Iran Crisis

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was a defining moment of the modern era. Its success unleashed a wave of Islamist fervor across the Middle East and signaled a sharp decline in the appeal of Western ideologies in the Islamic world. Michael Axworthy takes listeners through the major periods in Iranian history over the last 30 years: the overthrow of the old regime and the creation of the new one; the Iran-Iraq war; the reconstruction era following the war; the reformist wave led by Mohammed Khatami; and the present day, in which reactionaries have re-established control.  

From Qasem Soleimani to the nuclear deal, a deeply reported exploration of Iran’s decades-long power struggle with the United States—in the tradition of Steve Coll’s Ghost Wars and Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower “A front-row view of the spy games, assassinations, political...

In 2026, Iran stands at the most dangerous crossroads in its modern history. After regional war, the collapse of nuclear diplomacy, and a domestic uprising that shook the Islamic Republic to its core, the regime faces converging pressures unlike any since 1979. Sanctions have tightened. Proxy networks are strained. Water shortages threaten internal stability. And the nuclear program has moved closer than ever to weapons capability. How did Iran reach this moment? Iran 2026: What’s Next is a sweeping and deeply researched examination of Iran’s long arc—from the Persian Empire and the ...

Twenty-four miles wide. Twenty percent of the world's oil. No real alternative. And right now — closed. The Strait of Hormuz is the most important body of water on earth that most people couldn't find on a map. Every day in normal conditions, approximately twenty million barrels of oil and a fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas transit this single narrow passage between Iran and Oman. When it is disrupted — as it is now, in the most severe closure since the 1970s energy crisis — oil prices surge, food prices rise, airlines ground flights, hospitals ration medical gases, and ...

On February 1, 1979, amid great fanfare, exiled cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini landed in Tehran. The return of the leader of the revolution to his home country was one of the final markers of the Iranian Revolution, a national phenomenon that had global implications. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 has been described as an epochal event, called the peak of 20th century Islamic revivalism and revitalization.

En 2026, Irán se encuentra en el momento más delicado de su historia moderna. Tras una guerra regional, el colapso de la diplomacia nuclear y un levantamiento interno que sacudió los cimientos de la República Islámica, el régimen enfrenta presiones simultáneas que no se veían desde 1979. Las sanciones se intensifican. Las redes de influencia regional se debilitan. La crisis del agua amenaza la estabilidad interna. Y el programa nuclear se acerca al umbral armamentístico. ¿Cómo llegó Irán a este punto? Iran 2026: ¿Qué viene? ofrece un análisis amplio y documentado que recorre...

This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR A hugely ambitious, “delightfully readable, genuinely informative” portrait (The New York Times) of the two-centuries-long entwined histories of Iran and America—two powers who were once allies and now adversaries—by an admired historian and...

The definitive history of Iran, from the ancient Persian empires to today. “Michael Axworthy’s deft untangling of the country’s history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement.” ―Guardian Iran is a land of contradictions. It is an Islamic...

A former member of the State Department's Policy Planning Council, Polk describes a country and a history misunderstood by many in the West. While Iranians chafe under the yolk of their current leaders, they also have bitter memories of generations of British, Russian, and American espionage, invasion, and dominance. There are important lessons to be learned from the past, and Polk teases them out of a long and rich history and shows that it is not just now, but for decades to come that an understanding of Iran will be essential to American safety and well-being. 

When power moves in the shadows, the world feels the impact. A single operation. A region pushed to the edge. A chain of events that is reshaping global power in real time. Fire Over the Middle East takes you inside one of the most consequential geopolitical confrontations of the modern era—where strategy, pressure, and high-stakes decisions collided with far-reaching consequences. From the silent buildup of tensions to the decisive moment that changed everything, this book reveals how a regional crisis evolved into a global power struggle—one that continues to unfold before the ...

The world’s most important shipping lane is only 21 miles wide. Every day, nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes through it. So does a massive share of its natural gas. It powers economies, feeds supply chains, and keeps entire nations running. And it sits on the edge of conflict. The Strait of Hormuz has never fully closed. But it has come close—again and again. In this quick-start briefing, Adrian Locke takes you inside the most dangerous vulnerability in the global economy and answers a question few people are asking: What happens if the flow doesn’t recover? This is not a ...

"I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars." That was the promise Donald Trump made to the American people. Millions of us believed him. We voted for a non-interventionist "America First" agenda, expecting an end to the era of world-historic catastrophes in the Middle East. Instead, we got Operation Epic Fury. In Mistake of the Century, the author of the maritime thriller Chokepoint returns to deliver a blistering, data-driven critique of the 2026 Iran War. This isn't a partisan hit piece—it is a cry for sanity from a former supporter who watched a "Candidate of Peace" ...

In this chilling new thriller audiobook in the New York Times bestselling series, simmering tensions threaten to ignite when a silo of Cold War missiles surfaces in the Middle East. In 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union sent a convoy of nuclear missiles to Cuba. The crisis...

Energy crises have shaped the global economy before—and they will do so again. From the oil shocks of the 1970s to the fragile energy markets of today, modern societies remain deeply dependent on reliable access to oil and natural gas. Yet the global energy system is built on vulnerable infrastructure, strategic shipping routes, and geopolitical relationships that can shift overnight. In The Next Global Energy Crisis, financial analyst Carl Vincent Sutton delivers a clear and compelling examination of how energy disruptions can trigger global economic turmoil. This book explains how ...

From the bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia, a piercing account of how the contemporary Arab world came to be riven by catastrophe since the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. In 2011, a series of anti-government uprisings shook the Middle East and North Africa in what would become known...

After an intelligence failure at Op-Center results in a major terrorist attack, director Chase Williams radically transforms the agency into a ground-breaking new mobile strike force. It’s a beautiful day in Manhattan as excited tourists board the floating Air and Space Museum on the USS...

“A comprehensive, even magisterial review . . . This is strong stuff, but Simon does not flinch.” —Foreign Affairs A longtime American foreign policy insider’s penetrating and definitive reckoning with this country’s involvement in the Middle East The culmination of almost forty years...

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been a threat to its people, the Middle East, and America for forty-five years. It’s time for a change. Since 1979, the Khomeinist regime has oppressed its own population while waging wars and terrorism against Arabs, Israel, Middle East minorities, and the United States. It expanded its military power across the region and created an international terror web. American policy toward Tehran since Carter culminated, under Obama, in offering the Islamic Republic a deal of partnership, empowering the Ayatollahs even further. The Iranian people rose several ...

Las fuerzas militares de Irán han sido destrozadas. Su liderazgo, diezmado. Pero perder en el campo de batalla no significa perder la guerra. Para salvar al régimen, Teherán solo necesita una jugada capaz de destruir la voluntad política de Estados Unidos de terminar el trabajo. Roger Jackson e Isabel se suponen de vacaciones. Después de todo lo que sobrevivieron en México, una semana a bordo de un crucero por el Caribe debía ser un respiro. Una oportunidad para dormir, respirar y desaparecer por unos días en mar abierto. En cambio, cuando los pasajeros empiezan a enfermar y ...