Khamenei is the best option to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program. The next Supreme Leader won’t be so willing. 

Dispatches Jan 28, 2026

The expert conversation: Should Trump strike Iran? What happens next if he does?

By Jason M. Brodsky and Danny Citrinowicz

As the USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in the Middle East, two experts debate the opportunities, uncertainties, and risks of a US strike on Iran.
Iran Middle East
Khamenei is the best option to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program. The next Supreme Leader won’t be so willing. 

Dispatches Jan 23, 2026

What Trump could do next in Iran

By Nate Swanson

As a US carrier strike group nears the Persian Gulf, what options does US President Donald Trump have to strike against the Iranian regime?
Iran Middle East
Khamenei is the best option to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program. The next Supreme Leader won’t be so willing. 

MENASource Jan 14, 2026

Voices from Iran: As rejection of government reaches all-time high, Iranians also wary of foreign intervention

By Tara Kangarlou

If Trump is serious about peace, stability, and a lasting legacy, the path forward does not run through air strikes or transactional deals with a failing theocracy.
Civil Society Crisis Management

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

IranSource

Aug 3, 2023

Khamenei is the best option to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program. The next Supreme Leader won’t be so willing. 

By Danny Citrinowicz  

Considering the new leader's need to accede to IRGC demands, it seems Iran's future Supreme Leader won’t be able to satisfy the West.

Iran
Middle East

IranSource

Jul 26, 2023

Iran targeted human rights sanctions series: UK designates the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution

By Celeste Kmiotek, Lisandra Novo

The United Kingdom designated the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and its new secretary, Abdol Hossein Khosrow Panah, on July 6.

Human Rights
Iran

MENASource

Jul 18, 2023

Is Russia really siding with the UAE against Iran?

By Mark N. Katz

For Russia to endorse the GCC's position on three islands is especially surprising, considering how much Iran has done to support Moscow.

Iran
Middle East

IranSource

Jul 14, 2023

The ‘Tehran’ series isn’t far-fetched. Israeli agents are operating with ease in Iran.

By Arash Azizi

Undoubtedly, the ease with which Israeli intelligence agents operate inside Iranian territory is astonishing.

Iran
Israel

IranSource

Jul 11, 2023

Why Khamenei’s son is not the next radical modernizer in the Middle East

By Saeid Golkar and Kasra Aarabi

A cohort of regime elites are hoping that Mojtaba Khamenei will transform the Islamic Republic from above.

Iran
Middle East

Event Recap

Jul 7, 2023

The mechanisms of corruption in Iran

By Masoud Mostajabi and Britt Gronemeyer

On June 13, the Atlantic Council’s Iran Strategy Project hosted a virtual event, “The Mechanisms of Corruption in Iran” to discuss the nature of corruption and sanctions in Iran as well as the social, economic, and political implications of these issues. The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative Director, Jonathan Panikoff conducted opening remarks, […]

Corruption
Economy & Business

IranSource

Jul 7, 2023

Iran and Afghanistan are feuding over the Helmand River. The water wars have no end in sight.

By Holly Dagres

Fatemeh Aman, a non-resident senior fellow at MEI, on why the Islamic Republic and Taliban are bumping heads on transboundary water issues.

Afghanistan
Climate Change & Climate Action

IranSource

Jul 6, 2023

Hezbollah and Iran have opened a fourth battlefront: Inside Israel

By David Daoud

Critical as recent developments may prove, they obscure a more dangerous Hezbollah initiative to establish a proxy foothold inside Israel.

Iran
Israel

IranSource

Jun 29, 2023

Could the IRGC pull a Wagner Group move in Iran? That’s what some Iranians are hoping for. 

By Holly Dagres

Many Iranians wondered what it meant for the Islamic Republic’s future if Russian President Vladimir Putin was taken down.

Iran
Middle East

MENASource

Jun 28, 2023

The Wagner rebellion is over—for now. But how will the events reverberate in the Middle East and North Africa?

By Mark N. Katz

The June 23-24 rebellion led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin—aimed, he claimed, at replacing the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov (not Russian President Vladimir Putin)—has ended. However, reverberations from it are likely to continue being felt beyond Russia, such as in the Middle East and North […]

Conflict
Europe & Eurasia
Load More

Experts

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

Fellow

Jonathan Fulton

Nonresident Senior Fellow

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

China Chinese
Load More

Events

Public Event Fri, February 27, 2026 • 1:00 pm ET

Reporters at risk: Navigating Iran’s internet blackout
Iran Middle East Resilience Resilience & Society