Sina Toossi
@sinatoossi.bsky.social
senior fellow at the @CIPolicy.bsky.social | write a lot about Iran, US foreign policy, Middle East | bylines Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Guardian & elsewhere | check out my substack: dissidentforeignpolicy.com
A friend just returned from Palestine. Daily humiliation & oppression is intensifying everywhere: raids, settler attacks, home seizures, checkpoints, systematic discrimination for Palestinians in 1948 Israel. It's hard to fathom. Yet this is what so many in Washington defend. 🧵>>>
Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza continues unabated despite ceasefire
Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza continues unabated despite ceasefire
More than a month after a ceasefire was announced and all living Israeli hostages were released, Israeli authorities are still committing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, by c...
amnesty.org
There’s still a segment of the liberal political & foreign-policy pundit class that, even now, can’t bring itself to criticize Israel — though they’d condemn any other state for the same actions. At this point, that silence says something deeper and darker about many of them. 🧵>>>
Israeli analysts are whipping up a more fervor against Syria as Israel expands its attacks. On Telegram, Eran Lahav, fresh off a program with FDD, casts Syria’s internal dynamics as “Al-Jolani’s sophisticated jihad.” The narrative is clearly primed for more attacks. 🧵>>>
Apartheid South Africa waged endless regional wars under a “total strategy,” claiming it was fighting the Soviets while feeding off Western backing. Israel now does the same with Iran. But Pretoria’s militarism only brought isolation, economic strain & accelerated collapse. 🧵>>>
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's about gratitude. It reminds us how interconnected we are. Even in foreign policy, the suffering we cause elsewhere reshapes us at home. Gratitude brings us back to our better nature. Some thoughts ⬇️
On Thanksgiving & Gratitude
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s devoted to one simple, profound act: being grateful.
dissidentforeignpolicy.com
Apartheid South Africa waged endless regional wars under a “total strategy,” claiming it was fighting the Soviets while feeding off Western backing. Israel now does the same with Iran. But Pretoria’s militarism only brought isolation, economic strain & accelerated collapse. 🧵>>>
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's about gratitude. It reminds us how interconnected we are. Even in foreign policy, the suffering we cause elsewhere reshapes us at home. Gratitude brings us back to our better nature. Some thoughts ⬇️
On Thanksgiving & Gratitude
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s devoted to one simple, profound act: being grateful.
dissidentforeignpolicy.com
"But nothing has stirred my soul quite like Persian – the language of mystics and lovers." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Out of all the languages I know, Persian is the one that speaks directly to my soul and offers a new way of being | Shadi Khan Saif
I’ve found metaphors that mirror my own journey, phrases that feel like home and poetry that speaks directly to the soul
theguardian.com
⭕️ Newly shared footage from Tehran captures the aftermath of Israel’s strike on a packed intersection during the war in June:
Sina Toossi@sinatoossi.bsky.social · 9mo agoNew footage shows the aftermath of Israel’s strike on a busy traffic intersection near Tehran’s Tajrish Bazaar in the June war. Cars & surrounding infrastructure destroyed, streets flooded, many killed or injured, people trying help each other at the scene.
New footage shows the aftermath of Israel’s strike on a busy traffic intersection near Tehran’s Tajrish Bazaar in the June war. Cars & surrounding infrastructure destroyed, streets flooded, many killed or injured, people trying help each other at the scene.
Yes! Understand this, you’ll understand 99% more than many Iran “experts!”
Sina Toossi@sinatoossi.bsky.social · 9mo ago“Eat grass before becoming a colony again.” The Polish Foreign Minister's line echoes across the world, from Iran and Taiwan to Latin America and Palestine. I wrote about the universal struggle to resist domination and the hard tradeoffs nations face 👇
“Eat grass before becoming a colony again.” The Polish Foreign Minister's line echoes across the world, from Iran and Taiwan to Latin America and Palestine. I wrote about the universal struggle to resist domination and the hard tradeoffs nations face 👇
Why Some Countries Fight So Hard to Stay Independent
Poland’s foreign minister has remarked that his country would “eat grass” before ever becoming a Russian colony again.
dissidentforeignpolicy.com
The new Epstein emails are the most incriminating evidence to date on Trump & Epstein & let's be clear, there has been plenty of incriminating evidence for many years. So, can we stop treating this like a process story and start focusing squarely on the likelihood Trump is a pedophile sex criminal.
