On April 14, the U.S. hosted direct talks between Israel and Lebanon. Both countries have different priorities, but at the end of the day, “they both want peace,” said Hanin Ghaddar. Watch the full webcast:

Without regime change in Iran, Israel “would like for the U.S. to adopt maximalist positions in the negotiations,” said Amb. Michael Herzog. Above all, Israel would like the U.S. “to insist on no enrichment on Iran forever, which was the U.S. position before the war,” he added. Watch the webcast:

“This is a very revealing week” as negotiators try to make diplomatic progress on the conflicts in Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, said Robert Satloff. “The cumulative stakes are unusually high,” he added. Watch the full webcast:

In postwar Iran, the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps looks set to further dominate the regime’s decision-making. Tune in to the latest episode of "Decision Points" as host David Makovsky sits down with Suzanne Maloney and Raz Zimmt to explore how decisions are being made in Tehran.

"Trump is wrong to say Operation Epic Fury has produced regime change. But the inner contradictions of the Islamic Republic will in time either produce an Iranian Gorbachev to try to avert regime collapse, or it will collapse outright," writes Amb. Dennis Ross in The Washington Post.

Since the Iran war began, Russia and China have released a series of statements defending Tehran. @grantrumley.bsky.social and Shivane Anand have been tracking Beijing and Moscow’s reactions to the fighting in Iran, Lebanon, and beyond.

“At the end of the day, China's greatest interest in the region is simply stability for the economic relations it seeks to foster with the region," Henry Tugendhat told @france24.com on Beijing’s role in the Middle East.

“There's a new navigational order in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” and it’s “very similar” to what happened in the Southern Red Sea when the Houthis launched a maritime campaign in 2023, Noam Raydan told @npr.org. 1/2

Instead of pushing the unrealistic goal of reaching a comprehensive agreement with Iran in two weeks, the U.S. should work with its longstanding allies to strengthen its hand, writes Dana Stroul in @latimes.com.

“The consequences of this regime staying in power are going to wreak havoc not only on the Iranian people where we are seeing an execution binge, but on the region and the world,” said Nazanin Boniadi. Watch the full webcast:

The Iran war offered Ukraine an opportunity to establish new partnerships and deepen defense and energy ties, including a closer relationship with Turkey and Syria to boost stability in the Black Sea, Soner Cagaptay told @politico.eu.

“The [Iranian] regime has not changed. Bombing will not change a totalitarian regime because the state’s repressive apparatus is entrenched in all levels of society,” said Roya Boroumand. Watch the full webcast:

📺Join us on Wednesday, April 15 at 1 PM EDT for a conversation with Ambassador Michael Herzog, Robert Satloff, and Hanin Ghaddar exploring what's next for Iran, Lebanon and Gaza. Dana Stroul will moderate the discussion.

In late March, the U.S. presented Iran with a 15-point plan to end the war, including a demand that Tehran cut off its support for regional proxies, writes Institute expert Michael Jacobson. To implement such a deal, Washington and its partners should: 1/3

This week’s Israel-Lebanon talks “are a hopeful step toward expanding the circle of Arab-Israel peace,” writes Robert Satloff.

The Iran war “has introduced the kind of sudden global economic shock that makes it all but certain that a prolonged debt crisis is coming,” writes Institute expert Henry Tugendhat in @foreignaffairs.com.

As seen with Hamas during the Gaza war, major media outlets are spreading untruths about Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, writes Robert Satloff in Times of Israel. “This time, it’s essential not to wait until the dust settles” to correct the false narrative, he added.

The narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a key shipping route, Noam Raydan told @time.com. “If anything major happens in a battlement that's similar to the Strait of Hormuz, it will have massive ramifications on regional countries,” she added.

"Iran has seen that the U.S. and Israel together have a vastly superior military capability, and of course that could create a stronger incentive to pursue nuclear weapons," Michael Singh told France 24.

Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz will be a key item on the agenda for the ceasefire talks. In March, Noam Raydan described key things she was watching amid the Iran war, including Tehran’s chokehold on this critical waterway.

Iran has learned from the war that “the asymmetric response works," Dana Stroul told Bloomberg. Iran now knows that it can cause “severe damage to the global economy and shake up the region,” she added. www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/...

If Iran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz and can still blackmail every country that uses it, that "would hand the United States a strategic loss in the war," writes Amb. Dennis Ross in @postopinions.bsky.social.

As seen with Hamas during the Gaza war, major media outlets are spreading untruths about Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, writes Robert Satloff in @timesofisrael.com. “This time, it’s essential not to wait until the dust settles” to correct the false narrative, he added.

