Iran on the Brink?

February11, 2026
Ashley Smith - Houshang Sepehr
The Iranian regime has faced down a wave of mass protest. Merchants, students, workers, and national minorities joined huge demonstrations throughout the country against economic conditions and state repression. The regime has responded with the utmost brutality, killing between a low estimate of 6,000 people and a high of 30,000. This has for the moment repressed the struggle. But the conditions that triggered it remain unresolved. Meanwhile, Trump has assembled an armada in the region, threatening to attack the regime. Tempest’s Ashley Smith interviews Houshang Sepehr, editor of the website, Solidarité Socialiste avec les Travailleurs en Iran, about the roots of the uprising, the response of the state, the role of U.S. imperialism, and the trajectory of the struggle.

What western 'experts' mean when they predict Iran's collapse

February11, 2026
Sami Al-Arian

As protests in Iran are met with US threats of military action, western analysts revive a well-worn narrative that frames unrest as internal failure while obscuring decades of intervention

An Iranian man walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel banner hanging on a building in Palestine Square, after the United States announced the deployment of a naval strike group to the region, in Tehran, on 27 January 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Iran Talks: What We Know So Far After a Week of Regional Diplomacy

February 11, 2026

Before negotiations resume, Israel lobbies Washington while Iran and Gulf mediators work to contain escalation regionally.

On the Anniversary of Iran’s Revolution: Key Lessons for Revolutionaries

February 11, 2026
Farhang Jahanpour
Oxford (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Today, 11 February, marks the 47th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and coincidentally, it also marks the 15th anniversary of the ousting of Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of oppressive rule. There were some other uprisings during what came to be known as the Arab Spring, which resulted in the ousting of ruling dictators. Undeterred, Iranian leaders, after the terrible carnage in January this year, are making big plans to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

LIVE: Iran, Palestine to headline Netanyahu-Trump White House meeting

February 11, 2026

• Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet United States President Donald Trump at the White House today.
• In the Gaza Strip, Israeli air attacks and artillery shelling continue while the seventh group of patients and wounded individuals returned via the Rafah crossing.
• Israeli army raids have continued across Hebron in the occupied West Bank, with several Palestinians suffocating from tear gas fired by the forces.
• Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 72,045 people and wounded 171,686 since October 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and about 250 were taken captive.

People attend the 47th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]

حملهٔ آمریکا و اسرائیل به ایران

این پرسشی است که بسیاری از سیاستمدارن در شرق و غرب در حال تجزیه و تحلیل آن هستند. با کامل تاسف اکثر ایرانیانی که از این رژیم آدم‌کش و دزد کلافه شده‌ا‌ند، وابسته به اهداف دول خارجی‌ می‌باشند، و از حملهٔ نیروهای نظامی خارج از مرز‌هایشان حمایت می‌کنند. در خارج از ایران، کسانی‌ که به ترامپ برای این حمله فشار می‌آورند، نتنیاهو و سایر صهیونیست‌ها می‌باشند. با داشتن یک نیروی نظامی قوی، و مساحت جغرافیایی گسترده، کشور ایران مانعی بر سر راه دولت اسرائیل برای رسیدن به  یک هدف و یا  یک آرزوی چند دهه‌ای، یعنی‌  ارتقأ آن به عنوان  بزرگترین دولت خاورمیانه می‌باشد. در نتیجه کشور ایران می‌بایست تسخیر، و سپس چند تکه شود تا هیچ‌وقت نتواند به عنوان نیروئی در مقابل اسرائیل قد علم کند. از طرف دیگر، دولت ایران تنها دولتی در خاورمیانه است که از خلق فلسطین پشتیبانی‌ می‌کند. بنابراین، عدم وجود کشوری چون ایران، برای اسرائیل به عنوان قویترین دولتِ حامیِ غرب در خاورمیانه، حیاتی است.ا

The risk of war with Iran is growing despite talks

February 10, 2026
Murad Sadygzade

Current negotiations between Tehran and Washington are an opportunity – but a narrow one, surrounded by sharp edges

False alarm: US-Iran talks are not a countdown to conflict

February 10, 2026
Bamo Nouri

Oman talks were not a final reckoning, but an opening move amid shared recognition of the huge dangers of escalation

Iran views the existence of its ballistic missile arsenal as non-negotiable. Image: Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA via The Conversation

War on Iran: The fuse to a global crisis

February 9, 2026
Peiman Salehi

More than nuclear escalation, a western war on Iran could unleash a global economic shock powerful enough to unravel the fragile fabric of the current world order.

