Outside the Beltway

A 34-year CIA officer’s thoughts.

The ayatollahs face the biggest challenge to their authority in the history of the regime.

An American drone strike has taken out the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a move likely to significantly increase tensions across the Middle East.

An empty column with a seed of one good point buried in a bunch of nothing.

Tensions are increasing in the Persian Gulf thanks to a collection of actions by Iran, the United States, and United Kingdom.

Realistically, President Trump has very few options when it comes to dealing with Iran and its nuclear program.

The Trump Administration unveiled new sanctions against Iran yesterday. They’re unlikely to accomplish the entirely unrealistic goals the President claims to have in mind.

The President was up late last night sending an incredibly over-the-top tweet directed at Iran.

Israeli police have recommended that charges be brought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Whether that damages him politically remains to be seen.

Anti-government protests are spreading in Iran.

Iranian voters have re-elected Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate whose election in 2013 was largely responsible for the shifts in policy that made the international agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear research program possible.

Trump’s combination amateur hour/tough guy approach is not going to make the world a safer place, nor will it advance US national interest.

Another hopeful step forward, thanks to diplomacy.

An attack on Iran’s nuclear program would be far more complicated than a one-off attack.

Lt Gen Benny Gantz says Iran “is going step by step to the place where it will be able to decide whether to manufacture a nuclear bomb. It hasn’t yet decided to go the extra mile.”

What’s the logic behind Iran’s alleged plot to commit terrorist attacks inside the United States?