• 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
    Leaving Russian-Speakers Without Representation Is a Risk for Latvia

    If the Russian-speaking community in Latvia cannot articulate their interests without being seen as disloyal, they could end up embracing a pro-Kremlin agenda.

      Sergejs Potapkins

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?

    Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Putin Has Been a Hindrance, Not a Help, to United Russia’s Election Campaign

    Russia’s ruling party would have benefited from Putin appearing as its distant patron, but as an active frontman imposing his views on the public, he has done nothing but harm both the party’s election campaign and the ruling system overall.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Research
    China’s Construction of Police Training Facilities in Global South Likely to Expand Global Security Leadership

    China’s police training infrastructure construction projects provide benefits to recipient countries, promote China’s image as a major global security provider, and are likely to reinforce alignment between Beijing’s security priorities and those of countries in the Global South.

      • Sheena Chestnut Greitens
      • +2

      Cameron Waltz, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Kim Nguyen, …

  • circles of chairs in a large, formal room
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The UN Security Council Is Deadlocked on Climate. New Members Have a Path Forward.

    They face an uphill climb, but they could draw on a strategy that other diplomats have used in the past.

      • Shana Tabak headshot
      • Alejandro Rodriguez

      Shana Tabak, Alejandro Martin Rodriguez

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.