Our cover story this week wondered what would become of Iran following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Alex Vatanka took a deep dive in the world of the Revolutionary Guards and the country's domestic manoeuvring.

Staying on Iran, Maneli Mirkhan looked at a significant week in Lebanon and Iraq, two countries where Iran has long had influence. In Beirut and Baghdad, there are signs that the new governments are cutting the cord.

In Syria, there is finally a fully constituted parliament almost 20 months after Bashar al-Assad was removed from power. Haid Haid takes a long, hard look at its composition, tasks, challenges, and legitimacy. 

Meanwhile, in Turkiye, the members of NATO met for their annual summit, looking to pacify a grumpy US president. Omer Onhon says increased European defence spending and a warm welcome from Turkiye's president helped.

In Opinion, Al Majalla's editor Ibrahim Hamidi argues why Syria's new government will not want to send troops into Lebanon to tackle Hezbollah, as US President Donald Trump recently suggested.

After the big event of the week, Badia Fahs read between the lines at Khamenei's funeral. The biggest talking point was the absence of his son and heir, who is the new Supreme Leader. In his place, an empty chair.

Around the time of the funeral, the United States began bombing Iran again, and Iran struck back, both at ships, at Gulf allies, and at US bases. After all the talk of talks and deals, Con Coughlin asked: Are we back to square one?

In Business, Amr Emam looked at Egypt's decision to finally reform its expensive and inefficient food subsidy programme. For central bankers, this is good news, but for millions of poor families, it is a big worry.

Across the border to the south, Sudan's vicious civil war in ongoing, with a Darfur-based militia gaining ground. Marcelle Nasr shows how Cairo wants to crack down on informal gold prospectors to attract mining investment. 

In Culture, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup ongoing in the US, Mexico, and Canada, Ibrahim Adel chooses seven book through which to looks at the Arab world's relationship with football.

On the same subject, Bryn Haworth considers the controversy over FIFA's decision to suspend an American player's ban after a call from Donald Trump, explaining how politics is all around in this year's tournament. 

Finally, few footballers have captured the imagination more than a tall, blond Norwegian goal poacher. Mohamed Qutob considers how Norway's relaxed striker Erling Haaland became such a threat in this week's Profile.