Iran War: Analysis and Updates

The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran is reshaping the Middle East and beyond. CFR is tracking the conflict with expert analysis, in-depth explainers, and timely briefings on the conflict’s military dimensions, regional fallout, and global implications.

Latest News & Analysis

<p>Bartow County Elections Supervisor Joseph Kirk demonstrates how to use a new voting machine ahead of the 2026 midterms in Cartersville, Georgia, September 2, 2026.</p>

Are the U.S. Midterms Vulnerable to Foreign Meddling?

October 7, 2026

By James M. Lindsay

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman on October 2, 2026.

Expert Take

More Oil, Same War: Why Increased Exports Aren’t a Sign of Iran’s Imminent Defeat

October 5, 2026

By Max Boot

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, shouts slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026.

Expert Take

Here's What the Houthi–Saudi Arabia Conflict Means for the United States

September 22, 2026

By Steven A. Cook

<p>A C-17 Globemaster carrying Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe lands near Riga, Latvia, August 25, 2026.</p>

Expert Take

Making Sense of John Ratcliffe’s Trip to Moscow

September 2, 2026

By James M. Lindsay

People cross a street past a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading "Forever in Iran's Hand", at Vanak Square in Tehran on May 25, 2026. I

Expert Take

Crude Calculations: Why the Iran War Hasn’t Yet Caused an Oil Shock

August 28, 2026

By Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran

<p>A portrait of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening salvo of the Iran war on February 28, is seen hanging on the wall of a destroyed building in Haret Hreik, Lebanon, on March 15, 2026.</p>

Expert Take

The Iran War at Six Months: A Region—and Its Relationship With the U.S.—Transformed

August 27, 2026

By Steven A. Cook, Farah Pandith, Henri J. Barkey, Elliott Abrams, Bruce Hoffman, Ed Husain and Elisa Ewers

Iranian women look at a building, which was damaged in a U.S. and Israeli strike in March, in Tehran, Iran, August 22, 2026.

Expert Take

Six Months Into the Iran War, the United States Has No Good Options

August 26, 2026

By James M. Lindsay

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Type 88 surface-to-ship missile launcher fires during the Joint Task Force (JTF) Maritime Strike, part of Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines, at Culili Point Sand Dunes, Paoay, Ilocos Norte province, Philippines, on May 6, 2026.

Expert Take

How to Reshape U.S. Defense Production to Counter China

August 24, 2026

By Michael C. Horowitz

<p><i>Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq in Washington, DC, 1951.</i></p>

The 1953 Overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq

August 19, 2026

By James M. Lindsay

US President Donald Trump flashes a thumbs up while stepping off Air Force One upon arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 31, 2026.

Expert Take

Trump’s Iran Negotiations: Less Art of the Deal, More Art of Concealing Defeat

August 11, 2026

By Elliott Abrams

<p>Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 31, 2026. </p>

Expert Take

Will Iran Turn Into a Forever War?

July 31, 2026

By Ray Takeyh

<p>Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud speaks during the sixty-ninth annual International Atomic Energy Agency general conference in Vienna, Austria, on September 15, 2025.</p>

Expert Take

The Saudi Nuclear Deal Would Set a Dangerous New Proliferation Precedent

July 28, 2026

By Erin D. Dumbacher

<p>U.S. Navy sailors prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury. March 4, 2026.</p>

Expert Take

How Does the Iran War End?

July 24, 2026

By Michael Froman

<p>U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pose for a picture at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2025.</p>

Expert Take

The U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Set Off Tremors. Is It Still Alive?

July 23, 2026

By Steven A. Cook

A U.S. Air Force boom operator performs a pre-flight inspection of a KC-135 Stratotanker at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on May 27, 2026.

Expert Take

To Base or Not to Base: The Iran War Exposes Flaws of U.S. Basing in the Middle East

July 21, 2026

By Elliott Abrams

Vehicles drive past a giant billboard reading 'The Strait of Hormuz remains closed' at the Revolution Square in Tehran on April 28, 2026. — Atta Kenare/Getty Images

The True Cost of Trump’s Iran War

By Max Boot

June 19, 2026

The Iran Deal Comes at a Cost to Israel. The White House Hasn’t Acknowledged It.
June 26, 2026
By Elliott Abrams
The Iran Deal Reopens the Strait. Much Remains to Be Done.
June 18, 2026
By Michael Froman, Ray Takeyh, Elliott Abrams, Elisa Ewers and Steven A. Cook
The Limitations of Hard Power in Iran
June 12, 2026
By Michael Froman
Trump Walks Back Threat to Strike a Critical Iranian Oil Hub
June 11, 2026
By Will Merrow, Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy

How AI is being used in the Iran war

Events

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman

Meeting

How Will the Iran War End?

September 8, 2026

Remains of ballistic missile.

Meeting

AI, Drones, and the Iran War

June 9, 2026

A drone view shows the Manzanillo seaport in Manzanillo, Mexico

Meeting

How the Iran War is Remaking the Global Economy

June 3, 2026

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam

Meeting

Iran, Conflict, and Economic Aftershocks

May 20, 2026

EU leaders discuss Iran crisis and Middle East with regional partners in Cyprus

Meeting

Europe's Response to the Iran War

May 5, 2026

An explosion of what appears to be white phosphorus after an Israeli army attack in South Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border

Meeting

Lebanon: Military Strikes, Negotiations, and Where it Goes From Here

May 4, 2026

Video and Podcasts

People walk past a banner with pictures of the late leaders of the Islamic Republic on a street in Tehran, Iran on June 9, 2026.

