Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran declares 'existential war' as US strikes reach near Tehran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Business & Tech Trump pivots from Hormuz tolls as US-Iran fighting resumes Oil prices remain far below their early May peak of nearly $115 a barrel, but the renewed hostilities have pushed them well above the roughly $70 level seen before the war. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership. Iran
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi; Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Interview Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF Jihad Azour Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund
Analysis How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Son of deposed shah urges US to back Iran regime change The son of the former shah of Iran urged the US administration to back Iran regime change rather than try to pressure the Iranian government to change its policies abroad and at home. Iran
Congress sees unprecedented opportunity to confront OPEC For the first time since OPEC’s formation, both the White House and Congress appear to be on the same page when it comes to suing the oil cartel for violating the US antitrust law. Saudi Arabia
Iranian Reformists clash with hard-liners in drive to restrict child marriage A parliamentary bill to restrict child marriage is pitting hard-liners against Reformists in Iran. Iran
Shrinking pie causes intense struggle over wages in Iran Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Rouhani administration is under pressure to increase salaries while facing the threat of spiraling inflation. Iran
Iran says US is ‘bragging’ about violating UNSC resolution While the United States has failed to receive European support for scrapping the nuclear deal, Europe is more sympathetic to concerns about Iran’s missile program. United States
On Iran, US allies fear ‘maximum pressure’ could provoke escalation While Iran continues to comply for now with the 2015 nuclear deal even after the reimposition of US sanctions, European allies fear that the US administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign could eventually lead to war. United States
Six factors shaping Iran’s missile decision-making calculus It would be folly to expect that Iran would dismantle the backbone of its defense doctrine without bearing in mind its security concerns, including the need for a broader regional arrangement to ban weapons of mass destruction. Iran
Deadlock continues over fate of Iran's Green Movement leaders The three Iranian opposition leaders detained during the 2009 election protests are still languishing under house arrest as Reformists and hard-liners argue endlessly. Iran
Hard-liner accuses Rouhani of blocking Telegram A hard-line politician in Iran has accused President Hassan Rouhani of ordering the ban on a popular social media app in the wake of the nationwide protests in early 2018. Iran
Fatah slams Iran for funding Gaza Strip while skirting PA Relations between the Palestinian Authority and Iran have taken another bad turn, with a top Fatah official accusing Iran of worsening the Palestinian division by financially “adopting” families of Gazans killed or wounded in the Great Return protests. Palestine
Will Iran ask Hamas to ignite Gaza front in support of Hezbollah? The recent Israeli operation to expose Hezbollah’s tunnels on the Lebanese border raised questions about Iran-backed Hamas’ exposure should Tehran request it to open a second front against Israel in the event of an Israeli-Hezbollah confrontation. Palestine
Iran, Russia-led bloc move toward free trade The Iranian government is widening channels of trade with Eurasia and India in an effort to dodge the impacts of reimposed US sanctions. Russia