Middle East
Regional security, proxy networks, escalation risk, and conflict diplomacy across the Middle East.
181 Dispatches
The World's Drone Fleets, Ranked: From the Tryers to the Original Drone Empire
A nation-by-nation ranking of the world's military drone fleets, from Europe's failed programmes to the United States, China, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.
The United States Wants Out of Iran. Can It Actually Leave?
As the war in Iran enters its fifth week, Trump signals he wants out, but a blocked Strait of Hormuz, an unbroken Iran, and rising battlefield stakes complicate any exit.
The Islamic State's Quiet Resurgence: A Global Network Rebuilt for the Shadows
Stripped of its caliphate, the Islamic State has gone global, online, and underground—expanding from Somalia to Syria to the Sahel while the world looks away.
Why Taking Iran's Kharg Island Could Be an American Trap
Kharg Island handles up to 90% of Iran's oil exports, making it a tempting target—but seizing it with the forces inbound risks America's worst defeat in generations.
The Houthis Enter the Iran War: A New Front and a Buried Ground Plan
Yemen's Houthis open a second front in the Iran war as a secret Mossad-Kurdish ground plan collapses and Lebanon defies an Iranian ambassador's expulsion.
How Yemen's Houthi Rebels Could Decide the Iran War
Why Yemen's Houthis may be Iran's most dangerous ally in the Iran war, and why their patience on the sidelines could yet prove catastrophic for global trade.
The Biggest Losers of the Iran War So Far: How the Conflict Spilled Past Iran's Borders
A region-by-region map of the Iran War's global fallout, from the Gulf's desalination crisis to India's fuel shock, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Asia's energy triage.
Trump Blinked on Iran. Will Friday's New Deadline Be Different?
Day 27 of the Iran war. Trump let his ultimatum lapse, oil cratered, and a new Friday deadline looms as the Gulf turns against Tehran.
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.
America Wants Regime Change in Cuba: Inside the Blockade Squeezing Havana
A US energy blockade has plunged Cuba into nationwide blackouts as Washington pushes to topple Miguel Diaz-Canel after Venezuela and Iran.
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.
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.