International Institute for Iranian Studies

What International Institute for Iranian Studies does

The International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) is an independent, non-profit think tank founded in 2016 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that produces strategic research and policy analysis on Iranian domestic affairs, foreign policy, and regional dynamics. Its core product set comprises an annual Strategic Report (255 pages in its 2024/2025 edition, titled 'Globalization of Crises and Complexity of Conflicts'), monthly Iranian Status Reports, a peer-reviewed Journal of Iranian Studies (currently at Issue 23, with 8 studies per issue), strategic books, position assessments, weekly 'Iran in a Week' infographics, and a dedicated Arabic-language monitoring and translation unit covering Persian-language media. Rasanah also runs a Training Center offering programs on Iranian affairs and Persian language, and organizes conferences, seminars, workshops, and delegation visits.

The institute serves Arab Gulf governments, regional decision-makers, academic researchers, defense institutions (e.g., hosting delegations from the National Defense University), and the wider public across Arabic-, English-, and Persian-speaking audiences. Its GTM is content-led: reports and journals are distributed directly through its trilingual website, social media channels, book fairs (including the Riyadh International Book Fair), and events, with additional consulting services offered on a direct-inquiry basis. The business model is a non-profit mix of publication sales, paid consulting/research services, and institutional funding and partnerships, with no public revenue disclosure.

Operationally, Rasanah runs with approximately 20 staff listed on its official site, including specialized researchers across political, economic, social, security/military, intellectual/cultural, and regional/international affairs, supported by editorial, communications, HR, administrative, and IT functions. The institute is governed by an internal Board of Trustees; no parent company, external investor, or holding structure has been disclosed in source material.

Name

International Institute for Iranian Studies

Legal name

المعهد الدولي للدراسات伊朗研究所

Website

https://rasanah-iiis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) is a Riyadh-based, independent non-profit think tank that produces strategic annual reports, monthly situation reports, a peer-reviewed academic journal, and monitoring/translation services on Iranian affairs for Arab Gulf policymakers, researchers, and the public, delivered in Arabic, English, and Persian.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Strategic Analysis

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Iranian affairs research
• Strategic policy analysis
• Regional security studies
• Middle East think tank
• Geopolitical research publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Publications and Consulting: The institute operates as a non-profit think tank. It generates revenue through sale of publications, research services, and consulting on Iranian affairs. The institute also benefits from institutional funding and partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) is an independent, non-profit think tank that produces strategic research, policy analysis, and consulting focused on Iranian domestic affairs, foreign relations, and regional developments. It sells/distributes annual strategic reports, monthly status reports, a peer-reviewed academic journal, strategic books, position assessments, media monitoring outputs, and training programs — primarily to government decision-makers and academic/research institutions in the Arab Gulf and wider Middle East.

Product overview

The International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) is a think tank providing a unified platform of research products and services focused on Iranian affairs. The core offerings include strategic annual reports, monthly Iranian status reports, the Iranian Studies Journal, strategic books, position assessments, and media monitoring/translation services. Additional services include a training center for Iranian studies and Persian language, conferences, seminars, and weekly infographic updates. All products are delivered in Arabic, English, and Persian languages, targeting policymakers, researchers, and analysts interested in Iranian and regional affairs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Strategic Annual Report (التقرير الاستراتيجي السنوي): Annual strategic report publication covering global, regional, and Iranian developments
• Iranian Status Report (تقرير الحالة伊朗ية)
• Journal of Iranian Studies (مجلة الدراسات伊朗ية)
• Monitoring and Translation (الرصد والترجمة)
• Training Center (مركز التدريب)

