US Pulls Troops from Gulf Bases; Iran Warns: ‘All American Assets Are Targets’

February 21, 2026
US evacuates troops from Gulf bases as Iran warns of retaliation, rejects nuclear transfer, and tensions edge toward possible confrontation.

 

Iran’s internet blackout as media event: Networks, algorithms, and the politics of visibility

February 21, 2026
Bahar Almasi

During Iran’s internet blackout, state violence unfolded unseen with competing propagandists filling the digital void

Iran says US military build-up ‘unnecessary and unhelpful’, deal achievable

February 20, 2026

Top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi says US ‘has not asked’ for zero uranium enrichment in nuclear talks.

February 20, 2026
Trita Parsi

The deal Trump wants is a no-go for Tehran, which is resigned to retaliating if bombed again, limited or otherwise

From Tehran to Gaza: Frontlines of Resistance

February 20, 2026
M. Reza Behnam
Forty-seven years ago, after a millennium of monarchical rule, Iran reinvented its political system. The Islamic Republic was birthed by the Revolution of 1979; considered one of the most consequential historical events of modern times.

Iran Crisis Exposes the Impotence of America’s Neoliberal War Machine

February 20, 2026
Nicolas J. S. Davies
( Code Pink ) – After some delays, the United States is dispatching a second aircraft-carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and threaten Iran.

A new war in the Middle East seems only a matter of time

February 20, 2026
Lucas Leiroz

The U.S., Israel and Iran escalate their tensions.

Iran, Egypt to restore full diplomatic ties after 47 years

February 20, 2026

The landmark agreement follows months of high-level talks and a structured roadmap aimed at reviving political and economic cooperation

Trump appears to be gearing up to attack Iran. How close are we to war?

February 19, 2026
Michael Arria

Donald Trump says he will decide whether to attack Iran within the next 10 days. Mondoweiss talks with Center for International Policy Senior Fellow Sina Toossi about Trump’s threats, Israel's role, and how Iran might respond if the US starts a war.

President Trump Threatens War With Iran at His First ‘Board of Peace’ Meeting

February 19, 2026
Dave DeCamp

The US president convened the meeting as he's overseeing the largest buildup of US airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq

‘The tankers just keep coming’: US military movements spike fears of imminent attack on Iran

February 19, 2026
Jessica Corbett

“HANDS OFF IRAN Mr. TRUMP,” said Yanis Varoufakis. “And to the rest of us: Let’s do whatever it takes to oppose another war crime—this time against the Iranian people.”

Trump sets deadline for Iran deal

February19, 2026

The US president hinted at possible military action during his Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ inaugural speech

“Extremely Dangerous Situation”: Trita Parsi Warns U.S. & Iran Have Incentives to Escalate Conflict

February 18, 2026
As U.S. and Iranian officials continue negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, President Trump has ordered a buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers. “This is an extremely dangerous situation, which both sides are actually incentivized to escalate,” says Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “Both sides actually believe that a short, intense war may improve their negotiating position.”

 

Iran-US nuclear talks may fail due to both nations’ red lines – but that doesn’t make them futile

February 17, 2026
The latest rounds of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran are going well enough for now, according to the steady drip of public statements from the main parties involved.

The aftermath of an Israeli strike in Tehran on June 23, 2025. Elyas/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Iranians dance through tears as they mourn slain protesters

February 18, 2026

Holding 40th-day memorials for killed demonstrators, people across Iran mix mourning and music as a form of protest

بازداشتن یک انسان از زندگی‌

گرچه فرزند ناخواسته و یا برنامه‌ریزی نشده در بین گروه قلیلی از افراد یافت می‌شود، ولی‌ اکثریت قریب به اتفاق خانواده‌ها از داشتن نوزاد و تولید یک انسان شادی می‌کنند و فرزند جدید یک موهبتی است که آنرا قدر می‌شمرند. بدین دلیل است که جمعیت دنیا همواره رو به افزایش است. البته عوامل دیگری نیز در کثرت جمعیت دخیل می‌باشند، مانند نوآوری‌های پزشکی‌ و رفاه از طریق گسترش تکنولوژی در سطح جهانی‌.ا

From Waltz to Hormuz: Why a Gulf Escalation would backfire Systemically

February 17, 2026
‏Peiman Salehi
( Middle East Monitor ) – Most analyses of potential US escalation against Iran in the Gulf remain confined to deterrence logic and regional balances of power. The debate often focuses on credibility, retaliation, and red lines. Yet such framing misses a deeper structural reality. When viewed through the lens of classical international relations theory, a Gulf crisis is not merely a bilateral confrontation. It is a stress test for the global industrial system.

“Map of Straits of Hormuz” Public Domain. Via Picryl.

Trump stalls over Iran strike plan, Iran holds all the aces

February 17, 2026
Martin Jay

Trump may pretend that Israel is a client state of Washington which has to toe the line, but in reality, it is clear that Israel is calling the shots.

