Middle East Forum

06/18/2026

For nearly five decades, Iran’s Islamic Republic has reshaped the Middle East through terror proxies, missiles, nuclear ambitions, and war. After the Iran War, what has changed—and what comes next?

Join an all-Middle East Forum panel featuring Gregg Roman, Michael Rubin, and Jonathan Spyer for a special Forum Roundtable tomorrow, June 19, at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Register now:
https://www.meforum.org/podcasts/june-19-2026-the-forum-roundtable-from-revolution-to-iran-war-the-islamic-republics-regional-impact

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic has wreaked havoc across the Middle East building its terror proxy networks, aligning itself with nefarious enemies of the West, intimidating and harassing its neighbors, developing ballistic missile and drone capabilities as well as a cland...

06/17/2026

The Islamabad agreement is not peace. It is surrender—executed by the victor, on the terms of the vanquished.

After 39 days of American and Israeli pressure brought Iran’s war machine and economy to their knees, Washington is preparing to lift the blockade, erase sanctions, preserve enrichment, unfreeze regime assets, and help finance the regime’s reconstruction.

MEF Executive Director Gregg Roman argues that America was winning—and this deal would sign that victory away.

Do not sign this. Do not rebuild Carthage.

Read more:
https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/the-islamabad-surrender

We Fought the Islamic Republic for Thirty-Nine Days and We Were Winning. The Memorandum in Islamabad Hands That Victory Back. And It Sells the Iranian People to Do It.

06/16/2026

Can peace in the Middle East emerge without first confronting the ideologies committed to Israel’s destruction?

On the latest Middle East Forum Podcast, host Lauri Regan speaks with author and Middle East policy expert Aryeh Green about his new book, Finding Peace in the Promised Land. Green outlines five principles—humility, acceptance, gratitude, forgiveness, and purpose—that he believes can help move the Arab-Israeli conflict from hatred toward coexistence.

The conversation also examines October 7, the Abraham Accords, Palestinian rejectionism, and the need to support moderate Arab and Muslim voices capable of challenging violence and extremism.

Watch the full episode:
https://youtu.be/ql4Ej8NhtNg

In this episode of the Middle East Forum Podcast, host Lauri Regan ...

06/15/2026

Could a new Iran deal leave Tehran’s nuclear threat intact?

Speaking with Sky News Australia, Jonathan Spyer, director of research at the Middle East Forum, warned that allowing Iran to dilute highly enriched uranium on its own soil could amount to a major U.S. climbdown.

Rather than eliminating the threat, such an arrangement could leave Iran room to continue the clandestine nuclear activity it has pursued for years.

Full interview: https://youtu.be/GVt9jBD6Z3Q

06/12/2026

How do Western democracies confront Islamist activism inside their own institutions and communities?

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Panel 7 — “Inside the Gates” — examined Islamist influence, institutional capture, public funding, civic pressure, and the defense of pluralism in Western societies.

Moderator Dexter Van Zile framed the discussion around the need for Western democracies to recognize rising Islamist activism, resist institutional capture, and defend freedom and equality before the law.

Amar Islam described how activists tied to the Muslim Umma of North America captured control of the Bangladesh Islamic Center in Arlington, Virginia, and argued that public funds should not support Islamist organizations undermining pluralism.

Joe Adam George, MEF’s research lead on Islamism in Canada, discussed Islamist messaging at a Muslim Association of Canada event and argued that charitable status and public funding should not protect groups advancing anti-democratic or antisemitic ideas.

Ted Barham described the backlash he faced in Dearborn after challenging civic honors for a publisher associated with pro-Hezbollah advocacy.

Danny Burmawi warned that Islamist strongholds in Europe could grow from local outposts into separatist challenges to Western democracies.

The takeaway: defending pluralism requires clarity. Western democracies cannot counter Islamism while ignoring local influence, subsidizing anti-democratic networks, or losing confidence in the principles of freedom, equality, and civic order.

06/09/2026

Can Iran’s opposition turn unrest into a transition of power?

On CBN News, Middle East Forum Executive Director Gregg Roman said regime change remains unlikely without a more organized opposition structure. But that balance can shift as the United States invests in tools short of war: expanding internet access inside Iran, helping local resistance networks, and strengthening coordination among diaspora groups.

As Iranian opposition voices gather in London, Sweden, Paris, and Washington, Roman argued, every passing day makes the regime weaker—and brings the opposition closer to a possible tipping point.

Watch the full interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS_WUY0FoZM

06/09/2026

The Muslim Brotherhood is no longer the only Islamist force policymakers need to understand.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Panel 6 — “Beyond the Muslim Brotherhood” — examined the new generation of competing Islamist ideological forces seeking influence in both the West and East.

Moderator Sam Westrop framed the post-Brotherhood landscape as a contest among modernist Salafis, foreign state-backed Islamist movements, South Asian Islamist networks, Brotherhood legacy groups, and homegrown Western Islamism increasingly courting both sides of the political aisle.

Samir Kalra of the Hindu American Foundation addressed the threat posed by South Asian Islamist movements such as Jamaat-e-Islami and the Deobandis, noting their significant grassroots presence in the United States and the limited attention they receive from policymakers.

Jacob Olidort of the America First Policy Institute discussed the rise of new Salafi movements and the shift in influence from activist Islamism toward clerical Islamism.

The takeaway: policymakers must look beyond the Muslim Brotherhood and work with a broader range of allies to recognize and counter a wider array of Islamist threats.

06/08/2026

Lebanon’s road to peace with Israel runs through Hezbollah’s disarmament.

In the latest Middle East Forum Podcast, host Lauri Regan speaks with Hussain Abdul-Hussain, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of *The Arab Case for Israel*, about Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iran, and the future of Arab-Israeli normalization.

Abdul-Hussain explains why Hezbollah remains the central obstacle to peace, how Iran uses its proxies to pressure Israel and Washington, and why Arab states have a strategic interest in building genuine relations with Israel.

Watch the full episode here:

https://youtu.be/ZRbrxZdtPJk

06/08/2026

Islamism, antisemitism, and anti-Western radicalism are no longer distant threats.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Panel 5 — “The Threat Next Door” — examined how extremist movements exploit Western freedoms, polarization, and distrust from within.

Moderator Jim Hanson opened by distinguishing Islam from Islamism and warning that supremacist Islamist movements have become effective at using Western societies’ own freedoms against them.

Craig Considine previewed his work on the Red-Green Alliance between revolutionary left movements and Islamist groups.

Karys Rhea discussed the rise of antisemitism on the right, pointing to post-COVID distrust, conspiracy theories, and anti-Israel narratives.

The takeaway: Islamist networks, radical left movements, and parts of the fringe right are increasingly finding common cause around anti-Western and anti-Israel narratives.

06/08/2026

Palestinian statehood dominates Western and regional diplomacy. But it is far from the only unresolved question of recognition, borders, and self-determination.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Panel 3 — “The Players You’re Not Watching” — examined Somaliland, South Arabia, Artsakh, and Kurdistan, and the inconsistent ways Washington and Europe approach statehood claims.

Moderator Michael Rubin framed the discussion around diplomatic double standards. Ambassador Bashir Goth discussed Somaliland’s long path to recognition. Summer Ahmed addressed southern Yemenis’ quest for South Arabia. Robert Avetisyan spoke about Artsakh after ethnic cleansing. Diliman Abdulkader compared these cases with the Kurdish plight.

The takeaway: there are no magic formulas, and not every case is the same. But many overlooked aspirants are democratic, Western-leaning, and less dependent on foreign aid. Washington and Europe still lack a consistent approach to recognition.