By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon at the edge of an imposed escalation?

BEIRUT—Amid escalating Israeli enemy rhetoric about widening the circle of confrontation and Washington’s clear shift toward imposing faits accomplis under the logic of “the law of the jungle,” Lebanon finds itself navigating an exceptionally sensitive political and security moment. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

Syrians gambling with Israel 

TEHRAN – Why are some Syrians betting on the Israeli regime and its risks for Syria’s unity? 

By Shahrokh Saei

Greenland today, Europe tomorrow: Mapping the rise of Trumpland

TEHRAN – President Donald Trump’s imperial ambitions show no sign of slowing, fueled by hubris and the momentum of America’s deadly military strikes in Venezuela — a campaign that culminated in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. Trump has now declared that Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil — valued at roughly $2.8 billion — to the United States.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon’s governance in crisis

Lebanon’s political system is so hollowed out that even a fictitious foreign prince can dictate governance

BEIRUT—Imagine a country where a fictitious foreign prince, armed only with a phone and a fabricated authority, can dictate political appointments, unlock frozen bank accounts, and influence judicial decisions—all without leaving his home. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

Catastrophic year for Palestinians in 2025 

TEHRAN – An official Palestinian report has documented the catastrophic suffering of Palestinians in 2025 at the hands of the Israeli occupation regime. 

By staff writer 

Israel’s expansionist agenda: Aggression in Syria amid Paris talks

TEHRAN – The persistence of Israeli military aggression in southern Syria, reported on Tuesday even as negotiations were underway in Paris, illustrates the contradiction between declared diplomatic efforts and the reality of the regime’s expansionist policies. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon between war and ‘neutralization’

BEIRUT—Lebanon is once again being asked to believe in calm—carefully worded, condition-laden calm—at a moment when pressure, not peace, defines the regional landscape. 

By Shahrokh Saei   

Trump’s imperial reach: From Latin America to Greenland 

TEHRAN – U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats against other countries, issued after the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation that included deadly strikes inside the Latin American nation, are not merely reckless—they are a brazen display of imperial arrogance. 

By staff writer

Worldwide anger at state-run abduction

The U.S. government’s unlawful abduction of Venezuela’s elected president has ignited protests and fierce condemnations across continents

TEHRAN – The United States has crossed a dangerous line with its military assault on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. What Washington presents as justice is, in reality, a blatant violation of international law and Venezuela's sovereignty. By abducting a sitting head of state and declaring that the U.S. will "run the country," President Donald Trump has revived the darkest traditions of imperialism in Latin America.

By staff writer 

Machado as pawn: Venezuela on Washington’s imperial chessboard

TEHRAN – María Corina Machado’s role in Venezuela’s crisis shows how powerful nations use local leaders for their own goals. For years she was seen as the face of the opposition, someone who could stand against Nicolás Maduro.

By Sondoss Al Asaad

Kidnapping sovereignty: When law of the jungle replaces global order

BEIRUT—The modern international system is built—at least in principle—on a foundational norm: the sovereignty of states. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

Global condemnation mounts over Venezuela attacks

TEHRAN – Condemnation is mounting as countries worldwide denounce U.S. military aggression on Venezuela and call for restraint and international law.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Gen. Soleimani’s vision and Iran’s steadfastness

BEIRUT—When martyr Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani wrote his final testament, he was not addressing a moment of defeat or retreat, but a phase of historical ascent cloaked in pressure. 

By staff writer

The law of the jungle: U.S. aggression tramples on Venezuelan sovereignty

TEHRAN – The early Saturday U.S. strike on Venezuela and the reported abduction of President Nicolás Maduro were not acts of justice or legitimate defense. They were manifestations of raw power politics — the law of the jungle — where might is imposed over right and international norms are discarded in favor of brute force. By bypassing international law and seizing a sitting president, Washington has spread instability across Latin America, undermining the very principles of sovereignty and self-determination.

By Shahrokh Saei 

Peace on paper, fire on the ground: Trump’s seven-nation strikes in 2025

TEHRAN – Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has tried to cast himself as a peacemaker, insisting that his second term has brought an end to conflicts that long tied down the United States abroad. He has spoken of breaking with what he calls America’s era of “endless wars,” presenting his foreign policy as restraint, not intervention.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Lebanon in 2025: A nation adrift in chaos and defiance

BEIRUT —2025 offered no respite for Lebanon. Fleeting moments of calm only exposed deeper rot gnawing at the state’s foundations. Institutions crumble under chronic mismanagement, while political forces wallow in disarray. 

By staff writer 

Saudi ‘red line’ and UAE’s adventurism in Yemen

TEHRAN – Saudi Arabia has framed its national security as a “red line,” warning it will act decisively against any foreign military support for separatist groups in Yemen.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Detention of Jordanian journalist Mohammad Faraj and erosion of free expression

BEIRUT—As 2025 draws to a close, the continued detention of Jordanian journalist and political writer Mohammad Faraj remains unresolved and deeply troubling.

By Garsha Vazirian

Six countries, three seas, one voracious war machine

A year of Tel Aviv’s fear doctrine—sovereignty dismantled across six nations, maritime terror targeting humanitarian aid

TEHRAN – In 2025, Israel acted as a borderless war machine, unleashing over 10,631 military attacks across six nations—Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Qatar—while extending its brutality to maritime terrorism against aid ships in the waters of Malta, Greece, and Tunisia.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Yemen and mirage of Somaliland: Sovereignty, deterrence, and battle over the Red Sea

BEIRUT—The renewed focus on the so-called “Somaliland” is not an isolated African issue but a deliberate geopolitical maneuver tied to the security of the Red Sea and the balance of power in West Asia.

By staff writer 

Al-Houthi’s warning: A red line for Israel in Somaliland

TEHRAN – The leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah has declared that any Israeli presence in Somaliland will be treated as a “military target,” framing Israel’s recent recognition of the breakaway region as an act of aggression against Somalia, Yemen, and the wider Red Sea corridor. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s remarks underscore the seriousness with which Yemen’s resistance movement views Tel Aviv’s latest geopolitical maneuver, and highlight the broader struggle over sovereignty and control in one of the world’s most strategic maritime zones.

By Shahrokh Saei 

Fanning the flames: How US arms sales destabilize Taiwan and violate China’s sovereignty

TEHRAN – China’s decision to impose countermeasures on U.S. military-linked companies and senior executives is neither impulsive nor symbolic. It is a calibrated response to Washington’s latest and most provocative escalation on the Taiwan question: an unprecedented $11.1 billion arms package to China’s Taiwan region. 

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

How a technical committee has turned into a strategic threat to Lebanon

BEIRUT—What was introduced after the November 27, 2024 ceasefire as a purely technical arrangement has gradually evolved into a mechanism with political and security implications that extend far beyond its stated purpose. 

By staff writer

Is the UAE sailing Israel’s ship in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea?

TEHRAN – The United Arab Emirates has long sought to project itself as a modern, pragmatic power, striking a balance between economic dynamism and regional influence. Yet its deepening partnership with Israel reveals a trajectory that is less about stability and more about embedding Israeli interests into fragile states. From southern Yemen to Somaliland and Sudan, Abu Dhabi’s actions increasingly resemble those of a proxy, enabling Israel’s ambitions in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.

By Somaye Morovati

Strategic significance of Bin Zayed’s visit to Pakistan

TEHRAN - The official visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on December 26, 2025, may at first glance be interpreted as a ceremonial bilateral engagement between two countries bound by longstanding and “brotherly” relations.