When Trump’s bluff meets reality on Iran

February 16, 2026
Leon Hadar

Fantasy that maximum pressure plus military threats will produce Iran’s capitulation has been tested repeatedly and failed each time

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are locked and loaded to attack Iran. Image: X Screengrab

Iranian FM holds ‘in-depth technical discussions’ with IAEA chief in Geneva

February 16, 2026

The talks come as the Pentagon weighs a potential ‘weeks-long’ war against Iran

US should benefit financially for any deal to last – Iran

February 16, 2026

Cooperation in high-yield sectors would make an accord between Tehran and Washington more durable, Iranian Deputy FM Hamid Ghanbari has said

Iran FM in Geneva for US talks, as IRGC holds drills in Strait of Hormuz

February 16, 2026

Iran’s top diplomat says he hopes to ‘achieve a fair and equitable deal’ in the high-stakes second round of talks with the US on Tuesday.

Report: US Preparing for Sustained, Weeks-Long War Against Iran If Trump Orders Attack

February 15, 2026
Dave DeCamp

Trump said on Friday that regime change in Iran would be 'the best thing that could happen'

US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln operations in the Arabian Sea on February 6 (US Navy photo)

Iran’s Araghchi slams European powers for ‘irrelevance’ in nuclear talks

February 15, 2026
Foreign minister says regional powers have been ‘far more effective’ than the European countries.

‘Historic Lesson’ – Iran Warns War Would End US Dominance as Geneva Nuclear Talks Approach

February 15, 2026

Iran issues a stark warning ahead of negotiations as both sides prepare proposals amid mistrust after previous agreements collapsed.

“Time is slipping underneath our Feet:” FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:37

February 14, 2026
Juan Cole
No 37 in the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám recognizes that life is fleeting, but urges that we concentrate on the sweetness of the present moment.

A Bloodstained Anniversary of the Revolution in Iran

February 13, 2026
Behrooz Ghamari Tabrizi
The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, left the country on a journey to exile on January 16, 1979. Less than a month later, on February 11, the popular revolution triumphed and closed the book of monarchy. The day the Shah left was perhaps the happiest day in my life up to that point. I was at my university campus, Tehran Polytechnic, when the news arrived. I lit a cigarette, another bad habit of teenage years, and left the campus aimlessly just to join the joyous crowds. I had never seen an entire nation so exceptionally jubilant, deeply ecstatic, profoundly euphoric. People were holding up the front page of various newspapers, all of which read, in the largest font that could fit the page, the words “Shah Raft” (The Shah is Gone!).

US smuggled thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran to fuel riots: Report

February 13, 2026

Preparations to sneak in the satellite internet devices into the country began months before the Mossad-backed riots began in January

The Palestinian Question as a Framework for a Century of Tunisian Mobilization

     February 14, 2026
Hèla Yousfi
In September 2025, Tunisia was the scene of an event of considerable symbolic and political significance: the departure of the Global Sumud flotilla for Gaza from the ports of Sidi Bou Said and Bizerte. Supported by a broad coalition of activists, trade unions, associations, and Tunisian citizens, this international initiative was aimed at breaking the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip since 2007, drawing the international community’s attention to the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Palestine, and demanding the opening of a maritime corridor for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.1 The popular mobilization it has sparked in Tunisia is expressed in the Arabic slogan “Resistance, Resistance, no peace, no compromise,” which is combined with the internationalist slogan “Free Palestine,” reflecting the intertwining of Tunisian mobilizations and transnational solidarity.

Trump hasn't bombed Iran yet. He must be reading these polls. Trump hasn't bombed Iran yet. He must be reading these polls.

February 13, 2026
Jack Hunter

American public opinion is largely against a new war with Tehran. If that isn't staying the president's hand, it should.

The Iranian People between the Violence of the State and the Violence of Empire

February 12, 2026
Fariba Amini
Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Since the brutal repression of the January 8-9 protests in Iran, those of us who live abroad have been numb.  Witnessing an atrocity such as the one that took place is not even comprehensible.

 

Poet Sohrab Sepehri’s statue in Kashan

How the China-Iran strategic partnership really evolves

February 12, 2026
Pepe Escobar
Neo-Caligula continues to bet in what could be defined as The Strategy of the Weaponized Debtor.
We’ve got a thing, and that’s a-called radar love
We’ve got a wave in the air
Radar love
Golden Earring, Radar Love

After weeks of tension, Trump is still talking tough on Iran. Here's what could happen next

February11, 2026
Emma Graham

• Tensions between Iran and the U.S. are high, with both at an impasse after talks last week in Oman.
• Analysts told CNBC a U.S. attack on Iran is unlikely, and that U.S President Donald Trump has no good options when it comes to using force.
• "U.S. forces in the region are not adequate to support a significant long-term military operation in Iran which would be necessary to achieve any major military objective," said one.

In this frame-grab made from video, missiles and air-defense interceptors illuminate the night sky over Doha after Iran launched an attack on US forces at Al Udeid Air Base on June 23, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.

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.