Analysis How long can Iran's economy withstand Trump's naval blockade? Iranian authorities are denouncing US seizures of the country's oil tankers as piracy, but mounting disruptions to maritime trade are exposing economic fragility beneath Tehran's claims of control and resilience. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil. United Arab Emirates
Analysis Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely As President Donald Trump pressures Israel to limit its strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah is taking advantage of the situation. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Iran steps up hijab crackdown on women, shuttering businesses In Iran's capital Tehran, some 150 such shops have been forced to close by authorities in the past two weeks alone. Iran
Iran IRGC unit hit with US sanctions for hostage-taking The sanctions on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization come as several Americans remained unlawfully jailed in the country. Iran
Iran FM in Lebanon, urges vote on president without 'foreign interference' Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Lebanese officials as the country faces a deepening political and economic crisis. Lebanon
Iran's IRGC seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman Open-source reports indicated the Advantage Sweet was bound for Houston, Texas, when the United States said it was seized by Iran's IRGC navy on Thursday afternoon. Iran
Iranian senior cleric Soleimani killed in attack The shooting occurred as anti-clerical sentiments are high in Iran amid the popular protests, but the motive behind the attack is not yet known. Iran
In Iran, hardliners successfully orchestrate takeover of state TV Iran's state TV has been taken over by hard-line figures who use it to transmit ideological and hard-line views targeting the Reformists and opposition, including in entertainment shows. Iran
Iran hard-liners lash out at shah Pahlavi's son over Israel visit Reza Pahlavi's trip to Israel and his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be part of his campaign to garner support for regime change in Iran, as the opposition camps were scrambling for unity. Iran
US Navy denies Iran's claim on harassing submarine in Gulf waters The Iranian navy said it forced a US-guided missile submarine to surface as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran
CENTCOM hires first-ever AI adviser as it fields new tech in Middle East US CENTCOM became the first combatant command to appoint an AI, machine learning and robotics adviser this week as the Pentagon looks to keep ahead of China’s technological advances. Washington Pulse
UK sanctions Lebanon art dealer accused of financing Hezbollah Already sanctioned by the United States back in 2019, Lebanese art dealer Nazem Said Ahmad was sanctioned by the British government on Tuesday. Iran
Iran flaunts military hardware on Army Day as it threatens Israel At a moment of escalating war of words, Iran's president said Israel will face destruction should it strike his country, which the Jewish state has long considered as an existential threat. Iran
China's Saudi-Iran deal clouded by uncertainty on protests, nuclear talks The evolution of the Saudi-Iranian agreement hinges the factors that led to it: Iran’s nuclear program and political unrest, future of Russia’s war in Ukraine, US-China relations, and whether these will lead to a new world order. Legacy: Gulf
