After the 12-day war between Iran and “Israel” ended, fundamental questions resurfaced within Iranian political and media circles, most notably: Is a new war looming?

In a fresh escalation on Iraq’s crowded political stage, Iran-linked militias have launched a fierce campaign against the U.S. president’s envoy to Baghdad, Mark Savaya, going as far as issuing direct threats.

Tensions between Iran and the Gulf states have spiked sharply in the wake of a GCC summit in Manama, where member countries renewed their call for Tehran to end its “occupation” of the three Emirati islands.

Despite the Trump administration’s direct complicity in the aggression on the Arab world and the wider Middle East, the president’s new national security strategy sketches a shift in Washington’s priorities, signaling a pullback from the region.

In an unprecedented turn since the post-2003 era that followed the U.S. invasion, Iraq’s civil movement has been reduced to a single seat in parliament after its electoral lists suffered a major setback in the November 11, 2025, vote.

With Iraq’s parliamentary elections concluded, the winning alliances and parties have begun initial consultations to form the largest coalition that will select a candidate to lead the new government, amid deep divisions within the Coordination Framework.

At a pivotal moment in Syria’s political landscape, Damascus’ entry into the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS marks a strategic shift that is reshaping regional and international alliances.

During the electoral campaign, public statements from figures linked to Iran-backed armed factions praised al-Halbousi and urged Sunni voters to support him, while warning against voting for the Iraqi Sovereignty Alliance.

Before Iraq’s elections, Washington made no secret of its desire to keep militias away from both the political and security arenas, arguing that their presence strengthens Iranian influence in the country.

Freed after 14 years under house arrest, 88-year-old Iranian reformist Mehdi Karroubi has returned to sharply criticize Supreme Leader Khamenei, call for reforms, and advocate for political prisoners, reasserting his role as a steadfast voice of dissent.

Western media outlets have warned about the growing influence of Iran-backed militias over Iraq’s telecommunications sector, which could give them control of the national database.

Tensions have escalated between Moscow and Tehran after Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and former Iranian diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif traded accusations over the snapback mechanism, described as the “legal trap” in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Amid the sharp decline of Iran’s regional axis following the events of October 7, 2023, Tehran has been quietly orchestrating coordination meetings among its allied Shia forces, particularly in Iraq and Lebanon.

The Iranian regime seems to be adopting a cautious approach, maintaining the 2024 hijab law on paper but refraining from active enforcement—at least in the near term.

Less than a month after sanctioning four Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Washington imposed a new wave of sanctions that targeted Iraqi officials and state institutions accused of laundering money for Tehran’s government.