US Holds Live-Fire War Games in Persian Gulf

February 8, 2026
Kyle Anzalone
US forces conducted live-fire military drills in the Persian Gulf. The exercise happened as President Donald Trump is threatening to attack Iran.

Tehran Refuses Zero Enrichment, Says Pressure Will Not Force Retreat

February 8, 2026

Araghchi said Iran today is no longer vulnerable to external coercion. “In the past the Shah went where they wanted. Today Iran has the capacity to stand firm.”

‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ hasn’t faded in Iran — it’s being actively eliminated

February 7, 2026
Mina Fakhravar
(The Conversation) – Anti-government protests in Iran have killed thousands of people. The relative calm in the country today was imposed by force. Protests that began over economic collapse quickly evolved into an overt political uprising, as chants moved from demands for survival to outright rejection of the regime.

Iran says missile programme 'never negotiable' in talks with US

February 7, 2026

Comments follow reports that Iran and US agree to limit discussions to nuclear programme

Copies of Iranian daily newspapers reporting on the first round of talks between Iran and the US are displayed at a kiosk in Tehran on 7 February 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP)

US-Iran talks live: FM Araghchi says latest round of talks ‘a good start’

February 6, 2026
Jillian Kestler-D'Amours and Nils Adler

As US-Iran talks resume, will Israel play spoiler (again)?

February 05, 2026
Eldar Mamedov
This Friday, the latest chapter in the long, fraught history of U.S.-Iran negotiations will take place in Oman. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet in an effort to stave off a war between the U.S. and Iran.

Arab-Turkish proposal for Iran–US talks urges Tehran to halt support for resistance, ‘restrict’ ballistic missile use: Report

February 5, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said negotiating over the missile program and the Axis of Resistance as part of a deal was 'impossible'

LIVE: US, Iran struggle to find common ground ahead of talks

February 5, 2026
Christine Maguire, Jillian Kestler-D'Amours and Nils Adler

• Talks between Iran and the United States will take place in Oman on Friday.
• Mediators from Qatar, Turkiye and Egypt have presented Iran and the US with a framework of key principles to be discussed in the talks, two sources have told Al Jazeera.
• The talks come as the region braces for a potential US attack on Iran after US President Donald Trump ordered forces to amass in the Arabian Sea following a violent crackdown by Iran on protesters last month. 

Iran regime: A Plato’s Republic thought experiment gone too far?

February 3, 2026
Ibrahim Al-Marashi
( The New Arab ) – Dystopian images emerged from Iran in mid-January: families searching body bags for loved ones, smoke-choked streets and unverified footage of unarmed guards beaten or protesters cut down. On January 17, US President Donald Trump seized on the moment, publicly calling for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign.

Detail of Madhu Khanazad (attr.) Plato charming the wild animals with music, Khamsa of Nizami, Mughal, 1595 -6, f.208, British Library. Public Domain. Via Wikimedia Commons

Trump's plan to force Iran to surrender is a fatal error

February 4, 2026
David Hearst

The US president should read history before making what could prove to be the costliest foreign policy mistake of his presidency

A man stands outside the former US embassy next to a banner depicting the face of President Donald Trump and a model missile during a rally in Tehran on 4 November 2025 (AFP)

US–Iran Talks Move to Oman as Diplomacy Narrows and Military Signals Intensify

February 4, 2026

US–Iran talks move to Oman as diplomacy narrows to nuclear file amid mounting military preparations.

