Middle East

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Dome of the rock and wailing wall in Jerusalem, Israel

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with the German chancellor at the Chancellery in Berlin on April 14, 2026. (Getty Images)

Commentary

A Blueprint for Ambitious Ukraine-Gulf Ties

Luke Coffey

Senior Fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia

Luke Coffey

Commentary

Apr 20, 2026

Commentary

5 Min Read

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft flies above a U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft during Operation Epic Fury in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility April 5, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)

A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker during Operation Epic Fury on April 5, 2026. (US Air Force)

In the Media

“Total Capitulation”: How Operation Epic Fury is Forcing Iran to Surrender

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

In the Media

Apr 20, 2026

In the Media

(Screenshot via CBC)

In the Media

Developments in the Strait of Hormuz

Bryan Clark

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

Bryan Clark

In the Media

Apr 20, 2026

In the Media

Pope Leo XIV is pictured inside the Church of Our lady of Muxima, during his apostolic journey in Africa, in Muxima, Angola, on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Guglielmo Mangiapane / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Leo XIV inside the Church of Our Lady of Muxima on April 19, 2026. (Getty Images)

Commentary

Behind the Feud Behind Trump and Leo XIV

Walter Russell Mead

Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship

Walter Russell Mead

Commentary

Apr 20, 2026

Commentary

1 Min Read

hinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People on April 15, 2026 in Beijing, China. Lavrov is on a two-day visit in China to discuss the current war situation in both Ukraine and in the Middle East, alongside bilateral relations. (Photo by Iori Sagisawa - Pool/Getty Images)

Chinese president Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting in the Great Hall of the People on April 15, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

Commentary

Epic Fury Just Sent China’s Xi Jinping an Unmistakable Message

Zineb Riboua

Research Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Zineb Riboua

Commentary

Apr 20, 2026

Commentary

4 Min Read

(Screenshot via YouTube)

In the Media

Did the US Misjudge Iran? What This War Reveals.

Bryan Clark

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

Bryan Clark

In the Media

Apr 19, 2026

In the Media

On March 14, 2026, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, United States and Republic of Korea Army engineering battalions take part in a river crossing drill near the DMZ in Yeoncheon, South Korea. The South Korean and U.S. militaries stage joint river-crossing drills in the border county of Yeoncheon as part of their annual key springtime exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability between the allies. (Photo by Seung-il Ryu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

US and Korean forces take part in a river crossing drill near the DMZ in Yeoncheon, South Korea, March 14, 2026. (Getty Images)

Podcast

Energy Crisis, China’s Narrative Warfare, and Indo-Pacific Security

Patrick M. Cronin

Asia-Pacific Security Chair

Patrick M. Cronin

Podcast

Apr 19, 2026

Podcast

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts U.S. blockade operations in the Arabian Sea, April 16. The ship's embarked carrier air wing includes eight F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 fighter jets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D command and control planes, MH-60 helicopters and CMV-22B Ospreys for logistics support. (U.S. Navy photo)

USS Abraham Lincoln conducts US blockade operations in the Arabian Sea, April 16, 2026. (US Navy)

In the Media

US Blockade in Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s “Paper Tiger” Moment?

Joel Rayburn

Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Joel Rayburn

In the Media

Apr 17, 2026

In the Media

(Screenshot via YouTube)

In the Media

Oil Is the New Weapon

Brigham A. McCown

Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative on American Energy Security

Brigham A. McCown

In the Media

Apr 16, 2026

In the Media

(Screenshot via CBS)

In the Media

Where Trump’s Goals in Iran Stand at This Point

Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Michael Doran

In the Media

Apr 16, 2026

In the Media

Bulk Carrier, Belray, in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026 in northern Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. In a statement yesterday, the UAE and nearly two dozen other countries issued a joint statement condemning Iran's "attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces." Maritime traffic through the strait, which conveys about 20% of the

A bulk carrier near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026, in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. (Getty Images)

Commentary

Trump Launches a Blockade of Iranian Ports

Michael Sobolik

Senior Fellow (Nonresident)

Michael Sobolik

Commentary

Apr 14, 2026

Commentary

1 Min Read

(Screenshot via Fox Business)

In the Media

Open Hand Diplomacy and the Blockade in Iran

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

In the Media

Apr 14, 2026

In the Media

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