Statecraft Reimagined 2025:

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Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Middle East Forum Online
As Iran War Enters 6th Week, Escalation Looks the Most Likely Scenario
The U.S.-Israeli Campaign Against Iran Reached Its Five-Week Mark on Saturday, with No Clear Mechanism to End the Conflict in Sight
April 6, 2026
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Lazar Berman
In this file photo, an oil tanker is anchored in the Persian Gulf near the waterfront of Chabahar, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran Believes It Can Leverage Hormuz to Shape a Ceasefire
Alternative Routes Could Take Years to Negotiate and Construct, so the Global Energy System Remains Tied to the Strait
April 6, 2026
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Mardo Soghom
While the firing of Carrie Prejean Boller (right) from the White House Advisory Board on Religious Freedom over her hostility toward Israel generated substantial controversy in the mainstream press, Sameerah Munshi's resignation elicited praise from the Islamist community. Munshi (center), who has appeared on podcasts organized by the Yaqeen Intitute, an Islamist organization led by Omar Suleiman, is part of a larger effort to attract support for Islamism amongst Evangelical Protestants in the United States.
FWI Research
Meet Islamist Activist Sameerah Munshi
Invokes Social Conservatism to Attract Evangelical Supporters
April 6, 2026
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Noah Sandler
President Donald Trump in the White House East Room.
Middle East Forum Observer
Precise Language Matters When Targeting Iran
Inconsistent Messaging Signals Strategic Drift, Emboldening Hardliners in Tehran Who Argue the U.S. Lacks Staying Power
April 6, 2026
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Mehrdad Marty Youssefiani
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf in a 2021 file photo.
Middle East Forum Observer
Trump May See Ghalibaf as Iran’s Delcy Rodriguez, but Does He Have a Path to Power?
Both on Policy and Intelligence Levels, the U.S. Government’s Knowledge of Iran Pales in Comparison to That of Venezuela
April 6, 2026
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Shay Khatiri
Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the former Spanish vice president of the European Parliament, in a 2013 photo.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran’s Mafia Hit Squads and Tehran’s Hybrid War on the West’s Streets
The Islamic Republic Has Cultivated a Criminal Network to Carry Out Terror Attacks That the West Does Nothing to Stop
April 6, 2026
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Jose Lev Alvarez Gomez
President Trump this week issued a direct threat: “Cut off all trade with Spain” and “we don’t want anything to do with Spain” after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (above) refused U.S. access to the Rota and Morón air bases for current Iran operations.
Middle East Forum Online
The Spanish Sabotage: How NATO’s Weakest Link Endangers the War Effort
Madrid Has Transitioned from a Passive Free-Rider to an Active Obstructionist
April 5, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Libya now sits on the edge of the Mediterranean with enough crude to matter to European refineries and global markets. Yet its output remains hostage to militia calculus rather than market signals.
Middle East Forum Online
Libya’s Oil Trap: 81 Percent Recovery of Production Yet Militias Persist 15 Years After NATO
Libya’s Oil Output Remains Hostage to Militia Calculus Rather than Market Signal
April 5, 2026
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Amine Ayoub
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, in a 2019 file photo.
Middle East Forum Observer
Is Zarif’s Peace Plan a Real Alternative or Political Maneuver?
Some Iranian Observers Interpret the Proposal as an Attempt by the Reformist Camp to Reassert Its Political Relevance
April 5, 2026
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Mardo Soghom
Two Muslim mullahs confer on a street in Qom, Iran, in December 2024.
Middle East Forum Observer
How Khums Challenges State Sovereignty and Creates Its Own
The Shi’i Religious Tax Operates Outside Monitoring Frameworks, Relying on Trust Rather than Formal Accountability
April 5, 2026
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Mohammad Taha Ali