Many thought Meshaal was a shoo-in to replace Haniyeh as Hamas's politburo chief, but Sinwar got the gig. He's close to Iran, but being stuck in Gaza means ties with Iran will likely stay the same—for now. With input by Joost Hiltermann & Yohanan Tzoreff. rferl.org/a/iran-sinwar-…

"Waiting for the attack," some have been saying, "is worse than death itself." But enjoying keeping the world on the edge of its seat is not what's caused Iran to delay its promised attack on Israel. With comments by Raz Zimmt, Michael A. Horowitz & Farzan Sabet. rferl.org/a/iran-delay-i…

Joint Statement from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar #MOFAQatar

Three years ago today, Taliban fighters discovered the Presidential Palace gym.

A new report says Iran's training Russians to use its Fath-360 ballistic missile system. If confirmed, there are benefits for Iran in exporting Fath-360 & Ababil to Russia. But there are also pitfalls. Nicole Grajewski and Behnam Ben Taleblu weigh in. rferl.org/a/iran-export-…

BREAKING: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel accepted a proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and called on Hamas to do the same. apnews.com/article/us-isr…

A source has told colleague Hannahkaviani هانا کاویانی that security forces have closed the Goethe Institute in Tehran. The move is apparently in retaliation for the closure of the Islamic Center in Hamburg which was considered an extension of the Iranian regime in Germany.

The move comes after Berlin last month banned the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, an Iran-linked organization that it said "promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany." rferl.org/a/iran-shut-do…

The US is optimistic about securing a Gaza ceasefire deal after months of shuttle diplomacy. But there are key roadblocks that suggest a deal is some ways off. Do Netanyahu & Sinwar even want a deal? With comments by Firas Maksad, Michael A. Horowitz & Gregory Brew. rferl.org/a/us-israel-ha…

Unless Iran is planning to -- for some odd reason -- launch its missiles from Semnan which is almost 2,000 km from Israel, this NOTAM isn't indicative of an imminent attack. This is likely a run-of-the-mill missile test. Or maybe a space launch? The red pin is a launch terminal.

Iran's new foreign minister Araqchi says the nuclear deal can't be revived in its current format & needs to be amended due to sunset clauses that have expired. Says the Ukraine & Gaza wars & upcoming US elections complicate matters more. Adds that new negotiations are needed.

Many assessed that an Iranian attack on Israel would come in concert with strikes from Hizballah. But the Lebanese group, which is more an Iranian partner than a proxy, appears to have grown tired of waiting and struck out on its own. rferl.org/a/israel-hizba…

✨New publication✨ My article 'Reading Bialik in Tehran' is online now The Jewish Quarterly Review! It's about how Jews in Iran related to Hebrew literature and their own Iranian nationalism after the Second World War. Give it a read! muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/article…

IRGC's chief commander Salami says once Iran concluded that Israel was behind attacks on 14 Iranian tankers in the past 6 years, Iran responded by hitting 12 Israeli ships. Also confirms that the seizure of foreign vessels is a tactic to secure the release of Iranian ships.