Iran
Betting Everything on Restraint
As Houthi attacks squeeze Saudi Arabia's access to global trade, Riyadh is struggling to avoid being drawn into a wider war. From the Red Sea’s oil terminals to its luxury resorts, a New Lines report offers a firsthand look at how the kingdom’s postoil ambitions have become a strategic vulnerability.
Managing Peace in the Gulf
In the aftermath of the Iran war, the Gulf Arab states may seek to achieve an equilibrium with the Islamic Republic through managing, rather than resolving, their differences.
As Millions Mourn Ali Khamenei, Iran Prepares for a New Chapter
Ali Khamenei’s six-day funeral drew vast crowds into Tehran, turning mourning into a display of grief, vengeance and state continuity. But beneath the red flags and public rituals, the ceremonies exposed Iran’s internal divisions, anxieties over security and uncertainty about the country’s unseen new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The Ambiguities of Solidarity at Khamenei’s Funeral in Iraq
Expressions of reverence, grief and devotion will abound at the supreme leader's funeral in Iraq, but the Axis of Resistance’s messaging simplifies a much more complex reality.
Inside Hezbollah’s Two-Decade Project To Shape the Houthis
In 2007, two operatives, one Iranian, one from Hezbollah, sat down to dinner at a restaurant outside Damascus and started discussing Yemen. What followed was nearly two decades of military assistance, mediation, media training and political network-weaving that turned a marginal movement into the most powerful actor in Yemen.
Iraq’s Militias Are in a Struggle for Survival
Iraqi Shiite militias, now the last intact pillar of Iran’s regional network, are navigating an existential conflict. Embedded within the Iraqi state yet aligned with Tehran, their future, and Iraq’s, hinges on the outcome of a wider confrontation with the United States.
Slopaganda Comes of Age
As we enter the realm of “slopaganda,” the use of AI-generated content for political propaganda, Trump’s base is now taking his memes both literally and seriously.