Analysis Why Iran's Pezeshkian is facing an uphill battle in postwar diplomacy As President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration advances dialogue with Washington, its fiercer contest is in the corridors of power within the Islamic Republic itself. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown At least three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate armed attacks across Iran, including one in western Iran near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where authorities have intensified their crackdown on Kurdish groups. Iran
Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Beijing comes as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable. Saudi Arabia
Analysis How competing visions over Hormuz strait threaten fragile Iran-US deal By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Trump calls Iran’s drone attack on cargo ship 'foolish violation' of ceasefire By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Is Lebanon caught in the crossfire of the current US-Iranian standoff? With Iranian-backed Hezbollah playing a role in Lebanon's government, how much might the country suffer in case of a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran? Iraq
Will Trump follow suit if Israel attacks Iran? Ahead of the 2020 US presidential elections, President Donald Trump might decide to back Israel militarily, if it decides to attack Iran. Israel
Anniversary of Iran Air 655 tragedy offers lessons for US-Iran diplomacy today Iran Air 655’s bitter legacy; Iraq as front line; Iran should talk … but it needs off-ramps. United States
Shiite militias react angrily to decree integrating them into Iraqi forces Pro-Iran Shiite militias in Iraq reacted with displeasure to the prime minister's decree to integrate the Popular Mobilization Units into the Iraqi military forces, but the majority of the PMU are pledging allegiance to Baghdad. Iraq
Iraq orders militias to fully integrate into state security forces In an important move amid US-Iran tensions, the Iraqi prime minister issued a decree ordering the Popular Mobilization Units to come under the full control of the state. Iraq
Gulf states divided in approach to Iran-US escalation Not having faced a direct threat from Iran in the last few decades, the position of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar in the current tensions with Iran is that of peaceful negotations, rather than military intervention. Legacy: Gulf
The Art of the Deal: Trump turns to Putin on Iran ‘A diplomatic way out’; Iran’s patience runs out; Trump has ‘all the time in the world’; Oil for Food 2.0?; Iraq, Afghanistan and prisoners: Steps in the right direction? Iraq
Would Palestinian factions go all the way to pay back Iran While Iran is the main supporter of the Palestinian resistance factions, how would these factions react to a military confrontation between Iran and the United States? Palestine
Iran seeks relief from US sanctions in Asia In its foreign policy toward Asian and Eurasian states, Iran is extending its outreach beyond traditional allies China and Russia to draw support from a range of countries and reduce the impact of US sanctions. Russia
Tehran renews warning that it may soon bid farewell to nuclear deal Amid continued frustration with the European signatories to the nuclear deal, Iran is sending fresh signals about its potential departure from the pact, while indicating that diplomacy remains a viable option. United States
2020 Democrats bash Trump for Iran crisis While one Democratic presidential candidate calls Trump's Iran policy reckless and another says the only reason there is a crisis is because of Trump, there are questions as to whether the issue will resonate with voters if no war takes place. United States
How Khamenei made Abe's Iran visit a mission impossible Japan's prime minister was in Tehran to deliver a message of rapprochement from the US president. But Shinzo Abe received a tough albeit respectful response of noncompromise from the Iranian leadership. United States
