Middle east news

Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean? - opinion

The significance of the Mecca pact will depend less on the language of the agreement than on its implementation.

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, on August 7, 2026.
Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Assad brothers summoned in absentia as Syria opens landmark trial of former security chief

US first lady Melania Trump presides over a United Nations Security Council meeting, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 2, 2026.

Trump, Netanyahu and the irony of Responsibility to Protect in Iran - opinion

A woman in Tehran holds on to a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he was killed in Israeli and US strikes on February 28.

Khamenei's hubris: The four failures that sealed the dictator's fate - analysis


Iranian protests create a short window for change - opinion

As Iran’s regime escalates repression, the 2026 uprising exposes the limits of containment and opens an opportunity for decisive change.

US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026

Iranians trust Reza Pahlavi more than the regime’s 'moderates' - opinion

Europe doubts Reza Pahlavi, but millions of Iranians have already chosen him as their leader.

‘JAVID SHAH’ (Long Live the Shah) has become the slogan of the ongoing Iranian protests. Here, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah of Iran, sits during an interview in Paris in June, after the Israel-Iran war.

Why Washington shifts from Syria’s Kurds to Sharaa - opinion

Trump’s military and political backing for the SDF as the central anti‑ISIS instrument has now evolved to a policy where they are a problem that needs solving.

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in the White House, Washington, DC, November 10, 2025

Iranian feminists understood the revolution better than Europe’s intellectuals - opinion

While Foucault praised Iran’s 1979 revolution as spiritual, Iranian women warned it would mean coercion, veiling, and the erasure of their rights.

Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Britain, January 11, 2026

Somaliland chose peace, the world chose to look away - opinion

In a region scarred by war, one society chose reconciliation. Why does global diplomacy ignore Somaliland?

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognising Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on December 26, 2025.

Elon Musk expected to attend Trump dinner with Saudi crown prince, Punchbowl reports

Elon Musk is expected to attend a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A Tesla service center in Los Angeles, California, US, November 6, 2025.

Looking at militia, terror groups from other places can show how Hamas can be disarmed - analysis

It’s important that the demilitarization is enforced, not just demanded. In historically successful disarmaments, independent bodies facilitated the decommissioning.

Israeli soldiers operate amid the ongoing ground invasion against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, November 8, 2023.

IDF Birthday Project: ‘We know how to care’

The IDF Birthday Project has over 50 volunteers, they have helped 7,000 children from Efrat and the surrounding communities of Gush Etzion celebrate their birthdays, even with dad away.

Screenshot, @IDFbirthdayproject Instagram account.

UAE's Hili Forum receibes almost 1,000 participants, looks at changing global order

These kinds of gatherings are important because they bring together people from the region and the world to discuss what may come next in the Middle East and the global order.

A bird sits on a boat with the flag of United Arab Emirates seen behind, during a heatwave in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 31, 2025.

'King of Kings': The rise and fall of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - review

Anderson portrays the shah as a complex, Shakespearean figure – arrogant but weak, ambitious for his country yet blind to the growing unrest among his people. 'A soft man masquerading as a hard one.'

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi