Middle East
Regional security, proxy networks, escalation risk, and conflict diplomacy across the Middle East.
192 Dispatches
Iran's New Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei and the War's Second Week
Mojtaba Khamenei is named Iran's next Supreme Leader as the Iran-Israel-US war enters its second week, with strikes spreading across the Gulf.
Iran's Sleeper Cells Weren't Real. The Alternative Is Worse.
Iran's threatened sleeper cells never materialized during the Iran War. What emerged instead was a gig-economy sabotage campaign that's harder to stop.
Iran Strikes the UAE and US Warships as the Hormuz Blockade Bites
Iran fires missiles at the UAE and US warships over the Hormuz blockade, Hezbollah refuses to disarm, and the US pulls 5,000 troops from Germany.
Iran War Update: The Diego Garcia Strike, the Hormuz Ultimatum, and a War Slipping Out of Control
Iran's missile reach doubles past its declared cap, Trump issues a 48-hour Hormuz ultimatum, and intelligence gaps multiply as the war enters its fourth week.
The Iran War's Energy Threshold: South Pars, Ras Laffan, and the Point of No Return
An Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars gas field and Iran's retaliation against Qatar's Ras Laffan shattered the unspoken limits restraining the Middle East war.
Iran War Update: The F-15 Rescue, a Rejected Ceasefire, and Trump's Hormuz Deadline
How US forces extracted a downed F-15E airman deep inside Iran, why Tehran rejected Pakistan's ceasefire, and the strikes converging on Iran's energy grid.
Iran War Update: A Blockade Run, a Seized Ship, and the Chaos in the Strait of Hormuz
Inside a frantic week of the Iran war — a US blockade run and ship seizure, regime infighting over Hormuz, and a fragile ceasefire racing a Wednesday deadline.
Iran War Update: 'Love Taps,' Project Freedom, and a Secret Israeli Base in Iraq
A fragile Iran ceasefire is tested by fresh strikes, a stalled MOU, a secret Israeli base in Iraq, and China's quiet push for peace ahead of a Trump-Xi summit.
The World Is Running Out of Air Defenses: Inside Week Three of the Iran War
As the Iran war enters its third week, empty interceptor stockpiles and strikes on oil and gas infrastructure threaten a global energy shock.
Iran's Hidden Power Struggle: Who Really Runs Tehran After the War
How assassinations gutted Iran's leadership, handing the IRGC unprecedented power and turning US ceasefire talks into a battle between hardliners and a fractured regime.
Iraq: Caught Between Washington and Tehran as War Engulfs the Region
Fifty days into the US-Iran war, Iraq is trapped between its two most vital partners as Iran-backed militias it bankrolls turn their guns on American troops.
Is the Iran War Even Winnable Anymore?
Seven weeks into the US-Israeli war on Iran, no belligerent is closer to victory. We examine what winning would look like for Tehran, Washington, and Jerusalem.