fellow

Abram Paley

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Hebrew

Staff

Jonathan Panikoff

Senior Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

Fellow

Alan Pino

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Intelligence Iran

Fellow

Amanda J. Rothschild

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Iran

Fellow

Anthony J. Ruggiero

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Indo-Pacific Security Initiative

Arms Control Defense Policy
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