• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Marc Lynch",
    "Christian Koch",
    "Ellie Geranmayeh"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Iran",
    "Saudi Arabia",
    "Gulf"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Security"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Diplomatic Breakdown

The recent Saudi execution of a prominent Shia cleric and the subsequent attack on their embassy in Iran has heightened tensions across the Gulf.

Link Copied
By Marc Lynch, Christian Koch, Ellie Geranmayeh
Published on Jan 13, 2016
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

Source: European Council on Foreign Relations

Saudi Arabia’s execution of Nimr al-Nimr has further stoked regional sectarian discord. However, the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran has spoiled much of the political capital that Iran built with the nuclear agreement. Carnegie’s Marc Lynch joined a discussion of the regional and international implications of recent events in the region on ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes.   

This podcast originally appeared at the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

About the Authors

Marc Lynch

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Marc Lynch was a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program where his work focuses on the politics of the Arab world.

Christian Koch

Ellie Geranmayeh

Senior policy fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Ellie Geranmayeh is a senior policy fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She focuses on European policy in relation to Iran, particularly on the nuclear and regional dossiers and sanctions policy.


Authors

Marc Lynch
Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Marc Lynch
Christian Koch
Ellie Geranmayeh
Senior policy fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Ellie Geranmayeh
Political ReformSecurityMiddle EastIranSaudi ArabiaGulf

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes

    This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.

      Galiya Ibragimova

  • Three people standing outside a fancy building
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the Past

    By burying disagreements in imprecision, the new deal risks same fate as its predecessors.

      James M. Acton

  • Man sitting in a chair reading a newspaper with Trump's face above the fold
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?

    The United States and Israel may have unwittingly revived the Islamic Republic’s “zombie regime.”

      Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is European Diplomacy on Iran Outdated?

    When the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was announced, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy declared their readiness to help demine the Strait of Hormuz and lift nuclear sanctions on Tehran. But does Europe need new tools to recover a diplomatic role?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    How to Ensure That Europe-Russia Talks Do Not Fail

    Reestablishing a dialogue with Moscow is not a goal in its own right. The goal is to guarantee the independence of Ukraine and the peace and security of Europe.

      Arkady Moshes

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.