Products and services

• Strategic Annual Reports (التقارير الاستراتيجية السنوية) Comprehensive annual strategic reports analyzing Iranian affairs, regional developments, and international dynamics for government decision-makers, researchers, and policy institutions.
• Monthly Iranian Status Reports (تقارير الحالة الإيرانية الشهرية) Monthly reports monitoring and analyzing developments inside Iran across political, economic, social, and security dimensions for institutional subscribers and policy researchers.
• Iranian Studies Journal (مجلة الدراسات الإيرانية) Peer-reviewed academic journal featuring studies by researchers specializing in Iranian affairs, aimed at academic and policy-research institutions.
• Strategic Books (الكتب) Published books on Iranian studies and regional affairs (e.g., "The Kingdom of the Future Under Saudi Vision 2030," "Saudi Support for the Algerian Cause 1932-1962") distributed to libraries, researchers, and policy institutions.
• Position Assessments (تقدير موقف) Strategic position papers and assessments on current Iranian geopolitical developments and policy analysis targeted at decision-makers and policy researchers.
• Articles and Studies (مقالات ودراسات) Published articles and research studies analyzing various aspects of Iranian politics, economics, society, and foreign relations for researchers, media, and informed readers.
• Monitoring and Translation (الرصد والترجمة) Daily monitoring and translation of Iranian media and Persian-language publications, providing translated source material and briefings to subscribers and government clients.
• Training Center (مركز التدريب) Training programs on Iranian affairs and Persian-language instruction offered to researchers, analysts, and institutional clients.
• Conferences and Seminars (المؤتمرات والندوات) Organized conferences, seminars, workshops, and dialogue sessions on Iranian studies, extremism, and regional security topics, including hosted delegation knowledge-exchange visits from institutions such as the National Defense University.
• Weekly Iran Updates — "Iran in a Week" (إيران في أسبوع) Weekly infographic summaries covering Iranian developments over the Thursday-to-Wednesday period, distributed to media and general readers.
• Consulting Services (الاستشارات) Consulting engagements on Iranian affairs offered to government and institutional clients, delivered under multi-year contact-based pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Published 23 issues of the Iranian Studies Journal with 8 studies per issue
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vivficananda International Institution (مؤسسة فيفيكاناندا الدولية)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Rasanah signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Vivficananda International Institution. The partnership aims to promote cooperation in research, studies, and knowledge exchange on matters of mutual interest, particularly regarding Iranian affairs and regional security.
• India (Conference Participation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021Rasanah participated in the 'Extremism: Threats to Global Stability' conference held in India, representing Arab Gulf perspectives on regional security and Iranian influence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: London-based international affairs think tank producing research and convening on global security, including Iran. Comparable in publishing peer-grade research papers and convening policymakers, though with much broader topic coverage.
• Atlantic Council: U.S. think tank with active Iran and Gulf programs producing policy briefs, reports, and convenings. Comparable in serving policy decision-makers with Iran-focused analysis, though with much larger scale and broader global mandate.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global policy think tank with deep Iran and Middle East programs producing reports and convening policymakers. Comparable in research rigor and policy audience, but operates at much larger scale and broader geopolitical scope than Rasanah.
• RAND Corporation: Global policy research organization with a long-standing Middle East and Iran research portfolio. Comparable in producing objective policy analysis for governments, though at significantly larger scale and broader topic scope.

Direct peers

• Al Jazeera Center for Studies: Qatar-based research center producing Arabic-language policy analysis on regional affairs, including Iran. Comparable in mission—independent regional research—and in publishing Arabic policy papers and convening conferences, though network-tied to Al Jazeera.
• International Crisis Group: Global conflict-prevention think tank producing in-depth analytical reports on flashpoints including Iran. Comparable in delivering policy-grade reports, briefings, and field-based analysis to government and policy audiences, though with global rather than regional scope.
• Middle East Institute: Washington, D.C.-based think tank producing policy research and analysis on the Middle East, including Iran. Comparable in mission—independent policy research and convening on regional security—although U.S.-headquartered and broader in scope than Rasanah's Iran-only focus.
• King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies: Riyadh-based Saudi research institution covering regional, political, and security studies with an Islamic-studies lens. Comparable in Saudi base, research-product mix, and language coverage (Arabic/English), and serves a similar Gulf-policy audience.
• Gulf Research Center: Jeddah-based independent think tank producing research on Gulf affairs, regional security, and Iran. Closely comparable in geography, mission, and product mix (reports, journals, conferences, training), and one of the most direct regional competitors.

Regional players

• Vivekananda International Foundation: New Delhi-based policy think tank covering security and international affairs with active Iran and Gulf engagement. Comparable as a Rasanah MOU partner in producing policy research on Iranian and regional security, but India-focused rather than Gulf-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rasanahiiis
• Facebookfacebook.com/rasanah.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rasanah-international-institute-for-iranian-studies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Institute for Iranian Studies