Iran

Israel to Biden: Tehran Can Wait
The U.S. and Iran are set on a course for renegotiating the 2015 nuclear deal. While reporting, I found that Israelis see a lot of room to maneuver, particularly in light of Arab countries’ normalization with Israel.

The Coming Turkish-Iranian Confrontation
It is true that at present the Turks and the Iranians are playing nice with each other, but these are ephemeral moments; their respective imperatives will lead them to collide with one another regardless of their subjective preferences.

Yemenis Are Skeptical Biden’s Pivot Can End the War
The reversal in U.S. policy — which was originally greenlighted by the Obama administration and continued under the Trump administration — leaves Yemenis with mixed feelings, though many are hopeful for a normalization of life. An undercover report from Sanaa.

Bombs Over Erbil
The murky militia that took responsibility for Monday’s attack in Iraq issued a statement claiming that it “only targets the American, Turkish, and Israeli occupation bases.” Though many armed groups and others in the country have, for more than a decade, demanded an end to the “American-Israeli occupation,” the addition of “Turkish” is significant.

Becoming Turkish-American in Iran
Will I give those challenging my way of life the benefit of the doubt, as I preached to my Turkish friends, or will I approach them with extreme suspicion?

The President’s Daughter and Dissent in Iran
The daughter of Iran’s former president has publicly broken two of the Islamic Republic’s biggest political taboos. Does this reveal a genuine split at the top or mere maneuvering by political elites?

Qassem Soleimani: The Vincible General
Despite the differences between Saddam and Soleimani, the commonalities were striking. Both men had caused enormous suffering. Both were defiant, and simply too large to die. Yet both were shown to be vincible.