Alex Vatanka (Persian: آلکس وطنخواه) is a senior fellow and the founding director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. He specializes in Iranian domestic and regional policies. Born in Tehran and also raised in Denmark, he joined the Middle East Institute in 2007. He was formerly an analyst with Jane’s Information Group in London (UK) before moving to Washington D.C. He is also a senior fellow in Middle East Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School at Hurlburt Field and teaches as an adjunct professor at Wright-Patterson AFB.