Beirut and Baghdad are both watching how the other seeks to give the state a monopoly of weapons. In the aftermath of the recent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon’s ongoing push to impose a “state monopoly of arms” has ceased to be a purely Lebanese story. When, on the …

The United States and Iran are not on the brink of open war. There is no countdown, no formal ultimatum, no declared strike order — but Donald Trump’s latest warning has undeniably raised the temperature. The relationship is entering a phase where the margin for error is shrinking. Danger no …

Iran’s foreign minister warned Wednesday its forces would respond immediately and forcefully to any US military operation after President Donald Trump declared time was running out to avoid one, but did not rule out a new deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. The Islamic republic’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi warned its …