Why Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his father
Mojtaba Khamenei would not have become the supreme leader of Iran had his father, Ali Khamenei, died naturally. The prevailing custom in Shiite “scientific hawza” (seminaries) — whether in Najaf, Karbala, Qom...
The false narratives of war and the strategic patience of Gulf states
The first casualty in war is truth, the Greek dramatist Aeschylus observed more than two millennia ago. The ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran once again proves the enduring pertinence of his observation.As...
The rise of ‘Khamenei II’ and what it might mean for the future of...
Talk of restoring the shah’s monarchy has surged since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran two weeks ago, more than at any time since the fall of the Pahlavi regime...
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan stand together in testing times
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday came at a moment of extraordinary tension in the Middle East. The region is confronting one of...
US attempting to pass the buck to its Gulf allies
US Sen. Lindsey Graham, talking as if he were the commander in chief, on Monday issued a veiled threat to Arab Gulf states, urging them to attack Iran. He said there would...
A protracted Iran war multiplies risks for Trump
US President Donald Trump hinted on Monday that the war against Iran could end soon, saying “we’re far ahead of schedule” and joint US military operations with Israel were “very complete, pretty...
The Unyielding Witness: Why Iran’s Stand is Humanity’s Stand
Today, the great Iran stands and resists against Israel, which kills children, and against the hegemonic policies of the United States government—on behalf of all the oppressed and suffering people of the...
Strait of Hormuz crisis is redrawing the global energy map
The Strait of Hormuz, a 39 km-wide waterway flanked by Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south, is a passage through which one-fifth of the world’s oil...
The war to change features
Two past developments can help us understand the present. The first was when Ayatollah Khomeini, after the victory of the revolution, ordered the removal of the Israeli flag from its embassy in...
War in Iran a problem for Republicans as midterms loom
While the focus for US President Donald Trump during the Iran war is naturally on avoiding human casualties, what he also needs to consider is the damaging impact it is having on...