Hamas’s connection to Tehran has been weakened, offering the U.S. an opportunity to push Qatar and Turkey to exert pressure on the terror group, writes Institute expert Ghaith al-Omari. Washington should: 1/2

“After the Iran war concludes,” writes David Schenker. “Washington will need to recalibrate its relationship with Baghdad to reflect the fact that Iraqi officials have accepted and even supported continued domination of the state by terrorist militias.”

Even if the ceasefire holds, the Iran war will likely spark a prolonged debt crisis, especially for the world’s poorest countries, writes Henry Tugendhat in @foreignaffairs.com.

“We’re still far away from any kind of resolution to the conflict—much less the issues underlying the conflict,” Michael Singh of The Washington Institute told Bloomberg.

Media reporting of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict “increasingly resembles the distorted narrative” of the Hamas war in Gaza, writes Robert Satloff in @timesofisrael.com—but thankfully, the playbook for countering this is clear this time.

The Iranian regime “crossed a threshold of no return, much as, in the minds of many Syrians, the Assad regime did in 2011, when it began firing live ammunition on peaceful protesters, and then on their funeral processions,” writes @hdagres.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

So far, Syria has taken a “careful, calibrated approach” to the Iran war, reflecting the limits of the new Sharaa government, writes Andrew Tabler.

"Iran has been a wizard of asymmetry" when it comes to its warfare strategy, said Emily Harding. Watch the full webcast:

On March 30, an Iranian drone struck the Kuwaiti tanker Al-Salmi. Visit the “Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region” map, a project by Noam Raydan and Farzin Nadimi, to learn more about attacks and incidents related to commercial vessels and warships in key chokepoints and waterways across the region.

How Tehran’s Proxy Network Could Outlast the Iranian Regime - my latest, with Michael Jacobson @washinstitute.bsky.social @latimes.com www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

Now that the Houthis have entered the war, " the probability of them moving up the escalatory ladder is high, especially if the conflict continues expanding" writes April Longley Alley.

Iran helped the Assad regime violently crush protests; now Tehran has turned those tactics on its own people, writes @hdagres.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

“Tehran remains a desperate regime. U.S. officials should take its desperation—and the danger that desperation entails—seriously,” writes @mattlevitt.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com.

Syria’s new government is not well positioned to confront and disarm Iran’s proxies in Lebanon or Iraq, writes Andrew Tabler.

Media reporting of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict "increasingly resembles the distorted narrative that characterized Israel’s Gaza operation in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack," writes Robert Satloff in Times of Israel.

📺WEBCAST TODAY: Speculation about U.S.-Iran talks to end the war continues. Tune in at 11 AM EDT for a discussion exploring the contours of future negotiations and priorities for the U.S.

So far, Syria has taken a “careful, calibrated approach” to the Iran war, reflecting the limits of the new Sharaa government, writes Andrew Tabler.

Counterterrorism expert @mattlevitt.bsky.social shares the three key things he's watching, including Iran’s missile capacity, international terror attempts tied to Tehran, and the Israel-Lebanon front.

Iran’s disproportionate retaliation against the UAE will change Abu Dhabi’s regional strategy going forward, said Asharq al-Awsat columnist Nadim Koteich. For Emiratis, the damage from Iran’s attacks is something that “cannot be unlearned.” Listen to the full episode:

“A more minimalist cease-fire could precede a follow-on negotiation that addresses that fuller agenda,” Michael Singh told @wsj.com.

Check out the Institute's new interactive map chronicling the evolution of maritime attack methods mainly used by Iran and Yemen’s Houthis in the Middle East region since 2017. The map includes detailed descriptions of attacks and incidents, data on each vessel, and geopolitical analysis.

“The more concerned the remaining leaders of the Islamic Republic are that the revolution is under threat, the higher the likelihood that they employ terrorism against those they perceive to be undermining the regime,” writes @mattlevitt.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com.

As the Iran war continues, Tehran will keep using its leverage over shipping and energy, writes Noam Raydan.

“My sense right now is that we still don’t know exactly how this is going to be resolved,” Amb. Dennis Ross told @cnbc.com about the Iran war and ceasefire negotiations.

The Iran war could strengthen Israel’s relationship with the Gulf states, said Amir Hayek, who was the first Israeli ambassador to the UAE. In the future, he argues, both Israel and the GCC countries should focus on cooperation in areas including AI, technology, education, and transportation.

“Hamas is distancing itself from Iran out of necessity and weakness. The United States should exploit this shift to support American interests in Gaza and the wider region,” writes former Palestinian peace negotiator Ghaith al-Omari.

The easing of oil sanctions on Iran is intended to lower energy prices, but by doing this, the Trump administration is asking Tehran to “please, please, please sell oil because the market is going haywire,” @richardmnephew.bsky.social told the @nytimes.com.