34:45Podcast

Six Months of War With Iran, With Steven Cook

August 25, 2026

The President’s Inbox

People attend a funeral ceremony for the Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organisation, who was killed in strikes according to Iranian and Israeli statements, in Tehran, Iran on April 8, 2026.

32:28Podcast

What Comes Next After Failed U.S.-Iran Talks, With Elliott Abrams

April 13, 2026

The President’s Inbox

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shake hands during a press conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia on April 18, 2025.

35:03Podcast

Russia’s Stakes in the Iran War, With Thomas Graham

April 7, 2026

The President’s Inbox

The Dubai skyline is pictured as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport on March 16, 2026.

38:01Podcast

Gulf States Under Fire, With Mina Al-Oraibi

March 31, 2026

The President’s Inbox

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose for a photo during a NATO leaders summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025.

38:09Podcast

Why Allies Aren’t Following on Iran, With Kristi Govella and Constanze Stelzenmüller

March 24, 2026

The President’s Inbox

An F/A-18F Super Hornet prepares to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury, February 28, 2026.

33:48Podcast

The Strategy Gap in Iran, With Max Boot

March 17, 2026

The President’s Inbox

Iran Experts at The Council

0070_Ray Takeyh Reshoot-005

Ray Takeyh

Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

Elisa Ewers

Elisa Ewers

Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

0022_Steven-Cook-037 copy

Steven A. Cook

Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Director of the Middle East Program

0009_Elliott Abrams-077

Elliott Abrams

Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies

0016_Linda Robinson-042 copy

Linda Robinson

Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy

Portrait image of Stephen Biddle

Stephen Biddle

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy

0064_Ed Husain-022

Ed Husain

Senior Fellow

Henri Barkey

Henri J. Barkey

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

74 results

Another Hormuz? What to Know About the Houthi Threat to the Red Sea
October 8, 2026
By Diana Roy
48:01Podcast
What We Got Right (and Wrong) This Year
October 6, 2026
The Spillover
Expert Take
At October 7 Anniversary, Israelis Face an Election and an Unfinished Reckoning
October 7, 2026
By Elliott Abrams
Expert Take
The Import Cut Beijing Did Not Order
October 6, 2026
By Zongyuan Zoe Liu
Expert Take
More Oil, Same War: Why Increased Exports Aren’t a Sign of Iran’s Imminent Defeat
October 5, 2026
By Max Boot
Expert Take
What Questions Should Leaders Ask Before Going to War?
September 30, 2026
By James M. Lindsay
36:05Podcast
The Seven Questions Every Military Strategist Must Ask
September 29, 2026
The President’s Inbox
Expert Take
Ten Issues to Watch at the Trump-Xi Summit in Washington
September 22, 2026
By Rush Doshi
Meeting
How Will the Iran War End?
September 8, 2026
Expert Take
Making Sense of John Ratcliffe’s Trip to Moscow
September 2, 2026
By James M. Lindsay
Expert Take
Crude Calculations: Why the Iran War Hasn’t Yet Caused an Oil Shock
August 28, 2026
By Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran
Expert Take
The Iran War at Six Months: A Region—and Its Relationship With the U.S.—Transformed
August 27, 2026
By Steven A. Cook, Farah Pandith, Henri J. Barkey, Elliott Abrams, Bruce Hoffman, Ed Husain and Elisa Ewers
Expert Take
Six Months Into the Iran War, the United States Has No Good Options
August 26, 2026
By James M. Lindsay
34:45Podcast
Six Months of War With Iran, With Steven Cook
August 25, 2026
The President’s Inbox
Expert Take
The U.S. Munitions Crisis
August 19, 2026
By James M. Lindsay
Podcast
China Is Quietly Winning the Iran War Energy Crisis
August 11, 2026
The Spillover
Expert Take
Trump’s Iran Negotiations: Less Art of the Deal, More Art of Concealing Defeat
August 11, 2026
By Elliott Abrams
Expert Take
Will Iran Turn Into a Forever War?
July 31, 2026
By Ray Takeyh
Expert Take
How Does the Iran War End?
July 24, 2026
By Michael Froman
Expert Take
Why China Isn’t Pushing Its Cleantech Advantage in the Hormuz Crisis
July 23, 2026
By David M. Hart
Expert Take
To Base or Not to Base: The Iran War Exposes Flaws of U.S. Basing in the Middle East
July 21, 2026
By Elliott Abrams
Expert Take
The U.S.-Iran Ceasefire May Be Over, But It Is Clear What the Regime Wants
July 14, 2026
By Ray Takeyh
Expert Take
Trump’s Iran Deal Has Collapsed, Leaving the U.S. With Few Good Options
July 13, 2026
By Max Boot
Expert Take
Not So Strait-Forward: Hormuz, Iran, and the Future of Gulf Oil and Gas Flows
July 9, 2026
By Clara Gillispie