Alex Vatanka

Alex Vatanka is the director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute. His most recent book is The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy, and Political Rivalry Since 1979.

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Articles by Alex Vatanka
Demonstrators, mostly women, wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and hold posters of former Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani during a rally in Tehran.
Demonstrators, mostly women, wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and hold posters of former Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani during a rally in Tehran.

Iran Can’t Afford a Regional War
Analysis
Alex Vatanka
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in Tehran.

The Middle East Might Be Moving Toward Stability
Argument
Ross Harrison, Alex Vatanka
Harbor security stand guard during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar.
Harbor security stand guard during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar.

Russia and Iran Have High Hopes for Each Other
Argument
Alex Vatanka
A motorcycle is on fire during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests outside Tehran.
A motorcycle is on fire during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests outside Tehran.

Iran’s Regime Plays with Fire in Baluchistan
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Iranians march during a pro-hijab rally.
Iranians march during a pro-hijab rally.

What the Hijab Protests Mean for Iran’s Clerical Class
Argument
Alex Vatanka
A woman in a mask walks by a large mural of Khamenei.
A woman in a mask walks by a large mural of Khamenei.

Whose Iran Is It Anyway?
Analysis
Alex Vatanka
A woman walks past a mural showing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on March 9.
A woman walks past a mural showing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on March 9.

Iran Needs a Cushion, and Europe Needs Gas
Analysis
Alex Vatanka
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi looks on during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Jan. 19, 2022.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi looks on during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Jan. 19, 2022.

A New Chapter for Iran and Russia
Analysis
Alex Vatanka
An Iranian woman walks past banners of ultraconservative cleric and presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Iran, on June 17.
An Iranian woman walks past banners of ultraconservative cleric and presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Iran, on June 17.

Khamenei Wants a Nuclear Deal Before Rouhani Leaves
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and Emirati Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash hold a press conference after meeting in the western Cypriot city of Paphos, on April 16.
Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and Emirati Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash hold a press conference after meeting in the western Cypriot city of Paphos, on April 16.

Iran’s Biggest Problem Is Water
Argument
Alex Vatanka
An unexploded BM-30 Smerch missile is seen on the outskirts of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, on Oct. 12.
An unexploded BM-30 Smerch missile is seen on the outskirts of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, on Oct. 12.

Tehran’s Worst Nightmare
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Pedestrians are reflected in a window displaying currency exchange rates in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 22.
Pedestrians are reflected in a window displaying currency exchange rates in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 22.

The East Fails Iran
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Missiles are seen in front of a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a war exhibition south of Tehran on Sept. 25, 2005.
Missiles are seen in front of a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a war exhibition south of Tehran on Sept. 25, 2005.

Iran’s IRGC Has Long Kept Khamenei in Power
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, shake hands during their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Feb. 19.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, shake hands during their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Feb. 19.

China’s Great Game in Iran
Argument
Alex Vatanka
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures during a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 13. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures during a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 13. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s Zarif Can’t Catch a Break
Argument
Alex Vatanka
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