How Iran's theocratic rule takes hits but persists
A lopsided war with Israel and the United States in June rattled Iran’s political order, but it survives through smarter coercion and the disarray of forces that might otherwise bring it down.
ANALYSIS
Iran's distant flank in focus as US piles pressure on Venezuela
Tehran warily watches events in the Caribbean as its ally Venezuela faces the largest US military deployment in the region in decades, which US officials describe as a bid to confront narco-terrorism
Why is Iran’s top brass sitting for questions?
Under unprecedented strain at home and abroad after the June war, Tehran is adopting new tones and messaging to steady its own base.
A narrowed path: IAEA standoff edges Iran closer to conflict
The UN nuclear watchdog’s latest rebuke shows that Iran’s turn to nuclear ambiguity is deepening concerns and may accelerate an escalation that all sides insist they want to avoid.
Iran’s troubled energy sector gets an untested tsar
President Masoud Pezeshkian has drawn fire over his decision to hand leadership over a crucial new energy body tasked with confronting an acute power crisis to a bureaucrat with no background in the sector.
Mismanagement, not drought, pushes Iran toward water bankruptcy
Iran is facing one of its most severe droughts in 60 years, with more than half its plains suffering drastic groundwater depletion and the term “water bankruptcy” becoming more palpable by the day.
The end of mediation: snapback turned the page on Iran-Europe relations
Europe is no longer a mediator but a co-architect of US-led pressure on Iran, and the relationship post-snapback is likely to harden into a more openly adversarial phase.
The islands fallout: is Iranian patriotism the West’s blind spot?
Europeans may have intended to pressure Tehran when they demanded last month an end to Iran’s “occupation” of the three Persian Gulf islands, but the move instead exposed how badly they misread Iran’s public mood.
Can Tehran use the Cape Town model to escape a water crisis 'Day Zero'?
As Iran’s capital Tehran endures its worst water crisis in living memory, few recent global cases offer clearer lessons than Cape Town in South Africa in 2018.
Iraq votes under watchful gaze of US and Iran
Iraq’s parliamentary election on Tuesday unfolded under the shadow of foreign influence from the United States and Iran which have for two decades vied over the future of the war-battered Arab nation.
Tehran’s 'Kneel Before Iran' statue rekindles debate over nationalist turn
Tehran’s unveiling of a towering statue depicting the Roman Emperor Valerian kneeling before pre-Islamic Persian King Shapur I has renewed criticism of the Islamic Republic’s appeal to nationalist sentiment following the June war with Israel.
Double squeeze: Iran faces record capital flight as oil revenues fall
Iran’s Central Bank’s latest quarterly report shows capital flight hit a historic peak in the spring of 2025, underscoring the depth of the country’s financial strain.
Tehran eyes Caspian energy boost, risking deeper dependence on Moscow
The new push for an electricity grid linking Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan grid promises closer energy integration but could leave Tehran more exposed to Moscow’s leverage as rival corridors threaten to dilute its regional role.
Western charity scrutiny tests line between faith, foreign influence
A British inquiry into a pro-Iran charity reflects a mounting Western struggle to balance freedom of religion with efforts to confront Iranian political influence as Tehran's ties with Western Europe and North America plumb new lows.
No regrets: Khamenei ramps up defiance of US with hostage crisis praise
Almost half a century after young revolutionaries stormed the US embassy in Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei once again defended the move, leaning into the original break between the arch-foes and all but ruling out rapprochement.
Survival mode: how Tehran adapts through crisis, endures decay
Tehran is in a tougher position after the 12-day war and the return of UN sanctions but may not be as close to collapse as some Iranians might like.
Iran's runaway inflation empties tables, pushes children out of school
A new report by Iran’s Statistical Center (ISC) reveals a sharp acceleration in food inflation, hitting millions of families where it hurts most.
ExxonMobil’s Iraq return highlights Iran's stalled oil ambitions
ExxonMobil’s return to southern Iraq this month underscores how far Baghdad has surged ahead of Tehran in exploiting their shared border oilfields—and how the two neighbors’ fortunes are diverging.
Best defense: why Tehran might go on offensive to avoid bitter concessions
Tehran may be preparing for confrontation rather than calm, if the recent remarks of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are any indication, preferring the uncertainties of further conflict over meeting US peace demands seen as humiliating.
China walks tightrope as UN sanctions drive Iran deeper into its orbit
The return of UN sanctions has deepened Tehran’s isolation and tested Beijing’s pragmatic balancing act in a region shaken by Donald Trump’s new peace plan and the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
The art of standing still: how Tehran survives in a minefield of crises
Tehran’s behavior after the June war with Israel reflects a state of suspended decision-making—a fragile equilibrium that may nevertheless endure, sustained by continuing control and the absence of any obvious alternatives.
Iran-Russia trade shrinks despite closer security ties
Despite years of official rhetoric about a “strategic partnership,” new data show that Russia has slipped from Iran’s list of main trading partners.