Iran
Kurdish Militias Hold Their Fire
As Israeli-American strikes pummel Iran, and discussion proliferates over whether Kurdish factions will enter the fight, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraqi exile are weighing a familiar dilemma: seize a historic opening, or risk being used and abandoned again.
Tehrangeles Syndrome
In Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian diaspora in the world, a community fractured by ideology is reckoning with what it means to cheer for a war on your homeland and a government that is rounding up your neighbors.
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
A growing debate among Arab leaders and elites reflects deep divisions over the war with Iran, with some blaming the United States for dragging the region into conflict and others stressing the long-standing threat posed by Iran’s expansionism. Both groups agree that the region’s alliance with America is fraught.
The Limited Power of Iran’s President
When President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested that Iran should avoid escalating tensions with its Arab neighbors, observers speculated that the country’s leadership was splintering. But the presidency, which once appeared to embody the executive authority of the Islamic Republic, has been steadily eroding for decades.
An Airstrike Hit an Iranian Emergency Medical Base in Shiraz, Killing 20
A March 5 attack in Shiraz destroyed an emergency medical services base and killed 20 people, including three health workers. Satellite imagery shows a nearby military installation was not struck. Targeting and legal experts say the evidence raises serious questions about compliance with the laws of armed conflict.
Dance and Doves at Funerals Are Defying Iran’s Regime
As Iran's January crackdown killed thousands, grieving families abandoned traditional Shiite funerary rites, refusing prayers and instead releasing doves and dancing at gravesides. The shift reflects deepening rejection of the government’s grip on religious life and public grief, with secular terminology replacing the state’s language of martyrdom.
Iran Has Always Been More Than the Islamic Republic
An Iranian journalist reflects on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, considering decades of failed sanctions, diaspora authoritarianism and the civilizational story that nobody told.