Middle Orient

IRAN AFFAIRS: A slogan once considered politically unutterable has returned, and sounds of crowds chanting it fill the air as Iranian protests continue to call for the end of the Islamic Republic. As protesters took to the streets of Iran this week, amid chants of anger against Supreme Leader Ayatollah …

After five days of demonstrations, some analysts and observers see support for the son of the deposed Shah, Reza Pahlavi, as the main factor, and others cite economic grievances. Iran’s latest wave of protests did not erupt suddenly or as a unified political movement. What began with merchant strikes and …

REGIONAL AFFAIRS: Any visible Israeli hand risks allowing the regime to reframe an organic uprising as a Zionist plot – but this does not mean that nothing should be done from the outside. When reporters asked US President Donald Trump this week whether he supports the overthrow of Iran’s regime, …

Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned Friday that the United States would bear “full responsibility for the consequences” if it intervenes in ongoing protests inside the country, escalating tensions as demonstrations continue. This follows Trump and Tehran’s top security official hurling warnings early Friday, escalating a crisis already marked by deadly clashes. …

As Israel’s ceasefire violations continue in Gaza & expulsions escalate in the West Bank, Kamel Hawwash explains why he sees little hope for change in 2026. I am regularly asked for my view on what will happen in Palestine in 2026. While it is possible to speculate, it is difficult …

Yemen’s Hadramawt province is launching an operation to “peacefully” take back military sites after a sweeping advance by UAE-backed separatists, its governor said on Friday. Salem Al-Khanbashi made the announcement shortly after he was also appointed to lead the Saudi-supported National Shield forces in resource-rich Hadramawt, bordering Saudi Arabia. “This …

In the most fatal attack against US troops in Syria so far this decade, an Islamic State (IS) gunman shot dead two US soldiers and a civilian American interpreter on 13 December. The deadly attack transpired amidst expanding US-Syrian military cooperation and Syria joining the US-led anti-IS coalition. It raises …

With the new year less than two weeks away, a range of geopolitical and security trends demand close attention. From the potential resumption of war between Israel and Iran to evolving dynamics in multiple hotspots, a host of unresolved variables is poised to shape the Middle East’s trajectory in 2026. …

With the deadline for the March 10 agreement expiring at the end of 2025, its provisions remain on hold. Neither side has implemented any of them, and both have traded accusations over delays and obstruction in recent months, without reaching concrete steps to move the agreement forward Despite repeated meetings …

Toplines The rate and geographic scope of protests in Iran increased on January 1 and 2. ISW-CTP recorded 56 protests on January 1 and 70 protests on January 2, compared to 31 protests on December 31.[1] Protests took place in 17 out of Iran’s 31 provinces between December 28 and …