After the “Hammer”: Postwar Opportunities and Risks for U.S. Policy in the Middle East

The Iran-Israel ceasefire has presented the Trump administration with a chance to carefully consider its next steps in the Middle East, which are poised to make a transformational impact on the future of the region and America’s place there. What approach should Washington take toward Iran’s nuclear program amid debates about how much it has been set back? How do Arab governments view what just happened, and what is their desired role for U.S. policy in a changing region? Will a weakened and vulnerable Iran alter its aggressive approach or double down? And how can Israel best shift from historic military successes to political solutions, including on its other ongoing battlefront in Gaza? To discuss these questions, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Robert Satloff, Mona Yacoubian, and Richard Nephew, moderated by research director and Kassen Senior Fellow Dana Stroul. Robert Satloff is the Institute’s Segal Executive Director and Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy. Mona Yacoubian directs the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Her three decades of experience on Middle East issues have included multiple posts and advisory roles with the U.S. government, from leading the 2019 Syria Study Group to working with the State Department, USAID, and the U.S. Institute of Peace Richard Nephew is an adjunct fellow with The Washington Institute. Previously, he served in multiple senior posts with the U.S. government, including deputy special envoy for Iran (2021) and principal deputy coordinator for sanctions policy at the State Department (2013-15).