I am looking forward to joining this CSIS panel on state of play between US and #Iran www.csis.org/events/unite...

Interesting interview with @valinasr.bsky.social on Iran’s future. youtu.be/ZDXdrPsn1DI

I told Washington Post on whether there will be a deal between Iran and US: “Having paid the price of suppressing the protests, I don’t think they’re going to sign onto a deal that would actually make their position even more precarious,” wapo.st/4anpAIu

It was great to join Joshua Landis for this conversation with Tom Switzer bout the implications of the looming war between US and Iran for the Middle East youtu.be/ZDXdrPsn1DI?...

It was great to join Joshua Landis for this conversation with Tom Switzer bout the implications of the looming war between US and Iran for the Middle East youtu.be/ZDXdrPsn1DI?...

great discussion by Rory Stewart and The Rest is Politics Podcast on what Trump Is Really Doing With Iran. youtu.be/e9y2_MVv8ck?...

great discussion by Rory Stewart and The Rest is Politics Podcast on what Trump Is Really Doing With Iran. youtu.be/e9y2_MVv8ck?...

Punishing the victims: In Afghanistan, a Trail of Hunger and Death Behind U.S. Aid Cuts www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/w...

My interview with Charlie Rose America Iran protests and the risk of war youtu.be/zKmW2fNhqG8?...

My interview with @zeteo.com.web.brid.gy _news on Iran protests and talk of US war with Iran open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...

“The level of killing is above and beyond what Iran has experienced before.” US-Iran scholar @valinasr.bsky.social tells @mehdirhasan.bsky.social about the true death toll in Iran and why recent protests feel different. zeteo.com/p/vali-nasr-...

Rubio: “if the [Iranian] regime did fall, no one knows who would take over” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

Trump warning Iran: “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!” www.ft.com/content/070b...

This thorough, powerful and documented account of the how the Iran protests were crushed is truly shocking and heartbreaking www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/w...

US prepares for "decisive" military action against Iran. Depending on what "decisive" means, and how Iran reacts, the Middle East is bracing for an earthquake www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Great take by @nargesbajoghli.bsky.social on why for #Iran 2026 is not repeat of 1979. time.com/7345623/iran...

My take in FT threatening 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Iran Trump wants to squeeze Iranians more to prolong and repeat protests to break the regime. Economic warfare rather a military strikes www.ft.com/content/8bd4...

Great take by @nargesbajoghli.bsky.social on why for #Iran 2026 is not repeat of 1979. time.com/7345623/iran...

This is uncharted territory for the Islamic Republic as they have organic, bottom-up pressure, with segments of the society that were historically the backbone of the republic protesting, which has mushroomed into something much bigger. Geranmayeh in @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/cb0f...

It was great to join this Quincy Institute panel on implications of Iran protests. www.youtube.com/live/AHRh238...

Is this time different in Iran? www.vox.com/politics/474...

My piece on how Trump will act on Iran protests www.csis.org/analysis/how...

My piece on how Trump will act on Iran protests www.csis.org/analysis/how...

I told @NYT “Trump openly threatening that he will intervene is essentially making a case that whatever happens in Iran domestically could be a cause for an attack,” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/w...

My piece in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social on Why This Time Is Different for Iran prosyn.org/FNd2STW

My interview with Vox on what the protests hold in store for Iran www.vox.com/politics/474...

My interview with Vox on what the protests hold in store for Iran www.vox.com/politics/474...

My piece in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social on Why This Time Is Different for Iran prosyn.org/FNd2STW

Excellent piece on the economic roots of Iran protests by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani prosyn.org/ACqb4p8

Looking forward to this session on implications of Donroe Doctrine @ CSIS www.csis.org/events/donro...

Looking forward to this session on implications of Donroe Doctrine @ CSIS www.csis.org/events/donro...

US capture of a Russian-flagged oil tanker is as great a worry for Iran than Trump's military action to support protests. US preventing oil exports by capturing tankers could shut down Iran's economy altogether with potentially greater impact on political stability than a military strike.

Threatening to bomb Iran doesn't help protesters, it will confront them with a choice, escalate and provokeUS bombing of their country, or stop protests to deny US reason to bomb. Iranians didn't revolt when Israel bombed and are unlikely to do the same if US bombed Iran.

The Saudi-UAE feud in Yemen and Israel's maneuver in Somaliland are important developments. They suggest a convergence of Israeli-UAE interests in Horn of Africa and Yemen which threaten Saudi and will push it closer to Iran and Turkey with implications for the Levant and the Gulf

My essay in Project Syndicate on whether Israel’s military successes will translate into a stable new regional order prosyn.org/Pid9uds

FT on Iran’s youth: “youth behave as if they neither follow the news nor hear the threats. Instead, it is the officials who are following their lead. For a generation not connected to any ideology but to the world, their demand is very simple: to live a normal life.” www.ft.com/content/61f7...

Must read Frontline and WashPo report: “Israel had decided to strike, as the U.S. well knew. The planned diplomacy was a ruse, and officials from both countries encouraged media reports of a U.S.-Israeli rift”. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Maria Fantappie and I write in Foreign Affairs on what the faltering of Axis of Resistance and the 12-day war mean for the region’s Shia and with futures of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq hanging in the balance what are the opportunities and dangers facing the region www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/what-co...

Maria Fantappie and I write in Foreign Affairs on what the faltering of Axis of Resistance and the 12-day war mean for the region’s Shia and with futures of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq hanging in the balance what are the opportunities and dangers facing the region www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/what-co...

My guest essay in The Economist. The 12-day war has started an intense debate among Iranians over the country’s future www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

My guest essay in The Economist. The 12-day war has started an intense debate among Iranians over the country’s future www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

Book of the week - Iran's Grand Strategy: A political history, by @valinasr.bsky.social. Great overview of the history and politics of Iran's grand strategy, with very useful emphasis on elements of continuity and change over time. One of the best books on Iran I've read.

Despite Republicans holding their seat in Tennessee’s race this week, our congressional-forecasting model suggests that Democrats will win the midterms by about six percentage points next year

I enjoyed reading Lyse Doucet’s new book. It is engaging and thoughtful and tells Afghanistan’s harrowing recent history with empathy and through the eyes of its people. Highly recommend it.

"The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal" edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...

In New York, Zohran Mamdani showed how it’s done: ‘identity politics’ can win elections | Nesrine Malik

This is truly end of the era of Global War on Terror. The day the architect of that strategy and the Islamophobia that followed 9/11 died, New York elected a Muslim mayor.

This is truly end of the era of Global War on Terror. The day the architect of that strategy and the Islamophobia that followed 9/11 died, New York elected a Muslim mayor.

What Trade War? China’s Export Juggernaut Marches On www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Forty years after he first visited as a student, historian @willdalrymple.bsky.social takes a road trip across Eastern Anatolia in Turkey, finding restored monuments, new museums and archaeological digs that shed fresh light on the region’s complex past. Read more on.ft.com/437BgMJ