The New Yorker Quotes Ambassador Barbara Leaf on Operation Epic Fury in Iran

Arnold & Porter Senior International Policy Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Leaf (Amb. Leaf) was quoted in The New Yorker article, “The Epic Disaster of Operation Epic Fury,” on the strategic and diplomatic consequences of the Trump administration’s war with Iran.

Amb. Leaf noted that the proposed ceasefire framework reportedly fails to address several of the administration’s original justifications for military action, including Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities and Tehran’s support for regional proxy groups such as Hezbollah. She also observed that Iran continued rebuilding missile-production infrastructure during the ceasefire and retained a significant portion of its prewar missile stockpile.

In discussing the political aftermath of the conflict, Amb. Leaf explained that the war appears to have strengthened the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) within the Iranian government, resulting in a more hard-line and “more cohesive” regime. She further noted that the Trump administration underestimated “the regime’s resilience,” despite extensive military strikes and leadership losses.

Amb. Leaf commented that Trump’s efforts to expand the U.S. goals of the war by mandating Middle East leaders to normalize relations with Israel were met with “a stunned silence…There are no takers.”

Read the full article (subscription required).