Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
As Israel’s battle with the Islamic Republic of Iran continues in its new phase of direct conflict after four decades of proxy wars, numerous questions remain. How is Israel defining victory and what means does it have to attain its goals? What role with the U.S. play militarily, diplomatically and politically? What does defeat look like for Iran and what does the future hold for its citizens? What does all of this mean for the Middle East more broadly, including new alliances and the prospects for achieving a final and lasting peace in the region?
To help parse through all of these issues from the perspective of the U.S., Israel and Iran are three renowned experts with important insights to share: Victoria Coates, author of The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel - and America - Can Win and vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation; John Hannah, Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy; and Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program senior director and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Lauri Regan, vice president and treasurer at Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.
As Israel’s battle with the Islamic Republic of Iran continues in its new phase of direct conflict after four decades of proxy wars, numerous questions remain. How is Israel defining victory and what means does it have to attain its goals? What role with the U.S. play militarily, diplomatically and politically? What does defeat look like for Iran and what does the future hold for its citizens? What does all of this mean for the Middle East more broadly, including new alliances and the prospects for achieving a final and lasting peace in the region?
To help parse through all of these issues from the perspective of the U.S., Israel and Iran are three renowned experts with important insights to share: Victoria Coates, author of The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel - and America - Can Win and vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation; John Hannah, Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy; and Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program senior director and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Lauri Regan, vice president and treasurer at Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.
