Key Takeaways: Trump and Treasury Secretary Bessent say Hormuz could be “worthless” in about two years as oil moves by land—pipelines and, for now, thousands of trucks on a 1,500 km Iraq–Syria run to Baniyas. Analysts call that rhetoric. Energy Aspects’ Richard Bronze and former NSC official Robert McNally: extra …

Key Takeaways: On 6 September Mohsen Rezaei said Iran will soon declare a new “exclusion zone” in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman: ships heading toward Hormuz without coordinating with Tehran could be blacklisted, hitting insurance and future passage. No map, date, or legal definition yet. He claims the strait …

Key DevelopmentsFars reported that the US had secretly transferred personnel and military equipment to Camp Titin in Jordan in an effort to move them beyond potential threats.Iranian media said Washington apparently believed Tehran lacked detailed intelligence on the facility, describing the subsequent IRGC strike as an intelligence and operational success.The …

Key TakeawaysThe new issue, Palestine Fights Back, challenges the political and intellectual taboo surrounding serious discussion of Palestinian armed resistance.Six essays examine resistance through the experiences of Palestine, South Africa and the wider region, addressing strategy, culture, history and political agency.Contributors include Ronnie Kasrils, Tahrir Hamdi, Ramzy Baroud, Robert Inlakesh …

Key Takeaways:PAS is no longer just a northern opposition party: largest federal bloc since GE2022, runs Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, and with a BN–PN pact just took Negeri Sembilan (August 2026). The article asks what foreign policy would look like if PAS led Putrajaya—not only hudud at home.Outlook still starts …

For years, Washington hoped it could reach one big deal with Saudi Arabia. The United States would strengthen rits security relationship with Riyadh and help the kingdom build a civilian nuclear program. In return, Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel. If it worked, Washington would bring Saudi Arabia closer to Israel …

At the end of August, Israel resumed active attacks on the positions of the Shiite Hezbollah movement. The reason was attempts to attack Israeli soldiers with FPV drones in southern Lebanon. Among the victims of the Israeli army’s strike were civilians, which, in turn, again called into question the progress …

Washington is changing some of its most reliable military partnerships in the Middle East because it believes states, markets, and diplomacy can deliver what American troops and Kurdish proxies increasingly cannot. The End of the Post-ISIS* BargainThe juxtaposition could hardly be more striking. On August 24, the United States removed …

For decades, Washington has justified its military presence in the Middle East as necessary to protect global energy security. American naval forces would safeguard shipping, military partnerships would deter attacks on oil-producing states, and sanctions would restrain governments regarded as threats to the US-led regional order. The promise was simple: …

For decades, Washington has justified its military presence in the Middle East as necessary to protect global energy security. American naval forces would safeguard shipping, military partnerships would deter attacks on oil-producing states, and sanctions would restrain governments regarded as threats to the US-led regional order. The promise was simple: …