As Tehran's collapsed Islamabad talks, its attempt to leverage American diplomacy against Israeli operations on Hizbullah, and its reversal on the Strait of Hormuz demonstrate, the Islamic Republic continues to operate by the doctrines of taqiyya and ketman . Iranian regime conduct is not a diplomatic breakdown but its standard operating logic. The only language Tehran respects is overwhelming pressure. Dr. Dan Diker , Dr. Harold Rhode The events of the past several weeks sh

Harold Rhode served as a specialist on Islamic culture and the Middle East in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1982 to 2010. He studied at a university in Iran during the early and mid-stages of the Islamic Revolution. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute in New York, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

IDSF - Israel's Defense and Security Forum Harold Rhode served as a specialist on Islamic culture and the Middle East in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1982 to 2010. He studied at a university in Iran during the early and mid-stages of the Islamic Revolution. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute in New York, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. In this special briefing from the Is

Harold Rhode served as a specialist on Islamic culture and the Middle East in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1982 to 2010. He studied at a university in Iran during the early and mid-stages of the Islamic Revolution. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute in New York, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs . A hidden force could decide the future of Iran and most people barely understand who th

Iranians call Sunnis dogs. They don’t mean it as a compliment. Ira Stroll March 4,2026 Mohammed bin Salman (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) and Iranian mourners (Getty Images) Iranian Shiites have a saying, " Sag Sunni. " It means Sunni Muslims are dogs. The Iranians don’t mean it as a compliment. The framing of the recent military action in the Middle East so far has been the U.S. and Israel against Iran. Yet President Trump pointed out during a White House appearanc

Leaders of the Islamic Republic do not think or talk like Western nations; to believe that they do is a recipe for disasters, as history recounts. Harold Rhode served as a specialist on Islamic culture and the Middle East in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1982 to 2010. He studied at a university in Iran during the early and mid-stages of the Islamic Revolution. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute in New York, as well as a Senior Fellow

interview with Dr Harold Rhode In this in‑depth briefing, Dr. Harold Rhode explains why plans to carve Iran into ethnic mini‑states are not just unrealistic — they’re a recipe for civil war and regional instability. Despite its many ethnic and religious groups, Iran has a deep, shared cultural identity that most Western policymakers fail to understand. Dr. Rhode lays out why any serious conversation about Iran regime change must start from the reality of Iranian culture: a po