Analysis After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq. Iraq
Turkey seizes Iran’s Caspian Airlines jet over $3.4M debt The court-ordered seizure at Istanbul Airport comes as Iranian carriers face mounting pressure from sweeping new US aviation sanctions. Turkey
Analysis As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left? Six months into the war, Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz is weakening. The world is slowly learning to live with it, oil flows are recovering, alternative routes are expanding and Tehran's own economy is bearing the cost of keeping the waterway under pressure. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Have Iraqi religious centers contributed to the spread of coronavirus? With the increase in the number of coronavirus victims in Iraq, the role of religious centers in curbing the spread of COVID-19 has come under scrutiny. Saudi Arabia
Iran’s coronavirus has no politics and can’t be contained UAE, Gulf take proactive steps to get ahead of outbreak, but region is already paying a heavy price. Saudi Arabia
Iran presents national strategy to fight coronavirus Iran’s Health Ministry has initiated a nationwide program to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Iran
What the US-Afghan agreement means for Iran The US agreement with the Taliban could prove to be an added burden to Iran, which has serious concerns about the deal creating instability in neighboring Afghanistan. United States
AIPAC gets Democrats to help Trump chip away at nuclear deal AIPAC is marshaling significant bipartisan backing for a bid to extend the Iran nuclear deal’s first sunset provision as hawks push for snapback sanctions at the United Nations. United States
Iran’s IRGC claims it's close to producing coronavirus vaccine As the coronavirus marches across Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that its research teams are set to produce a vaccine. Iran
UN nuclear watchdog: Iran dragging feet on access to nuclear sites International Atomic Energy Agency, in two separate reports, says Iran is not granting the IAEA access to sites suspected of past involvement in Iran's nuclear program and says Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium at the Fordow facility. Iran
Iran risks confrontation with Turkey over Idlib While Iran's military command in Syria has issued direct warnings aimed at Turkey, President Hassan Rouhani and the Iranian foreign ministry continue to insist on the role of diplomacy and dialogue. Lebanon
Iran’s Khamenei optimistic on coronavirus despite rising death toll Iran’s supreme leader is hopeful that his country will soon defeat the coronavirus epidemic that has now reached all provinces, killing nearly 80 people. Iran
Mountain couriers brave bullets along Iran-Iraq border As the economic crisis deepens in Iran, more people are risking their lives to earn money by transporting goods through the mountains of the Kurdistan region on the Iraq-Iran border. Iraq
Power vacuum in Iraq leads to threats from pro-Iran faction Pro-Iran factions in Iraq worry that they could lose their political sway, having failed to keep one prime minister in power, then failing in their attempt to replace him, as they recognize the next candidate could be selected from outside their political circle with the support of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiite rivals. Iraq
Iran rallies religious leaders to expel US forces from Iraq While US policy takes its toll on Iran, the regime is seeking to increase pressure on Washington to exit the region, and particularly Iraq, by consolidating anti-American sentiment. Iraq