Washington downs Iranian drone ‘aggressively approaching’ USS Lincoln

February4, 2026

Iranian media said a Shahed 139 was ‘legally’ conducting surveillance in open waters, and that Tehran is investigating why authorities lost contact with the drone

براندازی

یکی‌ از آرزوهای کلیهٔ ایرانیانی که خارج از ایران زندگی‌ می‌کنند، البته بغیر از وابستگان به دولت آخوندی، همواره تغییر رژیم اسلامی بوده است. گرچه بطور دقیق مشخص نیست که چه تعدادی از ایرانیان در خارج از ایران زندگی‌ می‌کنند، ولی‌ بین چهار تا هشت میلیون نفر تخمین زده شده‌ا‌ند. جمعیت مردم ایران نزدیک به نود و سه میلیون نفر است. در زمان انقلاب این جمعیت بیش از یک سوم امروز بود، که با اینکه خمینی پس از به دست گرفتن قدرت، یعنی‌ نیروهای نظامی و پلیس، کشتار وسیعی از کسانی‌ که با رژیم اسلامی او موافق نبودند کرد، این جمعیت همواره رو به افزایش بوده است. به این ترتیب می‌توان تعداد ایرانیان را حدود صد میلیون نفر تخمین زد. وابستگان و جیره‌خواران رژیم اسلامی در ایران حدس زده می‌شود که بیش از دو سه میلیون، و حد اکثر پنج میلیون، نباشند. بنابراین، می‌توان نتیجه گرفت که نود و پنج درصد ایرانیان از دولتی که در این کشور حکومت می‌کند ناراضی هستند و در پی برانداختن رژیم اسلامی می‌باشند.ا

Could Trump bomb Iran before settling on a rationale?

February 3, 2026
Paul R. Pillar

Even the shifting justifications could be resolved with diplomacy

US Claims It Downed Iranian Drone near Carrier – Tehran Denies

February 3, 2026

The US claimed it downed an Iranian drone near its carrier as naval tensions escalated across key Gulf waterways.

An alleged US military drone intercept near key Gulf waterways has intensified tensions with Iran, which denies any hostile action or confrontation occurred. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

US Says It Shot Down Iranian Drone in the Arabian Sea

February 3, 2026
Dave Decamp

According to US Central Command, an F-35 jet from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln took down the drone

USS Abraham Lincoln transits the San Bernido Strait in the Philippines on December 25, 2025 (US Navy photo)

The Iranian Protests Explained

February 2, 2026
Daniel Falcone
In this interview, international relations scholar Stephen Zunes and Middle East historian Lawrence Davidson help to unpack the Iranian protests and explain their relevance within the context of U.S. and Israeli national interests.

Protests in Tehran on 8 January. Photograph Source: Standardwhale – CC BY 0

Iranian FM reveals 'fruitful' indirect talks with US in push for de-escalation

February 2, 2026

Araghchi warned that war would be a 'disaster for everyone' and said Tehran is prepared to confront an attack

Iran eyes progress towards US nuclear talks as tension eases

February 2, 2026
Paul Rogers

Iran examines regional proposals to ease tensions with the US as it expects a framework for talks in the coming days.

How a US/Israeli Strike on Iran could Provoke a wider Conflict

February 1, 2026
Paul Rogers
( OpenDemocracy.net ) – On his way back from Davos last weekend, Donald Trump warned the Iranian leadership of a naval force heading for the Middle East with an implied threat of military action. Since then, an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in the Indian Ocean bordering the Arabian Sea and within the US Central Command’s area of operations.

Iran warns of regional conflict if US attacks, designates EU armies 'terrorists'

February 1, 2026
Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alexander Smith, Jane Merriman and Hugh Lawson

Iran Ayatollah's son 'has £100million in property on Billionaire's Row' in North London

January 31, 2026
ABUL TAHER and PADRAIC FLANAGAN

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who is touted as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's successor, is said to own 11 properties on Bishops Avenue (pictured)

Iranians seal windows and store food and water as they prepare for attack

January 31, 2026

While the US builds up its military assets in the Gulf, Iranians quietly brace for a new war

Iranians wait for minibuses after arriving at the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing in north-eastern Turkey on 31 January 2026 (AFP)

Iran’s Nationwide Internet Blackout Has Left Us Feeling Hopeless and Helpless

January 30, 2026
Ali Reza Nemati

As Donald Trump threatens further military action, the sense of exhaustion in Iran is palpable.

An Iranian woman looks at an electronic board displayed outside a currency exchange shop in downtown Tehran, Iran, on January 20, 2026, following recent unrest in Iran.

