Israeli Policymakers View the Current Moment as a ‘Window of Opportunity’ with Lebanon, Albeit a Constrained One
Nuclear Infrastructure Would Depend Less on Contested Offshore Resources and Be Less Exposed to Geopolitical Friction at Sea
Disputes Between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region May Limit Demand for Northern Iraqi Crude
A New Damascus Decree Restricts Alcohol Sales to Historic Christian Districts and Signals Islamist Administrative Priorities.
Israel’s Ability to Locate the Most Important Figure in the Regime Evinces How Deeply Its Intelligence Has Penetrated the Islamic Republic
The Destruction of the Country Is neither Decisive nor Important to the Regime
Well Before the Current Conflict with Iran, the Gulf Capitals Drew the Rational Conclusion That the Relevant Competition Is Now Among the Gulf States Themselves
Charity Complains of Unfair Coverage
The Media Is Obsessing over Price Volatility in the Oil Markets as Iran Fans the Flames of Panic
Cairo’s Regional Security No Longer Depends on Gulf Symbolism but on Eastern Mediterranean Energy Alignment
Iran’s Kurdish Armed Groups Remain Too Fragmented, Cautious and Constrained to Shape the War’s Outcome.
Behind Official Merger Language, Kobani Still Operates Under Kurdish Security Control
Iran’s Proxy Strategy Has Expanded Beyond the Levant and Now Threatens North Africa’s Strategic Balance
Sustained Strikes and the Removal of Senior Islamic Republic Figures Raise Questions About the Regime’s Durability
The Sánchez Regime Has Made Hostility to Jerusalem Its Policy and Israel Should Impose Consequences
Spotlight on War with Iran
The ceasefire still technically exists but negotiations seem stalled if not dead in the water. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz got its first bump as two US-flagged vessels transited on May 3, 2026. President Trump says more will follow.
But Iran has fired on several other civilian tankers and it does not appear likely the war will end without some reignition of hostilities. The blockade has taken a heavy toll on Iran’s economy. The lack of oil revenue paired with the dwindling storage space for oil they pump seems the most potent leverage for any deal. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
But Iran has fired on several other civilian tankers and it does not appear likely the war will end without some reignition of hostilities. The blockade has taken a heavy toll on Iran’s economy. The lack of oil revenue paired with the dwindling storage space for oil they pump seems the most potent leverage for any deal. MEF fellows and experts weigh in on all of this.
As unrest spreads across Iran, the regime and the opposition both face narrowing choices.
The Strait’s Closure Disrupts the Flow of More than 20 Percent of the World’s Oil and Gas Supplies
The Choice Facing the U.S. Is to Intensify and Escalate the Pressure, or to Accept a Face-Saving Deal Likely to Leave the Regime’s Regional Project Intact
Iran’s Energy Weakness Could Become Its Strategic Breaking Point
The Lebanese Government Will Not Risk Pushing Hezbollah Into Using Violence Against It by Trying to Disarm It
Spotlight on Oil and Energy
The kinetic action has mostly stopped but the maneuvering for power, which means energy, in the region has gotten even more heated. The oil and natural gas from the Middle East constitutes 25% of the world’s energy supply.
The UAE has left OPEC and may be in a position to increase that percentage and also ease the current supply shortage. The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandeb Strait have historically been chokepoints. But pipelines are making threats to those less powerful. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
The UAE has left OPEC and may be in a position to increase that percentage and also ease the current supply shortage. The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandeb Strait have historically been chokepoints. But pipelines are making threats to those less powerful. These issues and more are getting the attention of Middle East Forum authors.
Bitter About Being Caught off Guard by the U.S. Attack on Iran and the End of Its Mediator Role, Oman Now Chooses Iran’s Side
The Most Significant Implication May Be What It Reveals About the Broader Collapse of the Gulf Hedging Architecture
Iranian Authorities Continue to Project Defiance but the Economy Appears to Have Limited Remaining Resilience
The Pipeline Would Cost Billions of Dollars, Take Years to Build, and Would Cross Multiple Jurisdictions, Not All of Them Reliable
The Decision Sends a Signal That National Priorities Now Outweigh Collective Discipline
Recovery Will Not Be Simply a Return to the Old Model, Now That Gulf States Are Diversifying Their Energy and Economies
Middle East Quarterly - Current Issue
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, MEQ is the Middle East Forum’s journal intended for both scholars and the educated public. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists write for and read the Quarterly, which is known for exclusive interviews, in-depth historical articles, and book reviews on subjects ranging from archaeology to politics and on countries from Morocco to Iran.
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
Spring 2026 Volume 33: Number 2
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MEF Chief Editor discusses the end of the Assad regime and how the actions of Russia, Iran and Turkey will affect the outcome with FOX News. -
Plans to Shut Down Islamist Activity in America -
MEF Chief Editor Jim Hanson discusses with FOX News what led to the signing of the ceasefire and what the likely effects will be for Israel, Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran. -
MEF Chief Editor Jim Hanson discusses the implications with FOX News
Middle East Forum Observer
Founded in 2024, the Observer provides rapid analysis on leading Middle East developments, from Marrakech to Mashhad and the Bab el-Mandeb to the Black Sea.
Launched in 2006, Islamist Watch is a project of the Middle East Forum. We work to combat the ideas and institutions of lawful Islamism in the United States and throughout the West. Arguing that “radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution,” we seek to expose the Islamist organizations that currently dominate the debate, while identifying and promoting the work of moderate Muslims.
CAMPUS WATCH, a project of the Middle East Forum, reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them. The project mainly addresses five problems: analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students. Campus Watch fully respects the freedom of speech of those it debates while insisting on its own freedom to comment on their words and deeds.
Antisemitism
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The Conversation Surrounding Foreign Influence in Education Must Shift From Passive Concern to Active Resistance Before It Is Too Late. -
The ICRC’s Willingness to Sacrifice Its Mission Upon Its Antipathy Toward Jews Is Not a One-Time Occurrence -
U.N. Reports Involving Israel Are Notorious; U.N. Rapporteurs Engage in Base Antisemitism -
Marwan Barghout Is Serving Five Life Sentences, but 20 French Cities Have Granted the Arch-Terrorist Honorary Citizenship
Gaza
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Italy and Spain Should Direct Their Warships to Halt Escort Operations Inside Israel’s Territorial Sea -
Israel Is on the Cusp of Comprehensively Defeating Hamas, and It Must Gain Control of Gaza That Lasts Indefinitely -
The Flotilla to Gaza Is Designed to Create a Media Spectacle, Not to Deliver Aid
