As anti-government protests in Iran continue, the government is forced to confront a population increasingly dissatisfied with economic and political problems. The US maximum pressure policy appears to play a significant part on Iran’s economic isolation as well. These protests are happening in the broader regional context of a fresh round of protest movements in countries such as Iraq and Lebanon in response to economic, political, and social grievances. After pulling out of the JCPOA, the US has been pursuing a campaign of isolation but is struggling to gain major concessions from Iran. Domestic drivers of the recent protests in Iran and the regional strategic dynamics in the context of US pressure appear to promise further instability in the region.

On December 4, the SETA Foundation at Washington, DC convened a panel of experts to discuss what is happening in Iran and how these developments might impact the broader region.