Selected Publications

Book

The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War: Faith, Firepower, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (Cambridge University Press, 2022; paperback 2023); Amazon.

Translated into Persian by Dr. Muhammad Maleki, published in Iran by Nashr-e Tarikh-e Iran (2024).

Peer-Reviewed Articles

“Conjuring an Enemy: U.S. Discourse and Policy on Iran, 1980-88,” Middle East Policy 32, no. 2 (Jun. 2025).

Included in Special Issue on “The Israel-Iran War” (Jun. 2025).

“Commanding the Faithful: The Kingdom of Morocco’s Relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Journal of North African Studies 29, no. 3 (2024): 474-500.

“What the Iran-Iraq War Tells Us About the Future of the Iran Nuclear Deal,” with Ariane Tabatabai, International Security 42, no. 1 (Summer 2017): 152-85. 

Annotated for the Annotation for Transparent Inquiry Project, Qualitative Data Repository, Syracuse University. 

Included in the International Security Crisis Reader on “U.S. Killing of Iranian Commander Qassim Suleimani” (Jan. 2020).

“The Open Door and U.S. Policy in Iraq Between the World Wars,” Diplomatic History 38, no. 5 (Nov. 2014): 926-52.

Book Chapters

“The Iran-Iraq War and the IRGC,” in The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 8: The Islamic Republic, edited by Ali Ansari (Cambridge University Press) (under contract; chapter submitted May 2023).

“Beyond Strategic Stability: Deterrence, Regional Balance, and Iranian National Security,” in The End of Strategic Stability?: Nuclear Weapons and the Challenge of Regional Rivalries, edited by Lawrence Rubin and Adam Stulberg (Georgetown University Press, 2018).

“Guarding the Nation: The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Nationalism, and the Iran-Iraq War,” in Constructing Nationalism in Iran: From the Qajars to the Islamic Republic, edited by Meir Litvak (Routledge, 2017).

Other Scholarly Publications

“Iran’s Nuclear Diplomacy,” Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective  (The Ohio State University, Jun. 2022). 

“Understanding Iran: Sources, Not Sound Bites,” Sources and Methods (Wilson Center, Dec. 2, 2021).

“Avoiding the Translation Trap: To Understand Iran’s Behavior, Look to the Original Sources,” with Ariane Tabatabai, Sources and Methods (Wilson Center, Sep. 25, 2017).

“Managing U.S.-Iran Relations: Critical Lessons from the Iran-Iraq War,” with Ariane Tabatabai, Policy Brief (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Nov. 2017).

“Viewpoint Iran: The Past and Present of the U.S.-Iran Standoff,” Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective  (The Ohio State University, Oct. 2013). 

“The Syrian Uprising: The View from Tehran,” Power & Policy (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Jul. 3, 2012).

“Perceptions and Narratives of Security: The Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Iran-Iraq War,” Discussion Paper 2012-06 (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, May 2012).

“Review of Iran’s Foreign Policy: From Khatami to Ahmadinejad, Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Mahjoob Zweiri, eds.” Iranian Studies 45, no. 1 (2012): 145-149.

“Attacking Iran: Lessons from the Iran-Iraq War,” Policy Brief (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Dec. 2011). 

Commentary

“Letter to the Editor: Re ‘Will Iran Pay for Its Murderous Campaign?’ by Bret Stephens (Column, Aug. 24),” The New York Times (Sep. 2, 2022).

“Understanding the Iran Nuclear Deal Through the Lens of the Iran-Iraq War,” with Ariane Tabatabai, Lawfare (Jul. 16, 2017).

“Trump Administration Should Not Ignore Lessons from Iran-Iraq War,” with Ariane Tabatabai, The Hill (Jul. 3, 2017).

“Correcting Misunderstandings of the IRGC’s Position on Nuclear Negotiations,” Iran Matters (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Feb. 18, 2014).

“Revolutionary Guard Is Cautiously Open to Nuclear Deal,” Iran Matters (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Dec. 20, 2013).

“Why Negotiating with Iran Is Israel’s Best Strategy,” Global Post (Mar. 28, 2012).

“What Will Iran Do If It Gets a Nuclear Bomb?” with Micah Zenko, Kyle Beardsley, Sarah Kreps, Matthew Kroenig, and Todd S. Sechser, Politics, Power, and Preventative Action (Council on Foreign Relations, Feb. 21, 2012). 

Also published:  The Atlantic (Feb. 22, 2012);  Foreign Policy in Focus (Feb. 24, 2012).

“Going Rogue in Iran?” with Daniel L. Tavana, CNN Global Public Square (Oct. 14, 2011). 

“The Revolutionary Guards: Face of Israel’s ‘Iranian Threat’,” Tehran Bureau (May 20, 2011).

“The IRGC and the ‘New’ Middle East,” Open Democracy (Mar. 23, 2011).

Media  &  Interviews

Invited Panelist, Wider View, “Iran’s Global Ambitions,” TVP World (Polish International News Network) (Dec. 5, 2024).

“The Power Behind Iranian Terror,” by Jonathan Broder, SpyTalk Substack (Aug. 2023).

Also published:  Military.com (Aug. 2023).

Podcast Interview, Iran Podcast with Negar Mortazavi (Aug. 2023).

Podcast, Conversation Six (Aug. 2022).

Interview, New Books in Islamic Studies, New Books Network (Jul. 2022).

Interview, Feature on the 40^th Anniversary of the Liberation of Khurramshahr, BBC Persian (May 2022).

Invited Panelist, The Whole Truth with David Eisenhower, “U.S.-Iran Relations” (Season 4, Episode 1), American Public Television (Apr. 2018, released Jun. 2019).

“UTC Professor Talks About Meaning of Governors’ Call to Halt Accepting Syrian Refugees,” ABC News Channel 9 WTVC (Nov. 17, 2015).

“Iran’s Revolutionary Guard” and “The Iran-Iraq War,” Defense and Intelligence Project Podcasts (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Mar. 18, 2013).