June 20, 2025 | 4:00PM Eastern Time

June 20, 2025 | Israel-Iran War Monitor

MEF Iran-Israel War Monitor - June 20, 2025
More from MEF
Iranian infrastructure on Greater Tunb reflects the role of Gulf islands as forward positions for monitoring and projecting control over maritime traffic.
Middle East Forum Online
The Fate of the Iran War Lies in the Strait of Hormuz
To the Region, It Will Be Clear That the Will of the U.S. Was Thwarted by Iranian Action
April 4, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
Israel’s temporary closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (above) to Cardinal Pizzaballa out of fear of Iranian attacks caused more noise and scandal than the Iranian missile that fell near the Sepulchre a few days earlier.
Middle East Forum Online
Christians, Mark My Words: After the Jews, Islamists Will Come for You
Only a Fool, an Ignoramus, or a Useful Idiot Could Suppose That the Current Wave of Hatred Against Israel and the West Will Stop with the Jews
April 4, 2026
 · 
Giulio Meotti
Police in the Italian city of Brescia, shown above, have expelled a Pakistani imam who promoted the practice of child marriage.
FWI News
Italy Deports Pakistani Imam Who Endorsed Marrying Nine-Year-Old Girls
Undercover Report Exposes Imam Offering Quranic Justification for Child Brides
April 4, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Cluster munition missiles destroyed in a war.
Middle East Forum Observer
Cluster Munitions and the Politics of Enforcement
The Use of Cluster Munitions Doesn’t Draw the Same Scrutiny When Israel or Israeli Civilians Are the Victims of Attacks
April 4, 2026
 · 
Aaron J. Shuster
Middle East Forum Online
Sisi’s High-Wire Act: Can Egypt Survive a Victorious Israel and a Weakened Iran?
Cairo Confronts Inflation, Energy Shocks, and a Shifting Middle East Order
April 3, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
Middle East Forum Online
Trump’s Iran Strategy Has a 170-Year-Old British Playbook
History Suggests Coastal Pressure and Limited War Could Force Tehran’s Hand
April 3, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer crew chief marshals a B-1 after returning from a CONUS-to-CONUS mission in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 4, 2026. The B-1B is a long-range, multi-role bomber that carries the largest payload of precision guided and unguided munitions in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Middle East Forum Online
Where Do We Go from Here? The Strategic Endgame of Operation Epic Fury
What Level of Iranian Degradation Is Sufficient to Produce a Settlement That Does Not Simply Reconstitute the Threat Within a Generation?
April 3, 2026
 · 
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
Europeans are masters of a well-practiced art of balance: denounce with emphasis whatever comes from Tel Aviv or Washington, and wrap Tehran in the reassuring mists of “dialogue" and “de-escalation." Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, April 7, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Break the Stalemate—or Iran Wins
The Demonstration of U.S. and Israeli Military Superiority Has Not Yet Produced a Positive, Victorious Outcome from the Israeli and American Point of View
April 3, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
A new Turkish decree expands formal controls over military and dual-use goods transiting the country amid sustained Western pressure.
Middle East Forum Online
Turkey’s New Iran Export Controls Face an Old Problem: Enforcement
Legal Reforms Follow U.S. Pressure, but Sanctions Evasion Track Record Remains
April 3, 2026
 · 
Abdullah Bozkurt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is shown in a 2015 file photo.
Middle East Forum Online
Cairo’s Plea to Trump Exposes Egypt’s Frailty and Imperils Regional Security
The Timing and Substance of President Sisi’s Intervention Reveal More About Cairo’s Internal Vulnerabilities than About Any Genuine Vision for Middle Eastern Order
April 3, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub