Newsletter: Daily Briefing Lebanon becomes first Arab country to abolish death penalty Hormuz shipping traffic falls to one-week low amid hostilities; Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma The Quds Force commander's Baghdad visit is occurring as Iran faced difficult choices in Iraq where the government is moving to bring powerful armed groups under state control after the recent war. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline Esmail Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, has been heavily involved in Iran’s relations with Iraqi militias. Iraq
Analysis How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens Turkey and Iraq are accelerating energy, infrastructure and trade cooperation as the Hormuz crisis increases the strategic value of northern export routes. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Tensions Mount Between Iraqi Government, Najaf Though influential, Iraqi politicians claim Najaf religious scholars have no right to influence the state of affairs in the country. Iraq
Who Are We? Iraq Struggles With Its National Identity Iraq is struggling to establish a modernized national identity, a problem which is most readily apparent in debates over public school and university curricula. Iraq
Money Laundering in Billions, Iraqi Official Estimates Conflicting reports by Iraqi officials bring attention to allegedly rampant money-laundering operations in Iraq. Iraq
Reconciliation, Decision-Making In Iraq As the security situation continues to deteriorate, Iraqi political groups must reconcile and work together to ensure all players have a say in the decision-making process. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles With Influx of Syrian Refugees Like other countries in the region struggling to take in the huge influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the war at home, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has not received the international support needed to do so. Iraq
Lebanon Risks Becoming More Like Iraq Than Syria The nature of back-and-forth Shiite-Sunni fighting in Lebanon more closely resembles the conflict raging in Iraq than the one in neighboring Syria. Iraq
Assyrians Discuss Possible State in Iraq Diasporan Assyrians, descendants of one of Iraq’s oppressed and scattered historic minorities, are examining establishing an autonomous or independent state in Ninevah province. Iraq
After Bombing, Basra Governor Sees 'Political' Price to Pay A truck bomb explosion on the Basra docks exposes the tenuous security situation, and Basra's governor says, "The city is paying the price for the political differences in the country." Iraq
Najaf Seminary Plays Role Of Iraqi Opposition The multiple failings of the Iraqi government have given Najaf the opportunity to play the opposition’s role. Iraq
Despite New Security Measures, Violence Persists in Iraq Although the Iraqi government has developed new plans to address the deteriorating security situation, violence continues to strike throughout the country. Iraq
Khamenei’s Controversial Fatwas Iran’s supreme leader employs traditionalist fatwas to establish his political and religious authority. Iraq
Iraqi Official: Rouhani 'Means Serious Business' With US Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says the Iranian leadership could have prevented Hassan Rouhani from becoming president if it wanted to continue hard-line policies toward the United States. Saudi Arabia