The Iranian Regime Is Subcontracting Murders to European Criminal Networks: They Are Recruiting Mafia Organizations to Do Their Work, and No One Is Laughing at It Anymore.
Researcher Who Presented Anti-Israel Paper at 2001 Hate Fest in Durban Condemns Conservatives as ‘Extremists’
The Israeli Government and Military Have Issued No Official Statement, Allowing Tehran’s Disinformation Campaign to Flourish
The Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding Is Ground Zero for Operatives from Qatar, Turkey, and Malaysia
Libya’s Agreement with Turkey Claims Maritime Zones That Ignore Greek Islands and Undermine Accepted Maritime Law
How Foreign and Domestic Radical Actors Captured a U.S. University
Turkish Navy Conducts Drill Dubbed ‘Blue Homeland’ in January 2025, Covering Areas in Aegean Sea, Black Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean
The Real Reason Relates to the Largely Unknown Security Measures That the Regime Preemptively Activated the Moment That Israel’s Operations Started
Contrary to What Some Academics and Journalists Claim, the Root of the Conflict Is Explained by Long-Standing Israeli Concerns
The Strengthening of Jihadist Networks Further Destabilized Syria and Led to the Collapse of a Counterterrorism Policy
The Islamic Republic’s Leaders Have Turned Nationalist Following Their Crushing Defeat by Israel Last Month
Many American Policymakers Who Engage the Group Do So for Money, but Bear No Special Fealty to the Mojahedin
Rushing Peace, Without Time for Syrians to Adjust, Could Risk a Backlash That Enables More Extreme Elements to Retrench
USC’s Tendentious Approach to the Middle East Appears Rooted in Not Only Poor Judgment but Also Foreign Influence
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.
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.
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
  1. Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution
  2. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi’s Field Reports on Kurdish Displacement, Minority Rights Are Already Shaping Policy Debate
  3. Three Policy Frameworks for the United States and Israel on Resistance, Succession, and the Strait of Hormuz
  4. As the Islamic Republic Cracks, the Iran Freedom Congress in London Races to Build the Framework Tehran Prayed Would Never Exist
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.