Institute for Political and International Studies

The Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) is the in-house think tank of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Founded in 1983, it conducts research on foreign policy, regional affairs, and international relations, and trains diplomats. Under Mostafa Zahrani's directorship, IPIS oversaw the Iran Experts Initiative, a covert influence operation that recruited Western-based Iranian academics to promote Tehran's nuclear negotiating positions in Western media and policy circles. Saeed Khatibzadeh, the initiative's mastermind, was appointed head of IPIS in January 2025.