Middle Orient

In 2026, Turkey’s policy in Yemen shifted from exclusive neutrality and mediation efforts to “the brink” of military intervention against the government in Sanaa and the Ansar Allah movement, yet a range of geopolitical, legal and domestic political factors makes this scenario being fully put into practice unlikely. A Brief …

Key Takeaways: Iraq’s parliament approved the remaining Cabinet appointments for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, including Laith al-Khazali of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Asaib Ahl al-Haq as a deputy prime minister, prompting concerns about continued Iran-backed militia influence in Baghdad. U.S. officials reaffirmed support for al-Zaidi’s vision of a sovereign Iraq …

Key TakeawaysThe Iranian regime has reportedly found ways to ship a very limited and relatively inconsequential amount of petroleum product exports via maritime routes despite the US naval blockade. Iran’s ability to export energy products continues to be severely hampered by the US economic campaign, however.The Houthis are using imitative …

Key Takeaways: Iran is finalizing a response to U.S. comments on its New York proposal, with both sides signaling openness to diplomacy, yet remaining divided over the sequence of steps: Tehran seeks blockade relief, asset releases, and an end to fighting before reopening Hormuz, while Washington wants verifiable nuclear progress …

Key Takeaways: Iran’s traditional “forward defense” through affiliated groups such as Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, the Houthis, and Palestinian militants has suffered setbacks since October 2023, including major losses for Hezbollah and Hamas and the loss of the Assad government in Syria. Direct Israel–Iran exchanges have exposed the limits of proxy-based …

Key TakeawaysThe Iranian regime has reportedly found ways to ship a very limited and relatively inconsequential amount of petroleum product exports via maritime routes despite the US naval blockade. Iran’s ability to export energy products continues to be severely hampered by the US economic campaign, however.The Houthis are using imitative …

After 12 years on the ground, the last troops from the International Coalition that fought the Islamic State (IS) departed Iraq last week. It was a comparatively quiet occasion compared with the composed exit by the US in 2011 or the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. It nevertheless marks …

As Iran and the US take tentative steps towards a deal to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, there may be signs that Tehran’s biggest source of leverage is being eroded. Iran has long viewed its ability to paralyse the strategic chokepoint as its own version of a nuclear bomb, a …

Beirut can’t just deploy troops and call it a day—it must give them the legal cover they need to actually dismantle the military capabilities that Hezbollah hides behind misused “private property” protections. The October 20-22 Israeli-Lebanese military talks at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, are expected to address …

Le 14 novembre 2025, les médias allemands ont écrit que quatre ânes, sortis de Gaza par l’organisation israélienne Starting Over Sanctuary, avaient été «sauvés», avant d’être transférés dans un zoo à Oppenheim. On a donné des noms allemands à ces animaux et on a déclaré qu’ils avaient «laissé derrière eux …