Washington Institute

"President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States no longer believes it needs a military presence in Iraq, arguing Iran has been weakened enough for Baghdad to stand on its own as the U.S.-led coalition mission approaches its planned Sept. 30 conclusion" foxnews.com/politics/trump…

1/2 All the details on the latest attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman are now on our map that tracks maritime attacks in the Middle East since 2017: Stolt Magnesium (IMO 9739317), Mombasa B (IMO 9739501), and Al Bahya (IMO 9937799). Link: washingtoninstitute.org/menamaritime/ (Use on a computer monitor; not yet adapted for phone screens.) We have been tracking how the maritime domain is used as a theater of operations by state and non-state actors for several years now. All the data is on the map. I created this short video to show how you can search for specific vessels, such as the ones attacked July 13. #Shipping #OOTT #IranWar @WashInstitute

"Considering the hard-won victories against IS and the need to prevent this progress from eroding," Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s Washington visit should be used "as an opportunity to address this persistent threat and shape the next phase of the counter-IS fight," write @DevorahMargolin and Gabriel Wein. washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysi…

Iraq's prime minister Ali al-Zaidi is visiting Washington this week. The trip is "an opportunity for al-Zaidi to review his agenda and for Trump to articulate what he envisions as the 'new chapter' in US-Iraq relations," writes @davidschenker1 in @TheNatlInterest. nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-ea…

Last week, @dstroul told @nytimes that recent U.S. strikes showed that “Iran’s civilian infrastructure is vulnerable, and if Tehran continues to escalate, the U.S. military is capable, and willing, of targeting bridges and railways.” nytimes.com/2026/07/10/us/…

The Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran was vague “to cause confusion and concern, and for each of the parties to take away whatever they wanted from it,” @LizyDent told @MSNOWNews. ms.now/weekends-with-…

Last week, @AmbDennisRoss spoke with @NPR's Michel Martin about the state of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire after the latest round of attacks. Listen to the full interview: npr.org/2026/07/09/nx-…

.@azelin was quoted in a @nytimes article about how terror groups are using AI. nytimes.com/2026/07/10/us/…

“Abbas feels that by running these elections, there will be an image of reform,” @GhAlOmari told @nytimes about the decree calling on Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem to participate in parliamentary elections this November. “But there’s a lot of skepticism, because we’ve seen this movie before.” nytimes.com/2026/07/09/wor…

Australian Islamic State-linked woman was enforcer of Sharia law in Syrian camp, ABC told "She is the last known Australian IS-linked woman in Syria and was issued with a temporary exclusion order in February, barring her from returning to Australia" abc.net.au/news/2026-07-1…

This week, Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will visit Washington. Zaidi’s trip is a vital opportunity to make sure Baghdad has the assistance it needs to keep IS from resurging at a time of great turbulence, write @DevorahMargolin and Gabriel Wein. washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysi…

Amid all the attention on the Iran war, an important political drama is unfolding inside Likud. With elections scheduled for October 27 and recent polls showing Likud trailing former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's party, PM Netanyahu is pushing for a major shake-up. He is urging many current Likud MKs to step aside before next month's primary and wants the authority to appoint as many as eight candidates to the party's slate to broaden its public appeal. The catch: before the Knesset recesses later this week, Netanyahu still needs many of those same MKs to vote for very controversial legislation aimed at placating the ultra-Orthodox. If they conclude they are about to be pushed aside, one cannot rule out they could torpedo the legislation on their way out the door.

Whenever the U.S. and Iran return to the negotiating table, it is "highly unlikely that Iran will agree to any restrictions on support for its proxies and partners,” writes Michael Jacobson in @TimesofIsrael. washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysi…

Our current military strikes will produce very little against Iran. If they are meant to show the Iranians the cost of attacks again at ships, they will fail. Iran’s leaders think they gain more from their attacks since they show control of the Straits.

Told the @WSJ: "Both the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran think they won this war... [Tehran is] going for brinkmanship because they seem to be operating from the perspective that they’ve got the upper hand." wsj.com/world/middle-e…

After a very long process, Syria's Parliament is seated for the first time during the transition

Senator Lindsey Graham's foreign policy legacy is extensive. Many have rightly highlighted his ability to work across the aisle in pursuit of U.S. interests. As tributes pour in, one important part of his record may receive less attention: in 2023 and 2024, Graham made many quiet trips to Saudi Arabia to meet with Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), working with the Biden administration and Israel to advance a Saudi-Israel normalization agreement. Ask anyone in the Biden administration—they know how deeply engaged he was. It reflected his conviction that Washington, Jerusalem, and Riyadh could work together to advance the interests of both Americans and the people of the Middle East. In these polarizing times, it is critical that someone to pick up the Graham mantle a be a bipartisan foreign policy bridge at home to assist the US abroad on issues of vital concern.

More details on the network that was involved in the twin IEDs during Macron’s visit

It was a pleasure joining Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Kellogg, Matt Tavares and Christian Caryl to discuss how the #Iran war is reshaping #Russia's role in the #MiddleEast. We also drew on our recent research examining #Moscow's longer-term regional strategy after #Ukraine. Watch here: washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysi… @WashInstitute @generalkellogg @UbiquityMatt @ccaryl