Click Here to Watch LIVE on YouTube
Thursday, May 7, 2026
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. / Eastern Time
Registration is NOT REQUIRED to view the program.
Submit questions to the specialists: questions@ncusar.org
Background and Context
The National Council welcomes former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Presidential Special Envoy Mr. Timothy Lenderking, prominent energy analyst Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, renowned Gulf scholar Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, and leading Iran expert Mr. Alex Vatanka for a comprehensive briefing on the volatile U.S.-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. This program will also feature opening and closing remarks by the National Council’s Senior Fellows Dr. Fadi Hilani and Dr. William Lawrence.
Following six weeks of open warfare and four weeks of “less-fire,” this session will examine the fragile ceasefire currently holding amid a “dual blockade” scenario, where U.S. naval forces attempt to secure global shipping lanes while Iran retaliates with drones, missiles, small boats, and fast boats.
Our panel will contextualize the tit-for-tat maritime engagements, specifically analyzing the impact of President Trump’s “Project Freedom” to escort tankers, which Iran has warned violates the existing truce, as it violates the truce. We will explore the strategic redlines, including U.S. demands for an immediate end to uranium enrichment and unhindered traffic through the waterway, set against Iran’s demand for lifting the U.S. naval blockade and sanctions and a comprehensive peace deal.
The webinar will cover re-establishing safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining safe navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb, global energy and economic impacts, Iranian economic devastation, shifting regional alliances, and the “escalate to de-escalate” strategies of both sides. This webinar will be timely for energy professionals, risk managers, foreign policy professionals, and students.
Moderator:
- Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, Former Washington D.C. Bureau Chief; Former Host of Min Washington, Al Jazeera | Bio
Speakers:
- Mr. Timothy Lenderking, Former U.S. Presidential Special Envoy for Yemen; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, U.S. Department of State | Bio
- Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Co-Director, Middle East Energy Roundtable | Bio
- Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, Center for Energy Security and Diplomacy Chair, Institute for World Politics; Founder and President, SVB Energy International | Bio
- Mr. Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute | Bio