Iran retaliates with strikes as United States-Israel conflict escalates

Whose war is it? Trump eyes Iran talks as Israel hints at long campaign

Another deadline day, another ultimatum, another surprise turn from the US president. The same Donald Trump who may or may not send ground troops to try and secure the Strait of Hormuz now affirming that his administration's talking with the Iranians and thus holding off on hitting critical infrastructure. Trump's messaging since the start 24 days ago keeping friends and foes alike guessing. That's in stark contrast to Israeli allies, who in words and in deeds seem to be embracing a fight many of its leaders have been dreaming for decades.

US' and Iran's options for ending war narrow the longer it goes on

Iran shows no sign of climbdown, while air power alone cannot achieve the US' main goal.

Israel's war strategy involves high-level assassinations. But will it win the war?

The war between the US, Israel and Iran is intensifying. NPR's Adrian Ma speaks with Yossi Melman, who reports on Israeli intelligence, about the state of the conflict as it enters its fourth week.

Trump and Tehran trade threats as war escalates

Iran-Israel war highlights: Israel says attacks on Iran to ramp up as Trump mulls ‘winding down' military operations

The war has shown no signs of abating

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Three weeks into the Iran war, tit-for-tat escalations on multiple fronts have dragged the Middle East to the brink of the region-wide conflict that its governments have repeatedly warned about – and tried to avert – since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. Israel has launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in recent days, after Hezbollah entered the conflict in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iraq has been turned into a shooting range, as...

How Trump's stated reasons, goals and timeline for Iran war have shifted

Stated objectives and expected timeline have ​varied, including toppling Iran’s government, weakening Iran’s military, security and nuclear capabilities and its regional influence, as well as supporting Israeli interests

Iran: The ‘Mosaic Doctrine’, Zelensky V Orban, Hungary-splaining

In a week where assassinations have continued within the top ranks of Iran’s regime, the minister of intelligence, the commander of the Bases paramilitary and the powerful security chief Ali Larijani included, but a weakened government seems to have had little bearing on Tehran’s retaliation across Israel and nine gulf states.Just one week ago, President Trump spoke of a war that was,  “very complete, pretty much”, that now appears to have been premature, and over-confident. There’s no more talk of a Venezuelanstyle regime change that works for Washington. And Israel’s actual cooperation with Washington has come under scrutiny, after Israeli air strikes on the world’s largest natural gas field, at South Pars, which provides power for an estimated 70 to 80% of Iranians. President Trump’s immediate response was that he knew nothing about it. Insiders questioned the remark, critics claimed it spoke of the US getting sucked further into an Israeli agenda. Israel’s prime minister said that was nonsens.

Why the world may now need an Iranian nuclear bomb

If you think the Israeli-American war of aggression against Iran is bad, it could get a lot worse. For the first time, a senior American official has openly acknowledged that Israel possesses nuclear warheads and could deploy them in the war. “Israel is getting hit harder than they’ve ever been hit before in their history,” said David Sacks, the White House’s artificial intelligence and crypto tsar, on the All-In Podcast. “If this war continues for weeks or months, then Israel could just be...

Iran war revives pandemic-era shocks – and may go further

By the time this column appears, the world will feel very different from when my previous column appeared earlier this month. In just days, a conflict that some in Washington seemed to believe would quickly topple Iran’s leadership has instead become a potentially long and uncertain war, with little clarity on how or when it will end. The front lines will have shifted, more oil tankers will have been stuck at sea and more flights cancelled, and there will almost certainly have been further...