Leverage in the Middle East

There are game-changers in the region that defies simplification.

A helicopter flies over the Red Zone area amid heightened security measures ahead of anticipated U.S.–Iran peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 20, 2026. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

At first glance, Middle Eastern countries appear to fit into familiar categories: allies or adversaries of the United States. But a closer look reveals a far more complicated picture of overlapping, often contradictory relationships.