Al Majalla | The Leading Arab Magazine

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After Khamenei: will the Islamic Republic survive?

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Israel's war on Gaza and regional fallout

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is greeted by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the D-8 summit in Cairo, Egypt, on 19 December 2024.

AFP

Politics

Egypt fears an unrestrained Israel if Iran collapses

Cairo and Tehran have been at loggerheads since 1979, but the Iranian threat has always acted as a check on Israeli ambitions. If Iran is completely defeated, Israel will reign supreme.

Amr Emam

A boy plays with his sheep next to an unexploded missile that landed in an open field on the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, on 5 March 2026.

DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP

Business & Economy

Syria may escape war but not its economic fallout

Even if it stays on the sidelines of the US-Iran war, the country is fragile. Unlike larger economies that can absorb shocks in global markets, it has little room to cushion the impact.

Haid Haid

A picture of Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, displayed on a screen in Tehran, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, on 9 March 2026.

Majid Asgaripour / Reuters

COVER STORY

Iran’s defiant regime picks a new supreme leader

Politics

The appointment suggests the Revolutionary Guards have the upper hand

The Economist

After Khamenei: will the Islamic Republic survive?

Iran’s wartime leader isn’t a dealmaker

Khamenei's killing opens up a strategic abyss

In US-Iran war, willpower could trump firepower

Egypt fears an unrestrained Israel if Iran collapses

Türkiye fears spillover effects of US-Iran war

Latest

Politics

After Khamenei: will the Islamic Republic survive?

Al Majalla - London

Culture & Social Affairs

In US-Iran war, willpower could trump firepower

Bilal Saab

Politics

Alternative security models for Syria amid US pullout

James Jeffrey

Profiles

Iran’s wartime leader isn’t a dealmaker

Ali Alfoneh

Politics

Türkiye fears spillover effects of US-Iran war

Omer Onhon

Popular
Editor's Pick

Yusra Naim

Politics

After Khamenei: will the Islamic Republic survive?

06 March 2026

Al Majalla examines what his killing means for Iran, its proxies, and the greater region

Al Majalla - London

Eduardo Ramon

Business & Economy

US-Iran war: aviation industry hits turbulence

05 March 2026

Gulf states' central global location has made it the perfect transit hub for global travel, but with flights cancelled due to war, the industry is scrambling to fill the void

Abdel-Rahman Ayas

An Iranian military truck carries surface-to-air missiles past a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade on the occasion of the country's annual army day on 18 April 2018, in Tehran.

ATTA KENARE / AFP

Politics

In US-Iran war, willpower could trump firepower

06 March 2026

Washington and Tel Aviv may think the key to ending Iran's regime is to kill its missile bank and capabilities, but sometimes strategy matters more than hardware

Bilal Saab

Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapiköy border crossing in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on 3 March 2026.

ALI IHSAN OZTURK / AFP

Politics

Türkiye fears spillover effects of US-Iran war

05 March 2026

Ankara fears a refugee influx, economic disruption, and a Kurdish dimension as the US and Israel escalate their attacks

Omer Onhon

The displaced Palestinian Abu Mustafa family sits together as they break the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast during Iftar in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on 26 February 2026.

Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

Ramadan in Gaza: food scarcity compounds suffering

03 March 2026

The iftar table, if it still exists, no longer represents joy, but anxiety and scarcity

Hala Al-Naji

Lebanon must ban Hezbollah, once and for all

Alia Mansour

Regional health progress requires efficient cooperation

Hanan Balkhy

Hezbollah's propensity for recklessness never fails

Houssam Itani

When he sat in his isolated office negotiating with history

Ibrahim Hamidi

Infographics

Markets brace for possible oil shock amid US-Iran war

Politics

Iran’s defiant regime picks a new supreme leader

For a week Iran had functioned surprisingly smoothly under American and Israeli bombardment. Preparations ordered by the supreme leader, Ayatollah…

The Economist

Egypt fears an unrestrained Israel if Iran collapses

Egypt has not been caught in the crossfire of the current US-Israeli war against Iran, but the populous Arab country has nevertheless felt the…

Amr Emam

Alternative security models for Syria amid US pullout

Syria has managed to stay out of the limelight in the current regional conflict with Iran, another sign of its savvy diplomacy. Developments in Syria…

James Jeffrey

In US-Iran war, willpower could trump firepower

Missiles and drones are core elements of Iran’s military power. The country has relied on them heavily and almost exclusively in its fight against…

Bilal Saab

Profile

Iran’s wartime leader isn’t a dealmaker

In the aftermath of the 28 February assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attention has turned to Ali Larijani as the…

Ali Alfoneh

The stubborn revolutionary: Ali Khamenei's last stand

Ali Khamenei was 24 years old when he got on a plane for the first time. This should have been an exciting time, but the circumstances didn’t allow…

Arash Azizi

Alireza Arafi: the cleric charged with selecting Iran's next Supreme Leader

Following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli military strikes on 28 February 2026, a three-member…

Alex Vatanka

A vendor sells merchandise to people paying their respects to the late civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson outside of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition national headquarters on 27 February 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.

