Shahid Rajaee Port Is a Major Trade Hub, Handling 85 Percent of the Country’s Total Loading and Unloading of Goods
Supreme Leader’s Nod to Talks Quiets Hardliners, but Their Influence Persists
The Houthis Are the Only Iran-Aligned Force to Have Directed Its Attacks Not at Israel Alone but Also at Western Targets, Including International Shipping
Hamas, Which Has Killed Dissidents in Gaza, Claims Right of Free Speech in U.K.
Trump’s Tariffs Spark Global Economic Concerns, Threaten Oil Prices, and Strain Middle East’s Oil-Dependent Economies
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Global Resurgence Tests Democratic Limits as It Pushes for a Caliphate
Unveiling Ahmad al-Sharaa: Adnani’s Testimony Sheds Light on Jowlani’s Rise and Betrayal in Syria’s Jihadist Landscape
Turkish Opposition Exposes Alleged Ties Between Erdogan’s Government and Northern Cyprus-Based Crime Syndicate Involved in Drug Trafficking and Illegal Betting
Pro-Iranian Telegram Channel Leaks Documents to Discredit Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa as Terrorist Unfit for Iraq Engagement
Trump’s New Nuclear Deal Offer to Iran Sparks Debate, but Will It Address the Regime’s Human Rights Abuses or Empower Oppression?
Only a Unified Yemen Can Prevent the Country from Becoming a Permanent Vacuum for Terrorism, Arms Trafficking, and Foreign Subversion
Qatar Is Strategically Investing in Countries Like Turkey, Somalia, Gaza, and Now Bangladesh, Forming a “String of Misbaha” to Promote Islamist Ideology Across the Indian Ocean
Qatar’s Strategic Investments and Shadow Lobbying Are Reshaping American Policy and Institutions
![Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic’s former foreign minister, campaigned for Masoud Pezeshkian on the state-run broadcaster Seda va Sima [Voice and Vision] in part on the idea that he would bring a new emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).](https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/348d684/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x2916+0+270/resize/568x320!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2Fba%2F0b1fe72b4911bc8163a7ebb8ebcc%2Fmohammad-javad-zarif-2016.jpg 568w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/f9f74ec/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x2916+0+270/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2Fba%2F0b1fe72b4911bc8163a7ebb8ebcc%2Fmohammad-javad-zarif-2016.jpg 768w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/75bedf5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x2916+0+270/resize/1024x576!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2Fba%2F0b1fe72b4911bc8163a7ebb8ebcc%2Fmohammad-javad-zarif-2016.jpg 1024w,https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/dffd034/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x2916+0+270/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2Fba%2F0b1fe72b4911bc8163a7ebb8ebcc%2Fmohammad-javad-zarif-2016.jpg 1440w)
Whereas Wokeism Fades in the United States, It Gains Popularity in the Iranian Political Sphere
Spotlight on War with Iran
A ceasefire is in effect, somewhat. Negotiations are starting soon in Pakistan about a full deal. There seem to be many obstacles to fulfilling the announced goals of the United States as the Iranians are circulating an entirely different plan.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened and then closed. Israel hit Hezbollah very hard the day after the ceasefire was announced. The future is very uncertain but the bombing has stopped and the talks will begin. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
Tehran Appears to Be Moving Toward Conditional Access, While Retaining the Ability to Disrupt Maritime Traffic
The Abrupt Announcement of a Two-Week Ceasefire in the War Between the U.S., Israel, and Iran Resolves None of the Issues Which Caused the Conflict
The Tactical Triumph and Strategic Uncertainty of Operation Epic Fury
While Legal Scholars Seek to Promote and Reinforce International Humanitarian Law, Their Subjectivity and Political Agendas Now Undermine It
The Iranian News Media Have Not Fully Reported the Reverberation of the War on the Iranian Economy
Spotlight on the Middle East
The entire region is affected by the conflict with Iran, but there are many other vital issues being covered by MEF. Political change in Iraq, Corruption in Turkey, and Islamists exerting their influence online and politically.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
India and the UAE are deepening ties and tough words from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to the Pope. The war has caused many problems for security and commerce, but it has also created opportunities. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
Iraq’s Crisis Is a Problem of Not Only Armed Factions but Also the Political Order That Preserved and Protected Them
Group that Affirmed Hamas’s October 7 Attack Defends Terrorists in India
Experts Warn of Radicalization Persisting at ‘Precariously High Levels’
Vatican Maintains Formal Ties with Top Iranian University Despite Theocratic Regime’s Massacre of Thousands
The Emirates Remains a Stabilizing Actor with Strong Ties to Israel, the United States, and Other Key Regional Players
Explosive Claims Point to Coordinated Pressure Campaign Targeting Wealthy Individuals
Middle East Quarterly - Current Issue
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, MEQ is the Middle East Forum’s journal intended for both scholars and the educated public. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists write for and read the Quarterly, which is known for exclusive interviews, in-depth historical articles, and book reviews on subjects ranging from archaeology to politics and on countries from Morocco to Iran.
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
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Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution -
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate -
Three Policy Frameworks for the United States and Israel on Resistance, Succession, and the Strait of Hormuz -
As the Islamic Republic Cracks, the Iran Freedom Congress in London Races to Build the Framework Tehran Prayed Would Never Exist
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Although Lebanon Was Considered a Friendly Neighbor When Israel Was Established Some 80 Years Ago, for Nearly 60 Years It Has Been a Threat -
Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiyah, a Shia Terror Group Claiming to Be Part of the Iranian-Led Axis of Resistance, Attacked Varied Locales in Europe -
There Are Two Dominant Views of the Middle East. The Prevailing One Will Determine Whether Western Civilization Survives or Is Eroded from Within -
The Draft of a New Palestinian Constitution Has Weaponized the Entire Idea of a Constitution
Middle East Forum Observer
Founded in 2024, the Observer provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.
Launched in 2006, Islamist Watch is a project of the Middle East Forum. We work to combat the ideas and institutions of lawful Islamism in the United States and throughout the West. Arguing that “radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution,” we seek to expose the Islamist organizations that currently dominate the debate, while identifying and promoting the work of moderate Muslims.
CAMPUS WATCH, a project of the Middle East Forum, reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them. The project mainly addresses five problems: analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students. Campus Watch fully respects the freedom of speech of those it debates while insisting on its own freedom to comment on their words and deeds.
