Understanding the Yemen-based militia now exerting control over international shipping in the Red Sea means understanding its roots, context, and regional alliances
Qassem Soleimani spent years building a network of pro-Iranian proxies or state allies in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Syria fell in December 2024. At the end of June, so did two others
His recent appointment as a national security advisor adds to the trend of more pragmatic sections of the establishment—who advocate negotiating with the West—coming to the fore
For decades, Iran's supreme leader—first Khomeini, then Khamenei—pursued a strategy of backing regional militias to fight Israel, but with the 'resistance axis' in tatters, Iran is left to fight alone