Beware of narratives that serve to manufacture consent for another war, especially a new one against Lebanon or Iraq. Both are in the Netanyahu government's crosshairs, even as Israel’s military is worn down. They're hunting for another war & trying to drag the U.S. along.
The fact that the NYT even entertains such an outlandish, agenda-driven accusation isn’t just bad journalism. It’s how establishment outlets police the boundaries of “acceptable” debate and manufacture controversy over positions & people they want to keep on the margins.
Centrist Dems aren’t built for moments like this. They rose in a politics designed to preserve status quo institutions of power, not challenge them. This is why they'll crumble even when "democracy" is on the line. Their instincts simply aren't fit for this Trump-era authoritarian moment.
Iran’s postwar politics are in flux. Beneath the surface noise, one trend is unmistakable: Tehran is pivoting more decisively toward China, out of necessity. @sinatoossi.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/11/i...
Iran’s Foreign Policy Is Changing in Real Time
The debate in Tehran is heating up—and moving in unexpected directions.
foreignpolicy.com
Important analysis from @sinatoossi.bsky.social: “The lesson in Iran is that international law and institutions no longer matter, so Tehran must act on its own national interests.” thebulletin.org/2025/10/why-...
Why Europe's snapback gamble against Iran will backfire
European and US officials have said that diplomacy remains an option. But Europe's "snapback" of UN sanctions on Iran shrinks the possibility of successful diplomacy and fuels escalation.
thebulletin.org
Trump believes he can get more than a nuclear deal from Iran, but pressure will make Tehran stick to its guns and turn to China and Russia – @sinatoossi.bsky.social told @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump’s Middle East ‘peace’ pitch to Iran falls flat in Tehran and Jerusalem
In a Knesset speech, Trump urged Israel to reconcile with its longtime foe Iran. Both governments dismissed the idea
theguardian.com
Very valuable @nonzeronews.bsky.social podcast conversation about this weekend's US-Iran talks between @sinatoossi.bsky.social and @connorechols.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwYz...
How Trump could strike a deal with Iran | NonZero World feat. Sina Toossi
YouTube video by Nonzero
youtube.com
I spoke to The Hill about the Trump-Iran talks set to begin. This could be a real opening — if both sides recognize that serious diplomacy, not threats or ultimatums, is the only viable path to avoid conflict.
thehill.com
Trump blindsided Netanyahu by announcing high-level talks with Iran. It’s a rare opening for diplomacy—and the war camp is scrambling to shut it down. I've written in Mondoweiss on why the US must not waste this chance:
Trump must continue to move toward Iran talks, even as Netanyahu tries to derail it
Donald Trump’s surprising announcement that talks are starting with Iran gives the White House a pivotal choice: follow pro-Israel hawks calling for a military confrontation with Iran, or chart a dipl...
mondoweiss.net
🧵In a striking moment at the White House today, Trump told reporters that direct talks with Iran have begun—and will continue this Saturday. The implications could be huge. Here's why this matters and what could really be happening behind the scenes. >>>
“Forgive me, mother. I chose a path that was helping people.” He was a medic. Shot in the head by Israeli forces while saving lives. Buried in a mass grave. Israel tried to cover it up. But video found on his body proves the truth. Another atrocity in a genocidal war.
🧵There’s no military solution to Iran’s nuclear program. Strikes might set it back a year—at best—but carry a high risk of pushing Iran to weaponize. Retaliation would also likely be fierce: Iran’s missiles and drones can overwhelm US & Israeli defenses. >>>
Trump has reportedly fired several NSC staffers for being too hawkish. Could Waltz be next? His call for a Libya-style dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program isn’t a path to a deal, it's a formula for making war inevitable.
The US military buildup—2 carriers, B-2s to Diego Garcia—may signal strength, but it hasn’t even neutralized Houthi strikes. An attack on Iran would trigger wider conflict while likely failing to destroy Iran’s retaliatory capabilities. How credible is this threat, really?
Trump seriously considering Iran's offer of indirect nuclear talks
But he's also flooding military assets to the region for plan b.
axios.com