March, 2026

• 22 March

  Larijani, the Basij, and the Narrowing Path to Negotiation

  

  Last night, Israeli officials announced that Ali Larijani — head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council — and Gholamreza Soleimani — head of Iran’s Basij militia — were killed in separate overnight strikes.With strikes targeting the Basij and its leaders, the regime faces the prospect of the Persian New Year …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Possible Implications if the Houthis Enter the War

  

  Bottom Line Up Front Should the Houthis in Yemen enter the war, they could serve as a force multiplier for Tehran by further depleting U.S. and Israeli air and missile defenses and diverting combat missions from Iran to sites in Yemen. The Houthis would likely target oil tankers in the …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Misplaced Assumptions Have Plagued U.S. War Efforts Against Iran

  

  Bottom Line Up Front There are myriad assumptions by the Trump administration that have proven faulty thus far and have contributed to the devastation wrought by this conflict to date. In addition to misplaced assumptions, Washington’s strategic communications have hampered the military campaign. Tehran recognizes that it will not be …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Trump’s oil sanctions pause is a gift to Russia

  

  The Trump administration’s decision this week to suspend sanctions on Russian oil at sea should be seen in uncomplicated terms for what it is: a disaster. While it has had little discernible impact on the price of oil on the international market, it will damage the efficacy of Russian sanctions …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Cyprus and the expanding Iran conflict, when geography becomes exposure

  

  The Eastern Mediterranean rarely remains insulated from turbulence in the Middle East. Yet, the events of early March 2026 marked an unusual escalation: a drone strike targeting the British air base at RAF Akrotiri, on the southern coast of Cyprus, brought the island directly into the operational environment of the …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Keeping Iran’s Proxies on their Back Feet

  

  The day after the Hamas-led campaign of terror on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began launching near daily rocket attacks targeting Israel. A year later, Israeli forces finally took the fight to the Shi’ite militia in Lebanon, and on September 27, 2024, a targeted Israeli airstrike on an underground Hezbollah command …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis

  

  The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments against Iran and its partners while acknowledging the conflict’s local economic consequences. Had the Iran war occurred …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Can Hezbollah Be Dismantled?

  Renewed warfare with Israel aside, Hezbollah will not be permanently undone unless one of two scenarios occurs: regime change in Iran, or the complete dismantlement of the group’s domestic financial system and political power. If the previous wars between Israel and Hezbollah had taught us anything, it’s that Hezbollah cannot …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Slain Iranian Official’s Sons Hold $29M in Dubai Property Using Assumed Names

  

  A sanctioned Iranian oil magnate and his brother have used aliases and Caribbean “golden passports” to amass a $29 million luxury real estate portfolio in Dubai, property records show. Hossein Shamkhani and his brother, Abolfazl, are the sons of Ali Shamkhani, a political adviser to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah …

  Read More »
• 22 March

  Pay Iran Or Pay Sky-High Insurance? How Tehran’s Hormuz Toll Plan Could End The Era Of Free Oceans – Explained

  

  Iran plans Hormuz transit fees amid war tensions, signalling a major shift from military conflict to economic control over global trade routes. The global attention around the world has largely focused on military developments as tensions escalate following Israel’s strikes on Iranian-linked facilities near the South Pars gas field. The …

  Read More »