Tag: iran

General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, addressed a crowd at the Brookings Institute last week, in which he discussed the challenges faced by the American military and how best to face them in the coming years. The Brookings Institute, a Washington DC based think tank, gave Dunford the opportunity to […]

Iran launched naval drills at the mouth of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean on Sunday, a naval commander said, as tensions with the United States escalated after U.S President Donald Trump put Tehran “on notice”. Since taking office last month, Trump has pledged to get tough with Iran, warning the Islamic Republic after its […]

Former CIA officer Sam Faddis recently wrote a piece here on SOFREP entitled, “The Coming War with Iran.”  Contrary to the article’s title, and even to some of the admittedly bellicose language within the piece (whether justified or not), Mr. Faddis was not advocating for a war with Iran.  The thrust of the article, rather, […]

Recently a reader asked if we could provide an overview of the conflict in Yemen so I thought I would direct our readers towards a handy guide I found.  The European Council on Foreign Relations has put together a guide that covers the historical context, factions, and multiple fronts in what has become a very complex […]

Since taking office, President Trump has repeatedly pledged to take a harder line on Iran – a promise he upheld earlier this month when he levied sanctions against twenty-five individuals and organizations tied to Iran’s ballistic missile program on February 3rd.  The sanctions came days after the Iranian military tested a nuclear capable missile that […]

The Jan 30 attack on a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea was carried out by a Houthi remote control ‘drone boat,’ and not a suicide bomber as first reports claimed, according to a senior U.S. Navy official. What was originally reported as a suicide attack was revised following further analysis and assessment by the […]

Iran has banned privately-owned drones from flying over Tehran after at least two devices were shot at in recent weeks over security fears. Licences will now only be granted to “relevant bodies and not individuals”, military officials said. The unmanned aerial devices have caused several security scares after approaching sensitive areas. Drones have become increasingly […]

Fighting occurred between jihadist opposition groups in northwest Syria on Monday, highlighting the fractious differences that remain among rebel forces in Syria. Following the seizure of Aleppo in December 2016 by Assad government forces, armed opposition groups in northwest Syria have begun to battle over remaining territory and resources. As Assad regime troops re-consolidate following […]

Iranian security forces have arrested eight hardline Sunni Islamists suspected of planning attacks to disrupt celebrations for Iran’s Islamic revolution in the past week, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Saturday. Alavi said the eight were “Takfiri” foreigners, some of whom were linked to a “Takfiri” leader who had been killed in Iran, IRNA reported. […]

As a career intelligence officer I understand that the world around us in often seen in shifting shades of gray partially obscured by a fog of uncertainty and ambiguity. I also know that sometimes that fog lifts, and all is revealed in the crystal clear light of day. Such was the moment, late last month, […]

Senior defense and intelligence officials have cautioned the White House that a proposal to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization could endanger U.S. troops in Iraq and the overall fight against the Islamic State, and would be an unprecedented use of a law that was not designed to sanction government institutions. […]

The Trump administration is reportedly considering using an executive order to officially recognize the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a complex military and political machine within Iran, as a ‘terrorist organization’, according to Reuters. This potential classification would almost certainly further complicate the already strained relations between the U.S. and Iran. Readers recognize the Iranian Revolutionary […]