"The strike on Qatar “actually opened the door for all of this.” Must read piece: How Trump cornered Netanyahu into signing up for peace www.ft.com/content/6a62...

Iran’s water crisis is the biggest threat it faces time.com/7321571/iran...

I told Washington Post on the dangers of renewed war "The longer Iran and the United States go without restarting talks, the greater the likelihood of renewed conflict. And now that “snapback” sanctions have been reimposed, it could be months before the two sides are talking again." wapo.st/4gO6KNs

Excellent analysis by Sanam Vakil and Galip Dalay on the impact Israel’s wars on regional order www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/middl...

Excellent analysis by Sanam Vakil and Galip Dalay on the impact Israel’s wars on regional order www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/middl...

Hussein Agha and Robert Malley's new book, Tomorrow is Yesterday is a first rate examination of why the idea of "two-state solution" has thus far failed and why it is likely to fail again. There is much eye-opening history and ground realities in this book. highly recommended. a.co/d/aI4B41k

TODAY at 12:30 pm ET: Book Talk: Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History with author @valinasr.bsky.social and @alfoneh.bsky.social, moderated by @ibishblog.bsky.social.

Next week: AGSI will host a discussion on the roots of Iran's strategic outlook with @valinasr.bsky.social and @alfoneh.bsky.social, moderated by @ibishblog.bsky.social. Register today.

You heard it at Commonwealth Club World Affairs Over the summer, @valinasr.bsky.social spoke with @swamiriver.bsky.social at @cwclub.bsky.social in San Francisco about Iran's grand strategy. Photos below by Sarah Gonzalez/Peopletography You can watch the entire program: youtu.be/K6fWqR3LDXA?...

Israel’s attack on Qatar is as big a shock for the Gulf as Iran’s attack on Abquaiq in 2019. And both have shown US security protection to be of little value. The attack on Qatar will prove as consequential as Iran’s attack on Abquaiq and that one changed the Gulf’s outlook in fundamental ways.

Important piece by Ellie Geranmayeh: How to Make Snapback a Success - The clock is ticking for a new nuclear deal with Iran. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/03/s...

My essay in Foreign Affairs on why war was not and is not inevitable between US and Iran and what lessons can be drawn from missed diplomatic opportunities: "Iran’s Roads Not Taken" www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/irans-r...

excellent piece by Andrew England and Najmeh Bozorgmehr on the political mood in Iran: after the shock of war, Iranians yearn for change www.ft.com/content/bf5f...

My essay in Foreign Affairs on why war was not and is not inevitable between US and Iran and what lessons can be drawn from missed diplomatic opportunities: "Iran’s Roads Not Taken" www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/irans-r...

good take by Leila Seurat: Hamas has been battered for two years, but on is still doing enough to draw Israel, set on its war to the end strategy, into an unwinnable war www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/new-h...

Event 9/16: Book Talk: Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History with author @valinasr.bsky.social and @alfoneh.bsky.social, moderated by @ibishblog.bsky.social. Register now.

Looking forward to my conversation with Helene Cooper on Iran Sept 10

A thoughtful piece by Dahlia Scheindlin: What Israelis and Palestinians can learn from Bosnia www.ft.com/content/b48b...

The Crown Center for Middle East Studies invites you to our exciting lineup of in-person and virtual events this fall. Save the dates and register for virtual attendance! www.brandeis.edu/crown/events... @valinasr.bsky.social @safiraleaf.bsky.social | #iran #iraq #gaza #middleeast

My essay in Foreign Affairs on why it is important to take stock of missed opportunities that could have set US-Iran relations on a different path if a worse conflict now is to be averted www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/irans-r...

My essay in Foreign Affairs on why it is important to take stock of missed opportunities that could have set US-Iran relations on a different path if a worse conflict now is to be averted www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/irans-r...

why India won’t abandon Russia. Despite the high cost of Trump’s secondary tariffs, New Delhi has compelling reasons to keep Moscow close.

Israel is pushing forward efforts to relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza. Libya, South Sudan and Syria are among the countries Israel has spoken to in its effort to move hundreds of thousands from the enclave www.wsj.com/world/middle... via @WSJ

A bleak picture: The focus on Bibi is misplaced, despite all their misgivings about him, there is broad support in Israel for his approach to Palestinians and occupation www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/israe...

