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.

Iran: Why 2009 is Not 1979

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

Iran: Why 2009 is Not 1979

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

Iran: Why 2009 is Not 1979

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

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Content

New Atlanticist

Jun 22, 2009

Iran: Why 2009 is Not 1979

By Don Snow

The images coming out of Tehran the past week–and especially today–are intoxicating. What is going on? Is there a new Iranian Revolution in the making? Is George W. Bush’s policy of democracy promotion being vindicated on the streets of Iran’s capital? Is there a fundamental change about to break out in Iran? Will 2009 be […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 15, 2009

Iran’s Elections: What Now?

By James Joyner

The debate over the legitimacy of Iran’s elections are, in the end, a sideshow.   First, because the office of president is essentially powerless.  While President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the most visible face of the government, he’s not the one making key decisions on nuclear weapons, regional relations, or human rights. 

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 15, 2009

Iran’s Elections: What We Know (And What We Don’t)

By James Joyner

Twitter, the blogosphere and the print media (but not, for a variety of reasons, the 24 hour cable news stations) have been abuzz with the Iranian election results, including allegations of fraud and the resulting mass demonstrations and police crackdown. We have more questions than answers at the moment.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 10, 2009

Iran’s Election and U.S. Foreign Policy

By Bernard Finel

The Administration of George W. Bush was close to an unmitigated disaster for the image of the United States abroad. His ill-informed, often offensive, and counter-productive public statements and policy preferences set back American national security dramatically. Trying to undo some of the damage of the Bush years is the reason that President Obama has […]

Iran United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

May 3, 2009

Israel and the Iranian Nuclear Threat

By Don Snow

I attended a panel discussion Friday in which the topic of Iran’s nuclear program came up. The two principal commentators on the subject were the dean emeritus of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies (Dr. Robert S. Wood) and a retired U.S. Navy admiral, William Pendley, who has had direct experience by virtue of being […]

Iran Israel

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2009

Obama’s Iran Endgame: More Than Meets the Eye

By Bernard Finel

There has been a lot of discussion over the last several days about Iran, mostly prompted by President Obama’s outreach to the Iranian public on the Iranian New Year.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Mar 18, 2009

Obama’s Iran Initiative

By James Joyner

Then-candidate Barack Obama avowed in the YouTube debate of July 23, 2007 that, yes, he would “be willing to meet separately, without precondition . . . with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venzuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries.”   While he took a lot of flak for […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Mar 9, 2009

Making Nice with Iran?

By Don Snow

In yet another example of the cascade of ways the Obama administration is abandoning the policies of its predecessor, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced last week the willingness of the Obama administration to talk directly to representatives of Iran. The vehicle for this change of policy was offering an invitation for Iran to attend […]

Iran United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2009

Deal or No Deal?: Missile Defense for Iranian Nukes

By Peter Cassata

A letter from Obama offering to shelve the planned U.S. missile defense system in return for Russian cooperation in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons was hand-delivered to Medvedev three weeks ago by U.S. diplomatic officials, the NYT reported.  Although fervently objecting to the missile defense shield, Russia’s reception of the letter was lukewarm.  Obama […]

Iran Missile Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 2, 2009

Iran: Next Stop, Nuclear Weapons

By Peter Cassata

Iran now possesses enough fissile material to produce at least one nuclear bomb, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mullen said over the weekend.  Mullen’s statement follows a February 19 report released by the IAEA that concluded it had underestimated the amount of Iran’s enriched uranium by about one third.

Iran
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Experts

Fellow

Yesar Al-Maleki

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Geopolitics & Energy Security

Fellow

Carmiel Arbit

Nonresident Senior Fellow

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

Civil Society Extremism

Fellow

Colin Brooks

Nonresident Senior Fellow

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

Iran Middle East

Fellow

Hagar Hajjar Chemali

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative GeoEconomics Center

Economy & Business Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

Fellow

Danny Citrinowicz  

Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Cybersecurity

Fellow

Ariel Cohen

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Central Asia Politics & Diplomacy
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