Expert Explains | Despite talks, why US and Iran are still trading blows — and may keep doing so
Differences over the Strait of Hormuz are not the only source of the tensions. Widening distrust and a changing post-war regional order will test the path to a final peace […]
Expert Explains Iran-US ceasefire: What each side was fighting for, and what they have won or lost
Will the ceasefire fashion a ‘new Middle East’? Where do Washington, Tehran, or Tel Aviv stand, from their aims before the war? An expert explains.
Expert Explains | As war drags into third week, what Iran is looking to achieve
Tehran’s present response is a far cry from the face-saving positions Iran has adopted in previous conflicts, especially the 12-day war in June 2025. So what has enabled this new […]
C Raja Mohan writes: The Gulf’s geopolitical predicament cannot be solved. It can only be managed
Iran is too strong to be ignored, but not strong enough to exercise unilateral dominance. The Gulf Arabs cannot balance Iran on their own and will continue to depend on […]
C Raja Mohan writes: During Nowruz, Iran’s Persian culture collides with regime’s ideology
The Islamic Republic was founded in part on a rejection of nationalism and traditional culture. But in practice, the Iranian state has never escaped the gravitational pull of Persian identity
Talks have failed, but diplomacy is alive
US-Iran talks in Islamabad failed due to disagreements over Hormuz control, nuclear issues, and Israel’s actions in Lebanon, but diplomacy continues