Middle East Forum

05/29/2026

The Iran war did not end the region’s strategic struggle. It clarified it.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, the panel “The War and the Region: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same” examined how the conflict has reshaped the Middle East - and where the old realities still hold.

Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser framed the war as one episode in a longer confrontation between the Iranian regime and the West, arguing that victory requires stamina, clarity, and the willingness to sustain pressure.

Rob Satloff warned that Israel still lacks a coherent strategy for what should replace Hamas rule in Gaza, while Cliff May argued that the war delayed Iran’s nuclear progress but did not solve the problem.

Hussein Aboubakr Mansour added that opponents of the Abraham Accords will use the war to argue that closer ties with Israel make Gulf states more vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.

The panel offered a clear message: the war changed the regional equation, but the core challenge remains the same - confronting Iran’s ambitions with strategy, endurance, and political will.

Highlights from MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference.

05/28/2026

Iran is not negotiating from strength.

Jim Hanson argues that President Trump’s Iran red line is clear: no nukes, no missiles, no proxies.

While Washington faces political pressure, Hanson says Tehran faces something far more serious: economic pressure that is closing in on the regime.

Watch the full clip below.

05/28/2026

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, the “Day After Tehran” panel brought together Jim Hanson, Mehrdad Marty Youssefiani, Ari Morgenstern, and COL Eric Navarro for a strategic discussion of Iran’s degraded military capabilities, possible regime fractures, the Iranian opposition, and the regional alignments shifting around the conflict.

COL Eric Navarro addressed the kinetic side of the war, including U.S. efforts to degrade Iran’s missile and drone capabilities and the long-standing strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mehrdad Marty Youssefiani assessed the Iranian opposition inside the country and across the diaspora, including public sentiment toward the war and whether opposition groups could translate discontent into serious pressure on the regime.

Ari Morgenstern examined how Iran’s attacks on Gulf states may have backfired, strengthening regional alignment with the United States and Israel rather than weakening it.

The panel reflected one of the central themes of the conference: military success matters only if it is matched by political strategy, regional coordination, and a serious plan for what follows.

05/28/2026

Fear does not keep the peace. Courage does.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Morgan Ortagus, Special Envoy for Lebanon, delivered a forceful address on American deterrence, Iran’s weakened position, Hezbollah’s decline, and the need to confront Tehran and its proxies from a position of strength.

Her message was clear: national security cannot be governed by fear, and America should fight its enemies on its own terms - not theirs.

Watch the full address:

https://youtu.be/XKQSfZ1S6ok

05/28/2026

Israel’s right to exist should be obvious.

At MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter challenged the habit of applauding basic recognition of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.

After generations of exile, he said, Jews may still feel grateful when others acknowledge what should be obvious. But the real measure of support is not applause - it is applying that support to Israel’s defense and America’s national security.

Leiter’s point was clear: Israel is not a symbolic cause. It is America’s model ally in the Middle East.

Watch the full Keynote Address with intro from MEF Founder Daniel Pipes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhGUIYg_JuE

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Keynote moments from MEF’s 2026 Policy Conference in Washington.

This year’s featured addresses examined Israel, Iran, Lebanon, U.S. strategy, regional power, and the civilizational challenges facing the West, with remarks from Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism; Morgan Ortagus, U.S. Special Envoy for Lebanon; and Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States.

Thank you to our speakers, guests, and attendees for helping make this year’s conference a consequential gathering.

05/22/2026

MEF Chief Strategist Jim Hanson joins Fox News to explain why negotiations should not become immunity for Iran’s hardliners.

If the IRGC uses diplomacy as cover to stall, deceive, and block peace, Hanson warns that Trump may need to answer with deterrence Tehran cannot ignore.

Full interview: https://youtu.be/aD7WE-MMehk

05/18/2026

Iran’s regime is under pressure, but collapse without a plan can create new dangers.

In this Life, Liberty & Levin appearance, Jim Hanson explains why Tehran’s weakness does not automatically mean Washington should rush into externally imposed regime change.

Hanson argues that Iran’s economy, proxies, and internal control mechanisms have been badly weakened. But without a credible successor, he warns, the result could resemble Iraq: regime collapse followed by insurgency and instability.

His alternative: keep pressure on Tehran, empower internal unrest, and let the regime fall from within.

Watch the full segment:
https://youtu.be/5gYpprzo-WA

05/14/2026

On the latest Forum Roundtable, Zineb Riboua explains why Beijing’s Taiwan strategy may run through the Middle East.

China does not need the region fully on its side. It just needs enough neutrality from Gulf states, Iran, and other regional actors to make U.S.-led pressure harder to enforce.

That could give Beijing leverage far beyond Asia.

Watch the full discussion:

https://youtu.be/cO7YVLGACVA