President Biden has vowed a response after drone strike by Iran-backed militias killed three US troops and wounded many more in Jordan last Sunday. David Silbey is an associate professor of history at Cornell University where he specializes in military…
Tag: IRAN
Expert available to discuss Iran deal and Hamas attack
Rupal Mehta is a specialist in nuclear nonproliferation and counterproliferation who has studied the sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. She is a faculty fellow with the Nebraska Strategic Reesearch Institute and has been a adviser to Los Alamos…
Cornell expert: Strike on Iran latest example of how drones are changing warfare
Iranian officials claim Israel was behind a weekend drone strike on a defense factory. The attack comes as tensions between Iran and the West are growing over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program, ongoing crackdown on peaceful anti-government protests and the supply…
GW Expert Available to Discuss Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi’s Return to Terhan
WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2022)— On Wednesday Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi returned to Tehran after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, an act widely seen as support for anti-government demonstrators amid weeks of protests over the Islamic Republic’s mandatory…
Environmental Factors Predict Risk of Death
Along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, environmental factors such as air pollution are highly predictive of people’s chances of dying, especially from heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.
Specific Environmental Exposures may Help Predict Increased Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease
A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai quantifies the cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to specific environmental factors, showing, for example, that air pollution heightens the risk of heart disease mortality by 17 percent.
As COVID-19 and Online Misinformation Spread, Children and Teens Were Poisoned with Hand Sanitizer and Alcoholic Drinks
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as false health information spread on social media, the number of children and teens poisoned with hand sanitizer or alcoholic beverages surged in Iran. These poisonings resulted in hundreds of hospitalizations and 22 deaths. Misinformation circulating on social media included the false suggestion that consuming alcohol (methanol) or hand sanitizer (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) protected against COVID-19 infection (it does not). A major alcohol poisoning outbreak sickened nearly 6,000 Iranian adults, of whom 800 died. It was not known, however, to what extent children and adolescents were affected. For the study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators compared pediatric hospitalizations for ethanol and methanol poisoning during the early COVID-19 pandemic in Iran with the same period the previous year. They also looked at types of exposure and how those were linked to the children’s ages and clinical outcomes.
Voter intimidation plot succeeds regardless of culprit
The Trump administration has accused Iran of targeting Democratic voters in an e-mail intimidation campaign seemingly designed to create uncertainty around the U.S. election. Sarah Kreps, professor of government at Cornell University, studies misinformation and election interference and is author of…
Suspended studies and virtual lab meetings: How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting epilepsy researchers
How was epilepsy research forced to morph during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? Researchers from 11 countries shared their experiences and thoughts on the future of laboratory research, clinical trials, and in-person conferences.
The Killing of Qasem Soleimani
In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Steven A. Cook, Philip H. Gordon, and Ray Takeyh join host James M. Lindsay to discuss the killing of Qasem Soleimani and its consequences for the Middle East.
The Road Ahead With Iran: A Conversation With Tony Blair
Against the backdrop of the recent U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Tony Blair discusses the current tensions with Iran and the implications for international policymakers. Mr. Blair discusses the critical role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including ways the IRGC mobilizes and radicalizes its fighters for violence at home and abroad, and the road ahead for the United States and Europe.
Is Lebanon Becoming A Real Nation?
Amir Asmar is a Department of Defense analyst and CFR’s national intelligence fellow. Throughout his intelligence career, his primary area of focus has been the Middle East. He held a wide range of analytic, senior analytic, and leadership positions for the Department of the Army, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Intelligence Council. The statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this blog post are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense (DoD) or the U.S. government. Review of the material does not imply DoD or U.S. government endorsement of factual accuracy or opinion.
New Doomsday Clock time signals inability or direct unwillingness of leaders to cooperatively respond to devastating threats to our planet
George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies offers the following comments on the movement of the Doomsday Clock. In addition, he can comment on nuclear proliferation…
Evaluating the Trump Administration’s Iran Policy
In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, CFR President Richard N. Haass analyzed the pros and cons of the targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani and offered recommendations for U.S. policy moving forward.
University of Michigan legal experts can comment on the aftermath of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, war powers and target killing operations.
University of Michigan legal experts can comment on war powers and target killing operations in the aftermath of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Julian Davis Mortenson is a professor of law, focusing on constitutional and international law. He…
Iran Will Continue to Retaliate in Many Forms and in Many Places
Ambassador Susan Rice joined Wellesley College professor Michael Jeffries for a discussion about her new book, work in the Obama Administration, and current events like the Iran crisis at an event on campus.
Iran-U.S. conflict: Prospects of war rely on Iran’s pursuit of uranium enrichment
With both the U.S. and Iran backing down after an assassination by the former and missile strikes by the latter, the next potential provocation will likely be a nuclear one, according to Stuart Kaufman, a professor of Political Science &…
UNH Experts Available to Discuss Middle Eastern Relations and Homeland Security Related to Conflicts in Iran
DURHAM, N.H.—Three University of New Hampshire faculty members are available to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, the effects it will have on homeland security and the ripple effect it may have on terrorism as pressure mounts after the…
Conflicts to Watch in 2020
In CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey, U.S. foreign policy experts assess the likelihood and impact of thirty potential conflicts that could emerge or escalate in the coming year.
