Location: Committee Room 20, House of Commons
Date: 28 April 2026
Time: 19:00 - 21:00

This timely discussion will focus on the escalating tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, and their wider implications for regional and global stability.

The session will examine the underlying drivers of the confrontation, including longstanding disputes over Iran's nuclear programme, regional influence, and shifting geopolitical alliances. It will also explore the broader political, security, and economic consequences of rising tensions, including risks of further escalation and the impact on the wider Middle East.

Participants will gain insight into possible future scenarios, diplomatic prospects, and the evolving strategic landscape shaping the region.

Speakers

Dr Sinan Ciddi
Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and Director of the Turkey Program. Dr Ciddi has over two decades of research experience focused on Turkish domestic politics and foreign policy. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Politico, Newsweek, and other leading outlets, and he is a frequent commentator on major international media including BBC and CNN International. He also serves as Associate Professor of National Security Studies at Marine Corps University and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Professor Dr Abbas Vali (Emeritus)
Originally from Mahabad in the Kurdish region of Iran, Professor Vali is a distinguished scholar of political theory and Middle Eastern politics. He began his academic career at the University of Wales, Swansea, and later became the founding President of the University of Kurdistan in Hewler (Erbil). He subsequently held the Chair of Modern Social and Political Thought at Boğaziçi University (2008-2017).

He has authored five books and more than 40 academic articles, including Pre-Capitalist Iran: A Theoretical History (1993), Essays on the Origins of Kurdish Nationalism (2003), and Kurds and the State in Iran (2012). His forthcoming works include The Kurdish Question Reconstituted (2026) and Iran: The Republic of Violence (2027).

Dr Tunc Aybak
Dr Aybak is a scholar at Middlesex University, specialising in foreign policy analysis, geopolitical shifts, and regional risk. His research focuses particularly on the Black Sea region, Southeast Europe, and Eurasia.

He has supervised numerous Master's and PhD dissertations and currently serves as Director of Studies, overseeing doctoral research on topics such as Chinese-Russian relations, the geopolitics of the South China Sea, and the legal and political status of the Black Sea straits. He welcomes research proposals in areas aligned with his academic interests.

Chair

Idris Okuduci
PhD Researcher at Middlesex University and Research Coordinator at CEFTUS

Register for this event

Please use the form below to RSVP. Capacity is limited to 40 places.