Key Takeaways:

  1. The Afghan Taliban appointed a new leader after confirming the death of Mullah Omar. The leadership change introduces a new set of challenges for the Taliban, which had already factionalized, and for al Qaeda. Mullah Omar had led the Taliban since its inception and had received a pledge of allegiance from al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri.
  2. Freshly trained Yemeni troops supported by an Emirati brigade and Saudi special forces have led an offensive that has driven back the al Houthi movement in Yemen. The recent victories against the al Houthis may be setting the stage for successful political talks to reach a negotiated solution in the country.
  3. The Iranian regime reframed its rhetorical stance on military site inspections into a more mollified assurance to domestic audiences that Iran will not reveal any military or national security-related secrets as a result of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute has set up these pages to help clarify the hyper-complex language of sanctions relief and to provide additional information about some of the entities that will be freed of international restrictions.