Attacks by Hezbollah and an Iraqi militia appear to be a calculated step by Tehran to widen the arena of conflict in a bid to raise the costs for its adversaries

Voters were promised America First, not Bush-era interventions

Gulf states' delicate balancing act—maintaining security partnerships with the US while cautiously reopening channels to Iran—has been shattered

Trump's appeal to Iranians to seize their freedom once American and Israeli strikes are finished fundamentally misreads a people whose history has taught them key lessons

The US and Israel carried out strikes across Iran, and Tehran has retaliated by striking US/Israeli assets across the region. Could this turn into the regional war analysts have been warning about?

Military strategists have long warned that war should be waged only if those waging it know what they want to achieve. Herein lies a problem: Washington's war aims in Iran are incoherent.

As the US is trying to restrict Cuba's fuel lifeline, Trump says Havana "is ready to fall." Will it?

The regional rivals aren't just fighting over freshwater supplies. Cairo sees Addis Ababa's bid for Red Sea access as part of a wider fragmentation strategy.

Quick, in-and-out precision operations that inflict maximum damage with minimum US casualties have long been a favoured tool of US presidents. Is Trump planning one for Iran?

Tehran isn't likely to easily fold if/when Trump attacks. This means that the longer a military confrontation drags out, the more untenable Washington's position becomes.