MEF Wires

Middle East Forum Wires are summary accounts and audio recordings of MEF speaking events.

Wires are written by MEF staff and (when summary accounts) are generally not reviewed by the speaker.

To see a listing of forthcoming MEF events, please click here.

Audio, Video and Transcripts
Gregg Roman Testifies Before the Knesset on the Cost of Redeeming Hostages
The Mishnah Warns Against Redeeming Captives at Exorbitant Prices—Not from Callousness, but from Wisdom
December 24, 2025
Audio, Video and Transcripts
Eastern Mediterranean Contributions to Middle East Security
The Middle East Forum participated in a high-level panel on “Eastern Mediterranean Contributions to Middle East Security” at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece.
April 18, 2025
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Middle East: Harris and Trump Policies Explained
November 4, 2024
 · 
Ahnaf Kalam
Fluttering Israel flag on crimson red sky with smoke pillars background. Israel problems concept.
Audio, Video and Transcripts
Israel’s Crucible: Forging a New Security Paradigm
Navigating Complex Threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Beyond in a Shifting Middle East Landscape
October 6, 2024
 · 
Gregg Roman
Winfield Myers
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Challenges of Countering Islamism in the West
May 17, 2023
 · 
Sam Westrop
Winfield Myers
Audio, Video and Transcripts
The Counter-Erdoğan Coalition: Taking on Turkey’s Strongman
May 17, 2023
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More from MEF
There is an honest difference of views between the Saudis and Emiratis on how to deal with conflict in the region that comprises the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
Military and Strategic Programs
When U.S. Allies Turn on Each Other, America Must Act
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Have Been Friends and Allies for Decades, but They Have Picked Different Sides in the Fighting in Yemen
February 23, 2026
 · 
Eric Navarro
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in September 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
If Turkey Doesn’t Have Colonial Ambitions in Syria, It Should Return Hatay
Put Simply, Turkey Is the Largest Occupying Power in Syria
February 23, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Offensive missiles of the Islamic Republic's armed forces, at the military museum in Tehran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Can Strategy Make a Weapon Halal?
Religious Labeling Does Not Change Destructive Capacity, but It Changes Perceived Authority
February 23, 2026
 · 
Mohammad Taha Ali
Iraqi authorities are processing thousands of detainees transferred from Syria, raising complex questions about nationality, jurisdiction, and long-term legal responsibility.
Middle East Forum Online
Islamic State Detainees Transferred From Syria to Iraq: A Statistical Breakdown
A Circulated Iraqi Justice Ministry Document Provides New Detail on the Scope and Nationalities of Transferred Detainees
February 23, 2026
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
The seizure of the first three tankers, roughly 100 miles west of Mumbai, proved that the “shadow fleet” — the aging, uninsured vessels used to fund the “Axis of Resistance” — has lost its cloak of invisibility. Image: The Indian Navy ship INS Tabar.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran Has Terrorized International Waters for Decades — Now India and the World Have Had Enough
New Delhi Has Effectively Shut Down the ‘Ship-to-Ship’ Transfer Networks Used to Mask the Origin of Iranian Crude
February 22, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
As protests spread to European cities, demonstrators in Milan, Italy, burned photos of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Observer
War Talk Spreads in Iran as Protests Continue
Some Analysts Warn That If the Regime Survives, It Could Emerge Strengthened and Suppress Internal Dissent
February 22, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
Iranians no longer seem afraid to show their faces, despite the regime's brutal retaliatory tactics.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iranians Fear Social Ostracism More than the Regime
Ordinary Iranians Have Formed a Collective Resistance That Surpasses the State’s Capacity to Crack Down on It
February 22, 2026
 · 
Shay Khatiri
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a file photo.
Middle East Forum Observer
Previewing Indian Prime Minister Modi’s Visit to Israel
The Visit Underscores the Transformation of India-Israel Ties Into a High-Trust Strategic Partnership
February 22, 2026
 · 
Imran Khurshid
By delegating tactical security and inspection duties to local, anti-extremist clans, a "Warlord Option" is being embraced-not as a silver bullet for the entire conflict, but as an indispensable pillar of a multi-faceted strategy for total victory.
Middle East Forum Online
Why Gaza’s Clans Are the Missing Piece of the Victory Puzzle
For Decades, the International Community Remained Stubbornly Wedded to a ‘Top-Down’ Fantasy
February 21, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
In this file photo, an oil tanker is anchored in the Persian Gulf near the waterfront of Chabahar, Iran, where it will be loaded.
Middle East Forum Observer
Why Is India Tightening the Screws on Iran Now?
India’s Trade with the United States and European Union Reaches Roughly $400 Billion—More than 133 Times India-Iran Trade
February 21, 2026
 · 
Dalga Khatinoglu