Excellent reporting, insightful and heartbreaking: Inside the 13-year search for Austin Tice, the journalist who disappeared in Syria wapo.st/4mdwa91

Is the nextIsrael-Iran war Is coming? Trita Parsi argues the strategic calculus of both countries suggests it will be even more violent. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/11/i...

U.S. is moving toward state capitalism mirroring China www.wsj.com/economy/the-... via @WSJ

It was great to be back at the Commonwealth Club of Sa Francisco to discuss my book Iran’s Grand Strategy youtu.be/K6fWqR3LDXA?...

It was great to be back at the Commonwealth Club of Sa Francisco to discuss my book Iran’s Grand Strategy youtu.be/K6fWqR3LDXA?...

a closeup of how IRGC pressures Iran's private sector. Political bullying but also self-defeating predatory behavior. That there are so companies like Divar thriving in Iran's private sector is surprising wapo.st/45FHGUU

Eye-opening investigation on whether Iran is moving closer to building nuclear weapons, and also how deep Iran-Russia relations run www.ft.com/content/00f6...

important insights in this piece by @emile_hokayem and Hasan Alhasan on how the Iran-Israel war has changed Gulf states' views on regional security www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/middl...

It was great to be a part of Frontline’s 2 hour documentary telling the story of Iran Israel confrontation and how it is remaking the Middle East. full documentary) 👉 youtu.be/ZPuY5KhwRRg?...

Must read piece by Narges Bajoghli on how Israel’s-US attack has changed the political landscape in Iran in fundamental ways, and not what the West assumes and hopes for foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/t...

Must read piece by Narges Bajoghli on how Israel’s-US attack has changed the political landscape in Iran in fundamental ways, and not what the West assumes and hopes for foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/29/t...

Tonight at @cwclub.bsky.social in S.F.: • 5:30 PM PDT / @samkbloch.bsky.social: Shade, The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource (with @emmettfitzgerald.bsky.social) • 6 PM PDT / @valinasr.bsky.social: Iran's Grand Strategy (with @swamiriver.bsky.social) Details & tix: commonwealthclub.org/events

Catch all of the speakers, topics, community and ideas at @cwclub.bsky.social this week. Details & tickets: commonwealthclulb.org/events @valinasr.bsky.social @jwassers.bsky.social @samkbloch.bsky.social

"Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X on Saturday. "They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & screensmoke." www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-...

Must read: Pankaj Mishra’s insightful and trenchant critique of passivity and complicity of American liberal intellectuals in the age of Trump harpers.org/archive/2025...

Must read: Pankaj Mishra’s insightful and trenchant critique of passivity and complicity of American liberal intellectuals in the age of Trump harpers.org/archive/2025...

As Iran faces war and internal unrest, the regime faces mounting pressure to maintain control as calls for reform intensify. 👤 @valinasr.bsky.social joins Gönül Tol to unpack it all on the Iran at a Crossroads podcast. www.mei.edu/multimedia/p...

stocktaking on where Middle East economies stand: Syria, oil markets, and more www.youtube.com/live/7RmoQ9N...

Reading @valinasr.bsky.social's book, you can chart Iran’s political history by decade: '50s: Mossadegh coup '60s: Econ boom, social change, repression '70s: Revolution '80s: Iraq war '90s: Reform vs conservatism '00s: US invasion of Iraq '10s: Iran’s regional peak '20s: Axis unraveling?

"testimonies from doctors, relief workers and Gazans this week make it clear that a worst-case scenario is finally unfolding: Nearly one in three people are going multiple days without eating, and hospitals are reporting rising deaths from malnutrition and starvation" wapo.st/3GXPS9A

After Israeli attack a new language of politics in Iran fusing Shiism with Iranian nationalism...it is not just state-driven, plenty of evidence that it is also coming from the society www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/w...

After Israeli attack a new language of politics in Iran fusing Shiism with Iranian nationalism...it is not just state-driven, plenty of evidence that it is also coming from the society www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/w...

Excellent article by Margaret MacMillan on the costs and consequences of US's deliberate undermining of its alliances. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Must read piece by Daniel Levy on why Israel bombed Syria open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...

Excellent essay: We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...