March 06, 2026
U.S. Is Close to Degrading Iran Militarily but Very Far from Regime Change, Says Think Tank
Richard Fontaine, CEO of the national security think tank CNAS, says greater clarity on U.S. President Donald Trump’s objectives is needed to make progress in negotiations with Iran. He believes Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded, but what happens next with the regime remains highly uncertain.
Watch the full interview on CNBC.
More from CNAS
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Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security / Middle East Security
The Axis of Upheaval Goes to WarThey are fine-tuning their cooperation to make their partners more resilient—and more dangerous to the United States—while limiting costs and risks....
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Richard Fontaine
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U.S. Troops Are Leaving Iraq. What Does That Mean for U.S. Influence in the Region?
Podcast
Hamzeh Hadad, an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins NPR's Consider This to discuss U.S. forces withdrawing from Iraq after a two-decade-long milit...
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Rational Security: The “All Takin’ and No Givin’” Edition
Podcast
Alex Zerden, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins the Rational Security podcast to discuss the week's biggest news in national security, incl...
By Alex Zerden
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We Cannot Let the Lebanon-Israel Breakthrough Slip Away
Commentary
The US has helped to open a window. For the sake of Lebanon, Israel and the wider region, they must not allow it to close....
By Rachel Brandenburg
