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
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
An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran on Nov. 5. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural in Tehran on Nov. 5. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran and the United States Can be Friends

Argument
Alex Vatanka
Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech under portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on June 3, 2014. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)
Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech under portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on June 3, 2014. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani’s Path to Becoming Supreme Leader

Argument
Alex Vatanka
President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House on Oct. 13. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House on Oct. 13. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Donald Trump Needs a Good Cop on Iran

Argument
Alex Vatanka
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rouhani1

Iran Is Not About to Fall for Trump’s Trap

Argument
Alex Vatanka
iran
iran

Iran’s Islamic State Problem Isn’t Going Away

Argument
Alex Vatanka
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rouhani

Rouhani Goes to War Against Iran’s Deep State

Argument
Alex Vatanka
Iranian presidential hopeful Ebrahim Raisi speaks at Houri mosque in southern Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 10, 2017. Raisi, a hard-line cleric and close ally of Iran's supreme leader, has announced he will run in the May presidential election. Iranian hardliners had hope Raisi would challenge incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, who is eligible to run for a second term. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian presidential hopeful Ebrahim Raisi speaks at Houri mosque in southern Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 10, 2017. Raisi, a hard-line cleric and close ally of Iran's supreme leader, has announced he will run in the May presidential election. Iranian hardliners had hope Raisi would challenge incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, who is eligible to run for a second term. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Supreme Leader’s Apprentice Is Running for President

Argument
Alex Vatanka
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Mo’ Rials, Mo’ Problems

Argument
Alex Vatanka
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