West’s hypocrisy over Iran and Gaza proves a regime-change operation in Tehran

January 30, 2026

Far from expressing any condemnation against the Israeli regime, the U.S. and the EU (with minor exceptions) have maintained an odious silence.

US war with Iran demands strategy, not just strength

January 30, 2026
M A Hossain

If and when US attacks Iran, what does Trump expect to achieve—and can any of it realistically be delivered by military force?

A US assault on Iran could quickly spiral into a wider regional war. Image: US Army

“Prevent the Bloodshed”: Filmmaker Sepideh Farsi on Iran Protests & U.S. Threats of Military Strikes

January 30, 2026
The latest reliable estimates of the death toll in Iran’s recent nationwide protests are growing, potentially reaching the tens of thousands. Some estimates place the number of civilians killed by government forces at 30,000 or more. We play a rare eyewitness account of the deadly massacre of protesters in Rasht, Iran, and speak to the Iranian filmmaker and political dissident Sepideh Farsi, who says U.S. military intervention “would only worsen the situation.” She warns that President Trump’s interest in U.S. military action on the country is “for business,” and “not for Iranian people.”

US aims to sway Saudi defence minister to get behind Iran strikes, sources say

January 29, 2026
Sean Mathews

As the Gulf urges the US to engage in diplomacy, the Trump administration is using a Washington visit to pressure the kingdom

The Biggest Threats the Iranian People Face Are America and Israel

January 30, 2026
Stan Cox

EU labels IRGC ‘terrorist organisation’ as Iran-US tensions roil

January 29, 2026

People walk past an anti-US billboard in Tehran, Iran, on 26 January 2026 (Majid Asgaripour/Wana via Reuters)

Iran vows to strike back 'like never before' as Trump intensifies war threats

January 28, 2026

The Islamic Republic has recently threatened to strike both Israel and US bases across West Asia if it comes under attack

‘No Retreat’ – Iran in Control of Hormuz as US ‘Armada’ Deploys, Regional Mediation Intensifies

January 28, 2026

Iran denied recent contact with the US as Washington deployed major military assets, Tehran carried out executions, and regional powers pushed for de-escalation amid mounting war fears.

Iran's battle for survival is the Arab world's fight too

January 28, 2026
David Hearst

Everyone in the region, whatever their past history with the Islamic Republic, should do their utmost to defend Iran and guarantee its sovereignty

An anti-US and anti-Israel banner hangs on a building in Tehran on 27 January 2026, as a US naval strike group has deployed to Middle Eastern waters (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Trump Says Iran Wants To Talk As US Warships Arrive In Middle East Waters

January 28, 2026
( RFE/RL’s Radio Farda ) – A US aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East on January 27 as tensions mount over a possible strike against Iran after a brutal crackdown on protests that rights groups say killed thousands of people.

پلیس و سرود

 ترجمهٔ داستانی از نویسندهٔ بزرگ آمریکائی، اُهنری <توضیحات مترجم در این دو ابرو اضافه شده‌ا‌ند>.ا

The Cop and the Anthem

<A Story by William Sidney Porter, or O'Henry> 

For Iran, another US–Israeli attack would be an 'existential war'

January27, 2026
Seyed Hossein Mousavian

Tehran will respond in a way that eliminates any incentive for restraint, unleashing a conflict that would be impossible to control

Only Expanding the General Strike Can Stop ICE's Reign of Terror

January 24, 2026

Iran’s Protests are not just about Economics, they’re about an Ideological Crisis

January 25, 2026
Mahsa Ghaffari
(The Conversation) – Iran’s latest wave of unrest is often explained in familiar terms: economic collapse, sanctions, inflation, or sudden political anger. But this framing misses what is actually unfolding.

The Middle East is at a tipping point as the U.S. fuels crisis across the region

January 24, 2026
Mitchell Plitnick

Long-standing crises in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Iran are deepening as the U.S. imprint on the Middle East shows no signs of weakening.

US, China once had rare-earth aces in the hole but the US folded

January23, 2026
Ravi Kant

Now China has a kill switch for US defense and high-tech industry, and that explains Trump’s lust for Greenland and Canada