Lisa Daftari

Lisa Daftari is a foreign policy analyst and editor-in-chief at The Foreign Desk.

Sen. Lindsey Graham

Opinion

8 hours ago

LISA DAFTARI: Lindsey Graham understood America's role in the world — and why it matters

Sen. Lindsey Graham dies suddenly at 71 after returning home from Ukraine, leaving a massive void in U.S. foreign policy on Iran, Israel and Russia.

trump g7 iran presser

Opinion

June 20, 2026

LISA DAFTARI: Trump's Iran MOU is just a framework — now comes the real test

Maximum pressure brought Iran to the table. The final agreement must invert the JCPOA's logic with permanent restrictions and staged relief.

Naval units from Iran and Russia conducting a rescue simulation at the Port of Bandar Abbas

Opinion

April 18, 2026

LISA DAFTARI: Hormuz whiplash proves Tehran can't honor any deal it signs

Tehran's reversal on the Strait of Hormuz shows the Iranian regime cannot be trusted to uphold deals, relying on constant threats for leverage.

Posters of Ayatollah Khomeini and Khamenei

Opinion

March 4, 2026

LISA DAFTARI: This Purim, we are all targets of the Iranian regime

The ancient story of Purim mirrors modern Iran regime's ongoing threats to Israel and the West through terror proxies, information warfare and regional destabilization.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei image on the wall during a pro-Iran demonstration

Opinion

February 28, 2026

LISA DAFTARI: Trump didn’t start a war; he ended one, and Iranians are celebrating

After 47 years of suffocation, Iranian people seize their own destiny as celebrations stretch from Tehran to Los Angeles in an unprecedented moment of hope.

Anti-Israel protest on Columbia University campus

Opinion

December 24, 2025

College Middle Eastern studies departments are broken — shut them down to end campus radicalism

Campus antisemitism linked to Middle Eastern studies programs as faculty allegedly praise Hamas while students face harassment and exclusion from spaces.