As Iran tensions loom, legal, cybersecurity experts available for media interviews
In the wake of the Jan. 3 airstrike killing Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, legal and cybersecurity concerns linger regarding next moves from Iran and from the Trump administration. University of Colorado Boulder experts are available for media interviews. On legal…
Risk of cyberattack for individuals not substantially greater, according to Virginia Tech expert
While individuals with access to critical infrastructure systems of any type should be vigilant in the coming weeks – most Americans are at no substantially greater risk of cyberattack related to on-going tensions with Iran, according to a Virginia Tech…
WashU Expert: Soleimani killing likely unlawful
Thousands of mourners have taken to the streets in Iran following the Jan. 3 death of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force. Many questions remain following the U.S. drone strike in Iraq and Iran’s posturing about potential retaliation. Chief among them: Was the strike legal?“Unless there is much more to the story than meets the eye, the answer seems to be no,” said Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University in St.
Former senior intelligence analyst available to speak about Iran crisis
On Jan. 2, 2020, Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed by a United States drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq. Iran has vowed revenge, and now both sides wait to see what will happen next. Michael Wallace, professor and program…
University of Kentucky’s Ambassador Cavanaugh Available to Discuss Implications of U.S. Strike on Iran
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2020) — Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh is available to comment on escalating tensions in the Middle East. He is an expert on foreign policy. Cavanaugh came to the University of Kentucky Patterson School of International Diplomacy following a…
Irreplaceable to Iran, Soleimani’s death ‘makes Americans safer’
The killing of Qasem Soleimani, a critical figure in Iran’s military structure, has precipitated important questions about the future of U.S.-Iran relations as well as Iran’s position in the Middle East. Barry Strauss, professor of history at Cornell University, is an…
Iran experts available to comment on killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani
Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was killed early this morning in a drone strike that was authorized by President Donald Trump. Critics of the president’s Iran policy fear the strike will lead to an escalation that…
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Implications of U.S. Strike on Iran Commander
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Implications of U.S. Strike on Iran Commander New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 3, 2019) – Rutgers experts are available to comment on the implications of the Friday morning strike that killed Iran’s top security and intelligence…
Soleimani’s death: University of Michigan experts can discuss
University of Michigan experts can comment on the implications of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, who was killed early Friday in a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.
Soleimani killing sparks ‘complex and unpredictable’ situation
A U.S. airstrike killed top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, early Friday morning at the Baghdad airport, prompting Iran to vow retaliation and causing global concern for an escalation of violence. Steven Michael Ward is assistant professor of government at Cornell…
Notre Dame’s George Lopez available for comment on U.S. drone strike in Iran and escalating tensions in the Middle East
The University of Notre Dame’s George Lopez is available to comment on the escalating tensions in the Middle East. He is an expert on economic sanctions; peacebuilding; human rights; the United Nations; North Korea; and peace studies program development. He…
Despite claiming to oppose endless Middle East wars, Trump increases risk of war with Iran after drone strike
University of Notre Dame Professor David Cortright is an expert in nuclear disarmament; use of multilateral sanctions and incentives as tools of international peacemaking; and nonviolent social change. He is also the director of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), home to…
U.S.-Iran relations expert available to comment on killing of Suleimani
Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Qassim Suleimani, was killed Friday in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that was authorized by President Trump. Critics of his Iran policy called the strike a reckless escalation that could have dire…
How Iranians view general’s killing and the prospects for full-on war
Professor Rudolph Matthee has visited Iran three times in the past five years and can provide a unique perspective on how Iranian citizens might be reacting to the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. As an expert on the country and…
Soleimani’s killing will change course of Iranian goals in Iraq, cause U.S. political fallout
A U.S. drone strike that has killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani will complicate Iraqi politics tremendously, says Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an internationally recognized expert on Iran and Middle Eastern politics at Virginia Tech. As head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards…
Countdown to Iowa: The U.S. and Iran
In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Robert Malley and Ray Takeyh join host James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Iran.
It’s time to de-escalate the crisis with Iran, meet with President Rouhani and return to a nuclear agreement, says Notre Dame’s Ebrahim Moosa
University of Notre Dame Professor of Islamic Studies Ebrahim Moosa offers the following comments on the ongoing tension between the U.S. and Iran as a result of the attack on the Saudi Arabian oil facilities. “The reluctance or ambivalence of President Donald…
Notre Dame professors can offer expertise on Iran from Trump’s tweets to oil security
We can easily arrange TV and radio interviews at Notre Dame’s on-campus studio. Rosemary Kelanic is an expert on oil security and U.S. Grand Strategy. She recently wrote “Why Iran’s ‘oil weapon’ isn’t that scary” for the Washington Post’s Monkey…