Karim Sadjadpour

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the most widely cited Western analysts on Iranian domestic politics, the IRGC, and US-Iran relations. Based in Washington, he previously worked at the International Crisis Group in Tehran and is fluent in Persian. He is known for long-form reporting and analysis on Iran's leadership dynamics, the Islamic Republic's internal contradictions, and US policy towards Tehran. Sadjadpour has been cited extensively across 2026 Iran conflict coverage for his analysis of the IRGC's relationship with Mojtaba Khamenei and the succession dynamics that followed Ali Khamenei's death on 28 February 2026.

His work forms part of the analytical backbone shaping how Western governments and media interpret Iranian decision-making during the conflict, covering the dynastic succession, the IRGC's consolidation of power against civilian government, and the prospects for a durable settlement. The June 2026 Ceasefire and subsequent Doha indirect talks have added new analytical territory: what conditions would allow Tehran's fractured command structure to commit to a verifiable agreement. His broader significance lies in the gap he occupies: a Western analyst with deep primary-source access to Iranian intellectuals, former officials, and diaspora networks, translating Iranian political culture into terms that US policymakers can act on. In a conflict where Iranian decision-making has been increasingly opaque, with Mojtaba. The event record includes and .