How fitting that the US and Israel finally retaliated against 47 years of aggression by the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the week of the Biblical Purim Festival. Then, roughly 2,300 years ago, Haman, viceroy to Persia’s King Ahasuerus, threw a lot (“pur”, plural “purim”) to determine …

Iran’s clerical regime now faces the prospect of trying to find a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his killing in joint US-Israeli strikes. The veteran leader, who ruled with an iron fist for nearly four decades, does not have an officially declared heir. Instead, an elected body …

Air defence systems have moved to the centre of the Iran escalation, with interception capacity, stockpiles, and sustainability quietly shaping how far the conflict spreads and how long it lasts. The fresh round of fighting between the US-led coalition – including Israel and the United Arab Emirates – and Iran …