Thoughtful against-the-grain take on Mojtaba: 'To most Iranians the son is an enigma. He holds no public position, rarely appears in public and doesn't give speeches. With long ties to key figures... the younger Khamenei has grown powerful in the shadows.' wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Didn't Schumer himself say, barely two months ago, that Netanyahu was leading Israel to ruin and needed to be replaced immediately? Why on earth would he sign on to this?

'Impulsive, illogical and entirely in keeping with the manner in which Mr Sunak has governed... the decision to hurl himself at the electorate at short notice is no surprise from a man who has engaged in a 'reset' every six months he has been in office.' economist.com/britain/2024/0…

It's symbolism, a way for European governments to claim they are putting pressure on Israel without having to take the sorts of costly and controversial steps that would *actually* put pressure on Israel nytimes.com/2024/05/23/wor…

Another installment of 'Biden officials realize things that were clear to everyone else back in October'

The death of a president changes the power dynamics in Iran. Or perhaps not: 'The most obvious trajectory for Iran now is that a new president is installed who is loyal to the military hardliners who underwrite the regime.' economist.com/middle-east-an…

July 4 is of course a day that has historically been kind to British politicians

A thoughtful gesture by Kais Saied, to make sure that Raisi wouldn't be the most incompetent head of state at his own funeral

None of the aid that has entered Gaza via Biden's pier has actually been distributed yet: 'On Saturday, hungry crowds looted several World Food Programme trucks transporting aid that had been delivered through the pier, prompting the agency to suspend deliveries.' nytimes.com/2024/05/21/wor…

Pretty sure Sisi did the same thing after the coup in 2013: 'Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to the The Associated Press on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.' apnews.com/article/live-t…

Netanyahu's new official plane making a test flight today to Rome, the city where the ICC was established. There's a joke in here somewhere

A 'significant breakthrough' on a bilateral US-Saudi deal, without any movement on the Israeli side, is like saying you've almost finished planning your wedding but your partner still isn't sure about marrying you ynetnews.com/article/sk11sz…

The pier has been operating for four days. If we assume ~20 tons of food per truck, that means the pier is so far delivering the equivalent of seven trucks a day

The 'humanitarian zone' in Mawasi: 'Tents are so tightly packed together that the sand is barely visible. Families cook over open fires, burning trash in lieu of gas or other fuel. Garbage is piling up, and sewage has few places to go except out to sea.' wsj.com/world/middle-e…