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

Two men sit facing away, looking out toward two ships docked in the water.

The Strait of Hormuz: A U.S.-Iran Maritime Flash Point

July 15, 2026

By Mariel Ferragamo

People attend a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026.

Expert Take

The U.S.-Iran Ceasefire May Be Over, But It Is Clear What the Regime Wants

July 14, 2026

By Ray Takeyh

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media at the end of his participation in the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026.

Expert Take

Trump’s Iran Deal Has Collapsed, Leaving the U.S. With Few Good Options

July 13, 2026

By Max Boot

People walk near farmland by the Zubair oil field as gas flares rise in the distance, in Zubair Mishrif, Basra, Iraq, amid regional tensions following the recent disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran on March 9, 2026.

Expert Take

Not So Strait-Forward: Hormuz, Iran, and the Future of Gulf Oil and Gas Flows

July 9, 2026

By Clara Gillispie

A view of commercial cargo vessels and crude oil tankers are anchored in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Muscat, Oman, on June 21, 2026, as they prepare to transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Expert Take

The Strait of Hormuz Already Faces a Tough Recovery. Now Trump’s Iran Deal Is Unraveling.

July 8, 2026

By Edward Fishman, Clara Gillispie, Elisa Ewers, Max Boot and Sam Vigersky

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 23, 2026.

Expert Take

Trump’s Iran Food Deal Could End Up Helping the Regime, Not Its People

June 29, 2026

By Sam Vigersky

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shakes hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif next to Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir prior to a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.

Expert Take

The Iran Deal Comes at a Cost to Israel. The White House Hasn’t Acknowledged It.

June 26, 2026

By Elliott Abrams

Riders with vehicles queue to fill up fuel at a gas station amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 26, 2026.

Expert Take

The Iran War Turned Asia’s Fragile Energy Dependence Into an Emergency

June 23, 2026

By Joshua Kurlantzick

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

Expert Take

The True Cost of Trump’s Iran War

June 19, 2026

By Max Boot

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media upon arrival at Paris Orly airport, following the G7 Summit, in Orly, France, on June 17, 2026.

Expert Take

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

People drive past an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, on May 17, 2026.

Trump’s Iran Deal: What We Know So Far

June 17, 2026

By Phil McCausland and Mariel Ferragamo

.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16, 2026.

Expert Take

The G7’s Alignment on Iran and Ukraine Is Deeply Fragile

June 17, 2026

By Liana Fix

<p>Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 18, 2026. </p>

Expert Take

The Limitations of Hard Power in Iran

June 12, 2026

By Michael Froman

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Trump Walks Back Threat to Strike a Critical Iranian Oil Hub

June 11, 2026

By Will Merrow, Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy

Somali soccer fans sit in a stadium, holding photos of referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but was refused entry to the United States.

FIFA Promised a World Cup Economic Boom, But U.S. Stands May Be Emptier Than Usual

June 11, 2026

By Mariel Ferragamo

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

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

Israeli artillery units and military vehicles in formation on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border in northern Israel

Meeting

Military Analysis of the War With Iran

April 29, 2026

Video and Podcasts

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

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 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

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

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

ApplePodcasts-Website_3000x3000_1b9fef

54:37Podcast

Iran War Spirals + Oil Shocks Keep Coming + China’s Advantage

March 17, 2026

Iran Experts at The Council

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Ray Takeyh

Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

Elisa Ewers

Elisa Ewers

Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

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Steven A. Cook

Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies

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

54 results

Meeting
The Spillover: Live Podcast Taping With William Dudley
April 16, 2026
Expert Take
How the Iran War Confirmed, Contradicted, and Complicated U.S. Policy
April 15, 2026
By Elisa Ewers and Ariane Tabatabai
Meeting
A Conversation With President Masato Kanda of the Asian Development Bank
April 15, 2026
32:28Podcast
What Comes Next After Failed U.S.-Iran Talks, With Elliott Abrams
April 13, 2026
Expert Take
Coercing Iran: Why Trump’s Hormuz Blockade Has a Short Fuse
April 14, 2026
By Max Boot
United States Blockades Strait of Hormuz After U.S.-Iran Talks
April 13, 2026