Jesse Jackson made a black president possible

He heard the crack of the gun. Then saw the impact: blood gushing from the neck and jaw, the tie blown off. The date was 4 April 1968; the place was…

The Economist

Documents & Memoirs

How the US got the SDF to capitulate to Damascus

10 Feb 2026

Al Majalla publishes a full account of what transpired during negotiations, the draft integration framework, and proposed constitutional amendments

Ibrahim Hamidi

READ FULL ARTICLE

Sara Gironi Carnevale

Documents & Memoirs

Could Trump actually buy Greenland?

30 January 2026

If history is any indication, then yes. While much of modern-day America was acquired through conquest, large chunks of the country were also bought from reluctant sellers under pressure.

Steve Hewitt

A composite image of Rifaat al-Assad and the new Syrian flag, with a destroyed statue of his brother Hafez al-Assad and a broken image of Bashar al-Assad after the fall of the regime on 8 December 2024.

AFP / Al Majalla

Documents & Memoirs

Rifaat Assad's death in exile is justice denied

25 January 2026

Bashar's uncle was a key figure in the Assad regime who oversaw the bloodiest massacre committed by an Arab state against its own people in history, earning him the title 'the Butcher of Hama'

Ibrahim Hamidi

culture & social affairs

Al Majalla's Film Watch

07 March 2026

For International Women's Day 2026, we tour the newest movie releases by female directors, while also reviewing an older classic for good measure

Wael Said

Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

Ramadan in Gaza: food scarcity compounds suffering

The iftar table, if it still exists, no longer represents joy, but anxiety and scarcity

Hala Al-Naji

Al Majalla

Culture & Social Affairs

The Arabic historical novel: between justification and inquiry

It grasps the logic of an earlier age from within, reveals how power works through language and conduct, and shows how justification enters common speech and obedience settles into habit

Bahaa Iy'ali

Ruchir Joshi on the long shadow of history

After a gap of more than 20 years, the Indian writer,…

Nesrein El-Bakhshawangy

Interview With Ali Omar - Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia

Science & Technology

Renewables on track to redefine global energy

Natural resources like solar, wind, and water are set to provide 36% of global electricity production this year. Even for sceptics like Donald Trump, the trends are unmistakable.

Mohammed Mansour

From development to doctrine: the Pentagon fast-tracks AI

Donald Trump's administration has ordered military chiefs to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into almost everything that it does, and to do it quickly.

Marco Mossad

Eduardo Ramon

Global water bankruptcy and what can be done about it

An eye-opening UN report revealing the extent of the problem posed by rapidly diminishing freshwater reserves is a sobering read

Mohammed Mansour

The Blue Nile River after the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam reservoir near the Ethiopian-Sudanese border, on 6 November 2020.

Reuters

Is Starlink the key to undercutting Iran's regime?

Elon Musk's satellite internet connectivity service— designed to bypass state-controlled networks—could form the nucleus of an alternative communications infrastructure in Iran

Marco Mossad

SCOTT OLSON / AFP

Business & Economy

Syria may escape war but not its economic fallout

Even if it stays on the sidelines of the US-Iran war, the country is fragile. Unlike larger economies that can absorb shocks in global markets, it has little room to cushion the impact.

Haid Haid

US-Iran war: aviation industry hits turbulence

Gulf states' central global location has made it the perfect transit hub for global travel, but with flights cancelled due to war, the industry is scrambling to fill the void

Abdel-Rahman Ayas

Eduardo Ramon

US-Iran war threatens Gulf diversification plans

Moves to boost non-oil sectors such as tourism and financial services could suffer setbacks if hostilities continue

Amer Ziab Al-Tamimi

Plumes of smoke near Jebel Ali port after a new Iranian attack on Dubai, on 1 March 2026.

AFP

Oil prices soar as US-Iran war sparks supply worries

European gas prices have jumped by 30% after some big GCC oil and gas producers cut supplies, and now a vital maritime trade route is being threatened. The stakes have seldom been higher.

Thuraya Shahin

Al Majalla

English Edition Soon

05 Mar 2026

In this aerial handout picture released by the Iranian Press Centre, mourners dig graves during the funeral for over 100 children killed in a reported strike on a primary school in Iran’s Hormozgan province in Minab on 3 March 2026.

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