Saudi Arabia’s KBS, top Turkish and Pakistani officials hold rare meeting in Iran: What to know In first such gathering, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman will join Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin for talks with Iranian officials amid fears of renewed US and Israeli attacks against Iran. Iran
Analysis Putin puts Trump ahead of Iran in bid to mediate war Anton Mardosov, reporting from Moscow, and our correspondent in Tehran assess the limits of Russian influence in Iran; Ben Caspit reports that Netanyahu could force a unity government with an attack on Iran after the elections. By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti
Analysis From Hormuz to data centers: How Iran’s threats are raising stakes of renewed war As the prospect of renewed conflict looms, Tehran is escalating warnings that another war would impose prohibitive costs on Washington, its allies and global markets. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis How Netanyahu could attack Iran to force Israel into unity government after elections While a strike against Iran before the Oct. 27 elections appears unlikely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could launch one immediately afterward to pressure his rivals into joining a wartime unity government. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: Business & Tech Saudi economic ambitions under strain By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Divided Israeli opposition boosts Netanyahu By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
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
Iran judiciary upholds another death sentence for economic corruption Iran’s judiciary has sentenced dozens of individuals to prison for cases related to the fluctuation in the currency market earlier in the year. Iran