Middle East

Trump-Netanyahu effect: Iran caught off guard and off balance - opinion

Tehran struggles to respond as Trump and Netanyahu disrupt Iran’s usual strategic strategy for control in the region.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.
Members of the Kurdish community and other protesters attend a demonstration against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Berlin, Germany, January 24, 2026.

The fall of Rojava was not a conspiracy, it was a failure of strategy - opinion

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), speaks at the opening of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 15, 2025

Iran could dilute 60% enriched uranium if all US sanctions lifted, nuclear official says

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan meets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, Egypt on August 25, 2025.

Egypt’s Sisi visits UAE amid Gulf tensions and regional challenges - analysis


If US attacks, Iran says it will strike US bases in Middle East

"It would not be possible to attack American soil, but we will target their bases in the region,” Araghchi said.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS stand near military trucks at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria, on March 23.

The essence of Palestinian identity clashes with Israel’s existence - opinion

Palestinian identity as it exists today cannot produce peace and only leads to more conflict with Israel.

A Palestinian uses a sling to hurl stones during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 14, 2018.

Syria’s Sunni Islamist regime consolidates power, ending Kurdish autonomy

BEHIND THE LINES: The arrival of Syrian forces to Qamishli sets the seal on the effective demise of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

A MEMBER of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces rides on a car, while vehicles of the internal security forces of the Syrian government arrive in the city of Qamishli during the curfew, following an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government on Tuesday.

Iranian protests create a short window for change - opinion

As Iran’s regime escalates repression, the 2026 uprising exposes the limits of containment and opens an opportunity for decisive change.

US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026

Burn the kitchen down: A transformational Trump must strike at Iran now - opinion

A crushing military blow on Iran is necessary to create a Middle East and a broader world where Washington and its friends are far stronger, and their enemies far weaker, than ever before.

IRANIAN PRO-GOVERNMENT supporters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump, last month. If Trump’s bluster against Iran just leads to another soft deal that kicks the Iranian nuclear can down the road, then Trump’s presidency is finished, the writer says.

A ‘Venezuelan model’ in Iran would be a disaster for Israel, Iranians - opinion

Removing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei without dismantling the regime risks betraying the Iranian people and leaving Israel facing the same threats under new leadership.

 US President Donald Trump seen over an illustrative image of American-Iranian ties (illustrative)

France, Bahrain sign bilateral defense deal which includes strategic information sharing

"This agreement will also open up new opportunities for industrial cooperation in defense, and strengthen solidarity between our two countries," said French President Emmanuel Macron.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 6, 2026.

My Word: Dangerous global gambling games - opinion

Prediction markets claim to reveal the future, but when wars, elections, and disasters are used for gambling, the consequences can be dangerous.


Sen. Graham ends meeting early with Lebanese official, says Lebanon unreliable peace partner

Graham added that “too much is at stake” in the Middle East for the Lebanese attitude, and said that he was “tired of the double speak.”

US Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks at a news conference in Tel Aviv in August. He has declared: ‘If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us. I’m not going to let that happen.’

Former Iranian official reveals IRGC trained for years for violent crackdown on protesters - report

According to the former official, thugs were employed by the regime to "identify individuals and guide or misdirect street movements."

Iranian parliament members dressed in IRGC uniforms in session to protest against the EU's decision to designate the IRGC as a 'terrorist organization'. Feburary 1.