Analysis As Houthis seize Bab el-Mandeb, Iran appraises value of new Red Sea card Iran is celebrating the Houthis' rapid advance toward Bab el-Mandeb, but appears reluctant to act on the win. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic Military and government actors across the Middle East — from Iran to Yemen to the United Arab Emirates — have used Anthropic's Claude AI model for war planning and influence campaigns. Yemen
Analysis Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates? A new report has raised alarm about the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Analysis What Houthi setbacks in Yemen mean for Iran's regional influence By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Drivers and barriers to Iran-US compromise in Syria The best option for Iran in post-war Syria would be to bargain over a regional compromise aimed at establishing limited policy cooperation with all influential actors; however, to realize such a scenario it is necessary for the barriers to a compromise to be removed. Lebanon
Betraying Reformist backers, Rouhani paves way for Iran’s hard-liners to take office After supporting President Rouhani in the past two elections, Reformists are breaking with the president in public ways. Iran
Trump administration finds its Iran policy not working The Trump administration conducted an internal assessment of its Iran “maximum pressure” policy this month and determined that it so far has been ineffective, according to a new report. United States
Intel: How Trump used his missile defense rollout to take shots at Iran President Trump chastised Iran for attempting to launch a satellite earlier this week and pledged the United States would take a harder line on Iran. Legacy: Gulf
Can Iranian sovereign crypto-rial loosen sanctions straitjacket? The United States is gearing up to sanction Iran’s sovereign cryptocurrency in anticipation of its introduction. Russia
IRGC head vows to protect military advisers in Syria The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has responded to comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about successful Israeli strikes in Syria. Israel
Netanyahu’s bravado endangers Israel Ahead of the April elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has broken away from Israel’s traditional policy of ambiguity on military operations in neighboring countries, but his credit-taking could endanger Israeli lives. Israel
How US sanctions intensify rent-seeking in Iran’s pharma sector As US sanctions hit Iranian patients, it is becoming clear that the impact of the sanctions — including renewed opportunities for rent seeking — are also intensifying turf wars in the country’s pharmaceutical sector. Iran
Iranian TV says American-born anchor detained in US An American-born Iranian TV anchor working for Iran's state broadcaster says she has faced mistreatment after being detained upon arrival in the United States. United States
Iranian FM ‘maneuvers’ in Iraq as rivalry with US heats up Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has embarked on an extensive visit to neighboring Iraq at a time when US-Iran competition in the country is reaching levels not seen before. Iraq
Erdogan's plans in Iraqi Kurdistan may backfire The news that Nechirvan Barzani will not continue as prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq is causing Turkey to worry that the new KRG Cabinet will not be formed of allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iraq