Iran

For reasons of self-interest, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force officers are trying to persuade Iran's Iraq allies to support Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Western naval operations already are disrupted by the pandemic, which Iran may view as an opportunity to increase its activities in the Gulf.

Efforts by the prime minister-designate to win parliamentary support cannot come at the expense of articulating coherent policy.

Tehran and Kataib Hezbollah's conflicting reactions to Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi reflect a division of labor rather than poor coordination.

While it took the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps less than 24 hours to replace Major General Qassim Suleimani, Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces is suffering more from its leadership succession woes.

The Iranian government's network of foreign militia groups represents its primary regional power projection and national security tool.

Strategic relations with China, domestic political considerations, and religious taboos all prevented an earlier and more effective response by the Iranian government toward the country's coronavirus crisis.

The supreme leader’s engineering of Iran's parliamentary elections may help the regime to manage the multiple crises it is facing. But there will be consequences for narrowing the circle of the ruling elites and restricting the path for political participation for Iranian citizens.