Analysis How wartime urgency pushed Iran to court Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Tehran's push for a regional security order independent of Washington could be gaining diplomatic momentum, but the Islamic Republic has competing, if not conflicting, strategic priorities with the countries it hopes to engage. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
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 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
Iran MPs call on Central Bank governor to resign as rial plummets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Central Bank Gov. Valiollah Seif have come under heavy fire over the sudden devaluation of the rial. Iran
Iran raises minimum wage in concession to workers Iranian laborers are set to receive an almost 20% increase in the minimum wage in a concession from the authorities. Iran
Iran condemns chemical weapons attacks, denies Syria’s role Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said that it was not logical for the Syrian army to use chemical weapons while it had the upper hand in the field of battle. Syria
Culture alert: Gaza conflict spills over to cinema festivals Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival has invited Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi as its guest of honor, while, farther west, Palestinian artists are boycotting the Istanbul Film Festival for refusing to drop an Israeli-government-backed sponsor, Art Israel. Palestine
Putin, Erdogan, Rouhani extend circle of trust in Syria As the Astana process seizes the initiative on Syria, the United States could put Israel-Lebanon shuttle diplomacy to the test on Hezbollah. Israel
Conditioning American withdrawal from Syria Now that President Donald Trump has announced US forces will be soon leaving Syria, the administration must rethink its previously stated conditions for withdrawal. Israel
What's really driving currency depreciation in Iran? Rather than an indicator of a poor economy, the devaluation of the Iranian currency is the result of investment behavior, and what we are witnessing now looks more like a bubble. Iran
Russia sees benefit of nudging Turkey on to Manbij in Syria Despite their divergent strategic goals, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey have agreed to work together in Syria while further excluding the United States from the decision-making process. Syria
Ankara summit focuses on Syria's fate once war ends The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey reassured each other that they are the "big three" of the Syrian peace talks and discussed their mission to resolve the civil war. Syria
Iranian conservatives ask supreme leader for reforms Conservative officials and activists aligned with former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the need for reforms. Iran
Late Iranian president's son on road to become Tehran mayor Mohsen Hashemi, the oldest son of late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, may become mayor of the country’s capital. Iran
White House says anti-IS fight in Syria ‘coming to rapid end’ The White House signaled that its mission in Syria will be focused on the narrow task of finishing off the Islamic State and will leave it to others to fund and conduct post-IS stabilization. Syria