On May 1, 2026, NIAC hosted a critical virtual briefing on the state of the war on Iran after 60 days, and what may come next.
This panel featured speakers who are champion experts on NIAC’s Community Council, our advisory board of leading scholars, policy experts, and community leaders who provide independent analysis, expertise, and public-facing insight to inform NIAC’s work on issues impacting Iranian Americans and U.S.-Iran policy.
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Jamal Abdi (Moderator) – NIAC President
Dr. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi – A leading scholar of the Iranian Revolution and Islamic political thought, he has emphasized that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has not produced collapse but instead reshaped the conflict, with Iran absorbing and redirecting pressure in ways Washington did not anticipate. Watch his recent interview on the war with DemocracyNow!.
Dr. Maryam Jamshidi – An expert in international law, she has argued that the war is “indisputably unlawful” and has highlighted how key legal questions are being obscured amid geopolitical maneuvering, particularly around debates on the Strait of Hormuz. Read her recent analysis on the U.S.-Israel War on Iran in The Nation.
Amb. John Limbert – A former U.S. diplomat and one of the American hostages held during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, he brings decades of experience and a deeply informed perspective on how history continues to shape U.S.-Iran relations. Watch his recent segment on his time as a hostage and this latest war on ABC news.