About
The Middle East Forum Observer

The Middle East Forum Observer was founded in 2024 and provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.

More than just an outlet for opinion and opeds, the Observer explores topics in greater depth than American newspapers or opinion essays, often drawing upon primary language research or technical expertise on topics like shipping, aircraft leasing, or counter-terrorism finance. Policymakers and intelligence analysts not only in the United States and Europe, but also across the Middle East regularly read Observer articles. Newspapers and policy journals from Israel to Iran excerpt and debate the Observer’s takes.

As with the Middle East Quarterly, Middle East Forum Observer is open access. All content is available without charge. The Middle East Forum Observer allows reposts of its articles as an integral whole with a citation that includes author, date, title, publication and original URL.

More from MEF
Iranian military forces honor leaders at a Qods Day rally on May 31, 2019, including Qasem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander assassinated in January 2020.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will Iranians Build a New Intelligence Service Upon the Current One?
Exiled Iranian Activists Continue to Organize, but the Backbone of Any Post-Islamic Republic Will Be Internal
April 10, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
The Amal Movement’s alignment with Hezbollah reflects deepening intra-Shia solidarity amid the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon.
Middle East Forum Online
The Amal Movement and the New War in Lebanon: Interview
Intra-Shia Solidarity Deepens as War Escalates in Southern Lebanon
April 9, 2026
 · 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Middle East Forum Online
Cairo’s Moroccan Lifeline: A Drowning Egypt Grasps for Regional Relevance
Beneath the Optics of Cooperation, Egypt Seeks Relief From Mounting Pressures
April 9, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
The Homs Tunnels and the Myth of Syrian Neutrality
New Evidence Suggests Iranian-Backed Networks Still Operate Freely in Syria
April 9, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
If passed, the legislation would effectively force CAIR to cease operations and dissolve for being one of Hamas’s most prolific advocates in the Western world.
Press Releases
Congressman Chip Roy Introduces Bill to Designate CAIR as Terrorist Entity
Legislation Backed by Decades of MEF Research Would Strip Hamas-Aligned Group of Tax-Exempt Status, Block Assets, and Force Dissolution
April 9, 2026
More than a month into the Iran war, the Islamic Republic not only retains its capabilities to launch ballistic missiles but also surprises the United States and the region with its quantity and range. Long-range, short-range, and satellite Iranian missiles; Sept. 9, 2019.
Middle East Forum Online
The Biggest Intelligence Failure of the Iran War
The United States Was Blindsided by the Number of Missiles the Islamic Republic Possessed and Their Range
April 9, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
According to the Anti-Defamation League, Withing Our Lifetime, which Kiswani founded in 2015, “has hosted or co-sponsored some 100 anti-Israel rallies, many of which included explicit support for violence against Israeli civilians by U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations—Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah, the Houthis and affiliated individuals, such as Leila Khaled and Hamas’s military wing spokesperson, Abu Obaida.”
Middle East Forum Online
Gaslighting in New York: Nerdeen Kiswani and Allies Obscure the Sources of Violence
At an Anti-Israel, Pro-Islamist Press Conference, People Demanded Rights for Themselves That They Deny to Jews
April 9, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
In June 2025, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of its oil and gas shipments pass.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran Plays Double Game on Hormuz as Factional Narrative Emerges
Tehran Appears to Be Moving Toward Conditional Access, While Retaining the Ability to Disrupt Maritime Traffic
April 9, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
The Iranians pipe most oil they produce to Kharg Oil Terminal, on Kharg Island about 15 miles off the coast of Iran in the northern Persian Gulf. Kharg is responsible for about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.
Middle East Forum Observer
Trump Should Blockade Iranian Shipping in Strait of Hormuz
It Would Be a Simple Decision for the President to Say No Cargo Can Leave the Strait Without U.S. Approval
April 9, 2026
 · 
Jim Hanson
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in 2022.
Middle East Forum Observer
Could a New Political System Be on Iraq’s Horizon?
Iraq’s Crisis Is a Problem of Not Only Armed Factions but Also the Political Order That Preserved and Protected Them
April 9, 2026
 · 
Ali Mahmoud