While in recent decades Iran and Iraq faced off as fierce rivals, including fighting a brutal eight year war against one another (1980-88), the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 changed the equation completely. Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, successive Iraqi governments have developed strategic partnerships  with Iran over shared domestic and regional interests. Simultaneously, the United States is heavily invested in Iraq and has also partnered closely with the Iraqi government. In this lecture, Iran Project Postdoctoral Research Fellow Hassan Ahmadian will discuss how Iran's Iraq policy has adapted over time throughout these different circumstances and will offer insights into future trajectories. This is the final lecture in a three part series on Iran's Middle East policy. Moderated by Iran Project Director Payam Mohseni.  RSVP required: please RSVP here.

In the rapidly changing Middle East, the geostrategic position of the Arabian Peninsula has taken on a renewed importance. In Yemen, the war has entered its fourth year and threatened the critical Bab al-Mandab shipping lanes, the Qatar-Saudi rift has pitted two close American allies against one another since 2017, and the Iran-Saudi rivalry has furthered geopolitical competition in the region since the onset of the Arab Spring. In addition to these dynamics, the United States must account for the increasing role of both China and Russia in the region. Please join us for a discussion on these new and pressing challenges with Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan (ret). He served as Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Commander of the 32 Nation Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East. Moderated by Iran Project Director Payam Mohseni. RSVP required: visit here.

Following President Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and reimposition of sanctions against the country, Seyed Hossein Mousavian will explore the implications of these developments on US-Iran bilateral relations, Iran's nuclear program, as well as regional political dynamics. Mousavian is a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University. He is a former diplomat who served as Iran’s Ambassador to Germany (1990-1997), and was the Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s National Security Council (1997-2005). Discussant: Iran Project Director Payam Mohseni. Co-sponsored by the WCFIA/CMES Middle East Seminar. 

Iran's close partnership with Syria dates back to the victory of the Islamic revolution and has proved remarkably durable ever since. Although the relationship between these two states has experienced various stages over the last few decades, the alliance has consistently centered on shared threat perceptions and the desire to establish deterrence against outside actors. In this lecture, Iran Project Postdoctoral Research Fellow Hassan Ahmadian will discuss how Iran's policy has adapted over time throughout different circumstances and will offer insights into future trajectories. This is the second lecture in a three part series on Iran's Middle East policy; the final lecture will be on Iran's foreign policy towards Iraq  (Dec. 7). Moderated by Iran Project Director Payam Mohseni.  RSVP required: please RSVP here.

From the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, Iran's rising influence is shaping important dynamics on the ground. In Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Iran-allied partners and armed groups have pushed back their rivals including ISIS and militant salafis. A large determining factor in these conflict zones is Iran's rivalry with Saudi Arabia as these two regional powers face off across multiple arenas in the Middle East. What is driving Iran's strategic calculus and decision making in the region? Is the Middle East bound for further conflict given current trajectories? Despite the importance of Iranian decision making in the Middle East, the country's foreign policy remains understudied and misunderstood. Join this lecture exploring Iranian foreign policy by Hassan Ahmadian (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the Iran Project and Assistant Professor at the University of Tehran) -- the first in a three part series on Iran's Middle East policy.  RSVP required: please RSVP here. 

Speaker: Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, Research Fellow with the Iran Project and Project on Managing the Atom

With President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA), the future of the deal is under serious question. Please join the Iran Project and The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) for an expert-level roundtable analyzing the ramifications of this decision and the how leading international and regional players will react to these latest developments.

The First Annual Symposium on Islam, Dialogue, and Sectarian De-Escalation at the Harvard Kennedy School has gathered a diversity of voices from leading scholars, religious authorities, civic community leaders, and policymakers alike to push forward analytical understanding and dialogue on the pressing topic of sectarianism in the Muslim world.

For speaker and schedule information, visit event website.

As the Iranian nuclear deal appears to be increasingly at risk in the current political climate, Hassan Ahmadian will discuss recent perceptions and conversations in Iran regarding the Trump administration, Iranian policymaking objectives, and the future of the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA). How will Iran react to increasing pressure and brinksmanship? What are Iran's strategies moving ahead?

Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech and Associate at Belfer Center's Iran Project Djavad Salehi-Isfahani will discuss the economic performance of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the context of ongoing international uncertainty regarding the Iran nuclear deal, as well as the recent domestic protests in Iran. Discussion will be moderated by Payam Mohseni, Iran Project Director.