Analysis Mediators scramble to avert US-Iran fighting after Trump's midterm restraint fades Tehran has little incentive to make concessions that the Trump administration could tout as a win before next week’s election. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
CENTCOM chief briefs Trump on Iran strike options It was not immediately clear following Trump’s meeting with top defense officials whether he had decided to restart the war. Iran
Iran arrests 16 in connection with alleged US-Israel-linked cells: What to know Iran claimed that some of the 16 people it had arrested had entered Iran from abroad. Iran
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
Analysis From Hormuz to data centers: How Iran’s threats are raising stakes of renewed war 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
New industrial policy poised to transform Iran’s political economy Iran’s lighter fingerprints on foreign investment and enterprise are gearing things up for a transformation of the country’s political economy. Iran
Pro-Iranian Shiite factions lose popular support in Iraq The recent agreement between Hezbollah and a group of pro-Islamic State fighters to arrange their evacuation from the Lebanese-Syrian border to the Syrian-Iraqi border triggered an outburst of public anger against Hezbollah and Iraqi factions fighting alongside Hezbollah on Syrian territory for years. Iraq
Iran plays Hamas card Iran's improved relations with Turkey, Qatar and Hamas send a message to the region. Palestine
Israel slow to recalibrate on Syria Israel's original assessment of the Syrian war is no longer relevant, and the state must make strategic changes to face the threat of the regime, which is likely to remain in power with Iran's patronage. Israel
Are Yemeni rebels imploding? Saudi Arabia's hope to exit the Yemen scene could depend largely on Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni rebel factions' falling apart. Saudi Arabia
Iranian Kurds urge Iraqi brethren to stay united ahead of referendum As Iraqi Kurds increasingly quarrel ahead of the Sept. 25 independence referendum, Iranian Kurds are urging their western neighbors to stay united and press ahead with the vote. Iraq
Who censors access to Iran's Khamenei? A young Iranian cleric explained the vetting process a cleric must go through to give a speech in front of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran
Talk of 'good genes' provokes nepotism outcry in Iran Comments by the son of prominent Reformist leader Mohammad Reza Aref concerning his "good genes" have caused furor among Iranians. Iran
Hamas’ dangerous gamble on Iran The decision by the Hamas leadership to renew its alliance with Iran seals the already miserable fate of Gaza's people and ensures permanent control of the territory by the movement's military wing. Palestine
Netanyahu, a gift to Israel's enemies By perpetuating the occupation and the settlement enterprise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is impairing the dreams of a Zionist state in Israel. Palestine
With Iran's help, Hamas reaches out to Syrian regime Iran is working as mediator as Hamas' new leadership takes steps to restore its severed ties with Syria. Palestine
Trump keeps world guessing on Iran deal’s future Even as Iran hawks complain they are shut out from the White House, proponents of the nuclear deal are not confident they will prevail with the president. Russia