The IRGC doesn't just defend the state, it runs it. To wave the white flag wouldn't just mean giving up its arms; it would mean dismantling the organisation and its patronage networks.
Rising oil prices will boost the Kremlin's coffers as costs over Ukraine mount, but a total defeat of Iran could lead to the deployment of radar stations in the north, near Russia's border
From military spending to energy markets, the US-Israeli war on Iran is driving rising costs, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a central pressure point
Al Majalla visits camps in northern Iraq hours after they were bombed by Iran or Iran-backed Iraqi militias. For many of the groups here, the hour has come for change.
If the Islamic Republic were to fall, there would be different implications for both Caucasus countries. Decision-makers in Baku and Yerevan have much to ponder.
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.
A clerical member of the Guardian Council, he was selected to serve on the Leadership Council along with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei
The standoff in the Hormuz is not simply a question of whether Tehran can survive economic pressure, but whether Washington can sustain the pressure at an acceptable cost.
Many Israelis actually believe that they lost the war, with opposition leader Yair Lapid accusing the Israeli premier of having led the country into "strategic collapse and diplomatic catastrophe"
The Strait of Hormuz is now poised to become the primary arena of confrontation, with Iran relying on speedboat-driven guerrilla warfare to confront the US navy.
Former regime soldiers are stuck in limbo, as their undocumented status prevents them from working, travelling, and curbs family members' access to education, healthcare and social services