Shay Khatiri

Articles by this Author
A woman walks on the cracked, salty surface of a dried-up lake in Varzaneh, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Could Iran’s Water Shortage Fracture the Regime’s Hardline Base?
As Deprivation Grows, Iranians Realize the Regime’s Poor Stewardship and Corruption Are More to Blame than Drought
July 29, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
President Donald Trump in the White House East Room.
Middle East Forum Observer
Don’t Let Ceasefire Get in the Way of Peace
Trump and Netanyahu Should Support the Iranian People in Their Potential Revolution to Overthrow the Regime
June 24, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Reza Pahlavi, crown prince of Iran, in 2023.
Middle East Forum Observer
Yes, Reza Pahlavi Must Overhaul His Organization and Move to the Region
Pahlavi Has Not Expanded His Support Base Because His Followers Do Not Hear His Message of Unity and Liberalism
June 23, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
A Shi'ite mosque in Qom, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will the Islamic Republic Use Muharram to Whip up Fervor?
Rather than Accepting Responsibility for the Disaster He Has Wrought, Khamenei Will Equate Himself to the Greatest Shi’ite Martyr
June 21, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Iran's Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility is located about 20 miles north of Qom.
Middle East Forum Observer
The Bombing of Fordow Must Be Filmed
Nothing Is More Convincing for People than Seeing Something with Their Own Eyes, Especially in a Totalitarian Society
June 20, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and U.S. President Donald Trump are shown on a smartphone screen.
Middle East Forum Observer
America Must Pick a Winner Among the Iranian Opposition
A Successful Policy of Regime Change Will Require Khamenei’s Surrender of Authority to a U.S.-Backed Successor
June 18, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
The Islamic Republic controls information flow within Iran and coming out of the country.
Middle East Forum Observer
Disconnecting the Internet Foreshadows Iran Using Its People as Human Shields
The Regime’s Monopoly over Information Flow Within Iran Also Prevents Iranians from Coordinating an Uprising
June 18, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
As Israeli airstrikes continue, Iranians are turning their wrath toward the Islamic Republic, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Observer
Israel’s Targeting of Police and Interior Ministry Show Real Goal Is Regime Change
Many Iranians Now Openly Chant ‘Death to Khamenei’ and Circulate Footage of Missile Strikes on Social Media Posts
June 16, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
A young woman wearing a hijab walks along a street in Tehran, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
A Murder in Tehran and the Potential for Renewed Unrest
Iranians Fed up with Crime Are Likely to Direct Their Anger Toward the Islamic Republic
June 11, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
A military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities must be coupled with a campaign to remove Iran’s nuclear scientists, either by encouraging defection or, alternatively, by assassination. Iran’s scientists need to face a choice: defect or die.
Middle East Forum Observer
Is It True That Iran’s Nuclear Knowledge Can’t Be Bombed Away? Does it Matter?
Iran’s Nuclear Knowledge Can Be Reversed
April 22, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Ahnaf Kalam
Middle East Forum Observer
There Should Be No Negotiations or Deal With Iran Absent Khamenei’s Signature
If He Is Sincere About a Nuclear Agreement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Will Agree and Ink the Text
April 8, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Young Iranian women in a park in Tehran, including one without a hijab.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iranian Youth Reject Maryam Rajavi’s and the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s Embrace of Mandatory Hijab
The Islamic Republic’s Young People Seek to Do Away with Traditionalism and Misogyny, Symbolized by the Turban and Hijab
April 2, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Azeri women in traditional Azerbaijani dress warm their hands above a springtime bonfire.
Middle East Forum Observer
Are Iran’s Azeris Really Separatists?
Most Azeris Living in Tehran and Other Cities Intermarry and Assimilate Into Mainstream Iranian Culture
March 31, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on an Iranian bank note.
Middle East Forum Observer
Will Europe Reopen Murder Investigations After Iranian Terrorist’s Confession?
A Former IRGC Minister Bragged About His Involvement in the Assassination of Several Shah-Era Iranian Officials in Europe
March 10, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Iranian missiles are displayed outside a military museum in Tehran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Impeachments and Resignations Suggest Iran May Be Readying a Mad Dash to a Nuclear Bomb
The Return of Trump to the White House Means That the Islamic Republic Now Prepares for the Return of ‘Maximum Pressure’
March 4, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Missile warheads are shown against the flag of Turkey.
Middle East Forum Observer
Can NATO Deter Turkish Nuclear Weapons Acquisition?
Turkey’s Nuclear Ambitions Fit with Its Resurgent Imperialism, and NATO Should Resolve This Problem While It Can
December 23, 2024
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Shay Khatiri
The national flags of Syria and Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Assad’s Ouster Strikes a Blow to Iran, Though Maybe Not a Fatal One
Since Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham Took over in Damascus, Iran Is Testing Whether It Can Retain Influence in Syria
December 11, 2024
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Shay Khatiri
An Iranian Jewish woman prays at the tomb of the heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther in Hamedan, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
How a Single Execution in Iran Signals Growing Danger for Iran’s Jewish Community
Countries That Value Human Rights and Liberalism Must Communicate the Cost of Persecuting Jews to Iran
December 9, 2024
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Shay Khatiri
Winfield Myers
Middle East Forum Observer
Don’t Assume Iran’s Retaliation Will Target Only Israel
Khamenei May Be Preparing His Audience for an Attack Against U.S. Forces
November 15, 2024
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Shay Khatiri
Ahnaf Kalam
Middle East Forum Observer
Israel Might Have Hit a Home Run Against Iran, but Chose to Bunt
Israel’s Strikes Have Entirely Dismantled Iran’s Air Defense but the Operation Prioritized Precision over Visibility
October 29, 2024
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Shay Khatiri
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