US-Iran conflict
Is Trump heading to a Pyrrhic victory in Iran?
Pyrrhus was said to have remarked that one more victory would leave his kingdom ‘utterly ruined.’ Some see echoes in US interventions in the Middle East.
Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU‑MAGA middle ground
Italy’s right-wing leader was once seen as Trump’s main ally in Western Europe – but not so anymore.
Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones
Bureaucratic hurdles mean the US military typically has to wait a decade between the time it sees a new threat and the employment of a new system to defend against it.
Gulf state cooperation has long been shaped by the threat of Iran − but shows of unity belie division
The Gulf Cooperation Council was formed after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Since then, GCC members have tried different strategies to contend with Tehran.
The method in Iran’s madness? Closure of Strait of Hormuz echoes a centuries‑old Danish play − and is a tragedy for the world order
Iran’s decision to levy tolls on ships passing through the crucial choke hold has an unlikely connection to the site of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet.’
Is it ‘Ih‑ran’ or ‘E‑ron’? Inside the politics of pronunciation
Both President Trump and Vice President Vance pronounce Iran as ‘Ih-RAN,’ not ‘Ih-RON.’ A linguist says that how the country’s name is pronounced may be a political choice.
War on Iran during nuclear negotiations undermines the US’s ability to talk peace around the world − and the effects won’t end when Trump leaves office
Conducting military strikes against a nation that is engaged in negotiations to reduce its nuclear capacity has set a dangerous precedent.
Overconfidence is how wars are lost − lessons from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ukraine for the war in Iran were ignored
The Trump administration’s miscalculation of Iran is the latest entry in an old and lethal tradition in international politics: the catastrophic gap between what leaders believe and what war delivers.
Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions
As critics question President Trump’s motivations for war on Iran, it’s not just about politics. It’s about the Constitution and whether Congress has any hope of checking the president’s warmaking.
Presidential words can turn the unthinkable into the thinkable − for better or for worse
For years, Donald Trump’s rhetoric has relied on insult, ridicule, threat and contempt. But the scale of violence in his words during the first week of April 2026 was new – and had a purpose.