Iran
World war three? No, this was about Trump’s second term
If this is the start of the third world war, as some quivering liberal commentators seem to believe, then my…
All forecasts are off if Iran shuts the Strait of Hormuz
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Late last year, a range of forecasts…
Donald Trump has just blown up his goal of isolating Iran
A blood-red flag was raised over the Jamkaran mosque in the Iranian holy city of Qom last week, one normally…
Is there method – or madness – behind Trump’s actions in Iran?
Leaders are often accused of escalating a conflict abroad in order to distract from headaches at home. On Tuesday, before…
The Middle East for dummies
Gstaad The French have a saying: ‘Il n’y a rien de plus bête que le sourire du gagnant.’ In…
The downing of a civilian jet only adds to Tehran’s desperation
Drama and tragedy continue to envelop Iran. Just hours after the regime struck two US bases in Iraq on Wednesday,…
My despair at those who weep for Quassem Soleimani
A few hours into the new year, pro-Assad forces targeted a school in southern Idlib with a cluster bomb. The bombing took…
Soleimani’s assassination has exposed the EU’s big weakness
What a difference a day makes. When I went to bed on 2 January what seemed to be the most…
Could Iran’s retaliation against the United States lead to war?
So it happened. Iran has just struck back against the United States for its killing of Quds force chief Qassem…
Trump’s Iran strategy has finally won over the ‘Never Trumpers’
As a general rule, neoconservatives and hawkish Republican foreign policy officials don’t respect President Donald Trump’s capacities as commander-in-chief. They…
So much for de-escalation
‘We are not looking to start a war with Iran,’ said defense secretary Mark Esper today. ‘We are looking to…
Iran’s generals are weeping for Qasem Soleimani. But soon they will prepare to fight
It has been 24 hours since America droned Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad airport. Now both Iran and the United States…
Qasem Soleimani’s demise is a gamechanger for Israel
The targeted assassination of Qasem Soleimani is a game changer for Israel in its simmering conflict with Tehran. This drone…
Ten handy phrases for bluffing your way through the coming Iran crisis
That gathering drumbeat you hear could be the sound of World War III, or it could be 10,000 journalists still…
The Soleimani assassination is Donald Trump’s biggest gamble yet
Ever since Donald Trump was elected president on a non-military interventionist platform, sceptics have questioned his commitment to withdrawing troops…
Taking out Soleimani is like stepping on a landmine to cure a headache
Talleyrand once commented that Napoleon’s execution of the Duke of Enghien in 1804 was worse than a crime. It was…
What could go right for Trump in 2020?
It’s starting to dawn on Democrats that Donald J. Trump might stand on the steps of the Capitol in January…
The alliance between America and Saudi Arabia is over
The oil-for-security alliance between the US and Saudi Arabia, forged in 1945 when Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdul Aziz…
Robert C. O’Brien, Trump’s good soldier
With the appointment of Robert C. O’Brien to serve as national security adviser, Donald Trump will once more disappoint his…
Letters: There is more to village life than shutters, benches and paint
Shambles at sea Sir: On 19 July Iranian Republican Guard forces captured the UK flagged tanker Stena Impero, as described…
Penny Mordaunt: I’m fired. Job done
I begin the week in Bamako, Mali, with a crackly telephone call to Commodore Dean Bassett, UK Maritime Component Commander…
Persia’s lessons for the PM
Stanley Johnson suggests his son, the PM, will easily deal with Iran because he is well acquainted with Persian history…
Portrait of the week: The top job for Boris, gifts for Theresa and Carl Beech’s conviction
Home Boris Johnson became Prime Minister after being elected the leader of the Conservative party by its members, with 92,153…
How America’s Iran policy is shaped in Riyadh and Jerusalem
Iran’s seizure of a British-owned oil tanker transiting the Persian Gulf has let loose a fresh round of media war…
Dominic Raab has to handle a stand-off with Iran and his own civil servants
It’s not an easy time to become Foreign Secretary, as Dominic Raab is about to find out. There is, of…
