On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, striking multiple targets across the country after weeks of simmering tension and ongoing US-Iran negotiations ostensibly aimed at averting war. Iran responded immediately and forcefully, striking Israel and several US military bases in the region. This dramatic escalation comes against the backdrop of Hamas's attack on Israel in 2023, and Israel's subsequent war on Gaza, followed by a succession of unprecedented regional confrontations, including Hezbollah and Houthis, the fall of the Assad regime and a string of assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leadership and Iranian scientists and military leaders. This spotlight will cover all the developments related to the latest attack on Iran and the regional repercussions.

A New Regional Order in the Middle East

It feels like we are entering unchartered waters in the Middle East. If there were rules or norms that seemed to limit what actions state would take against their neighbors, those seem to be gone…

Dennis Ross

Will Nuclear Weapons Make A Comeback?

Last month,the United Stateswithdrew from a landmark missile treaty withRussia. Another crucial arms control treaty, the New START agreement, is set to expire in early 2021.Chinaand several other…

Eric Brewer

Iran Declines an Off-Ramp Overture

Tehran has doubled down on a course of diplomatic brinkmanship that may inadvertently consolidate the Western alliance. President Rouhani spurned a long-planned overture by French President Macron to…

Joseph Braude