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By Mireille Rebeiz, Chair of Middle East Studies and Associate Professor of Francophone and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dickinson College. Adjunct Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law., Dickinson College After a 12-day war launched by Israel and joined briefly by the United States, Iran has emerged weakened and vulnerable. And that … Continue reading “A weakened Iran and Hezbollah gives Lebanon an opening to chart path away from the region’s conflicts − will it be enough?”
By Belinda Clarence, Law Lecturer, RMIT University During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major shipping routes.Would that be possible, and what effects would it have? The Strait of Hormuz is a choke point at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. It … Continue reading “What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for global shipping?”
By Petra Vaiglova, Lecturer in Archaeological Science, Australian National University Have you ever stopped by the grocery store on your way to a dinner party to grab a bottle of wine? Did you grab the first one you saw, or did you pause to think about the available choices and deliberate over where you wanted … Continue reading “Guests at a feast in Iran’s Zagros Mountains 11,000 years ago brought wild boars from all across the land”
By Robert Dover, Professor of Intelligence and National Security & Dean of Faculty, University of Hull The ongoing debate over whether Iranian nuclear sites were “obliterated”, as the US president and his team insist, or merely “damaged”, as much of the intelligence suggest, should make us pause and think about the nature and purpose of … Continue reading “Row over damage to Iran’s nuclear programme raises questions about intelligence”
By Joshua Rovner, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University The U.S. Air Force dropped a dozen ground-penetrating bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds (13,607 kilograms), in a raid on Iran’s nuclear site at Fordo on June 21, 2025. The attack was an attempt to reach the uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a mountain. The … Continue reading “What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know”
By Bamo Nouri, Honorary Research Fellow, City St George’s, University of London Israel’s attack on Iran last month and the US bombing of the country’s nuclear facilities, the first-ever direct US attacks on Iranian soil, were meant to cripple Tehran’s strategic capabilities and reset the regional balance.The strikes came after 18 months during which Israel … Continue reading “The US and Israel’s attack may have left Iran stronger”
By Stephen Collins, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Kennesaw State University While the U.S. military’s strikes on Iran on June 21, 2025, is believed to have damaged the country’s critical nuclear infrastructure, no evidence has yet emerged showing the program to have been completely destroyed. In fact, an early U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment … Continue reading “Military force may have delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions – but history shows that diplomacy is the more effective nonproliferation strategy”
By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor Each day that has passed recently has brought another report of mass killings in Gaza. Today’s headline was as grim as any: according to reports from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, another 118 people were killed in the past 24 hours, including 12 people trying to get … Continue reading “Hope for a ceasefire in Gaza (but not much)”
By Benjamin Zala, Senior Lecturer, Politics & International Relations, Monash University As the ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding for now, it is important to reflect on whether this whole episode was worth the risks.Wider escalation was (and remains) possible, and we do not know whether Iran will seek a nuclear weapon … Continue reading “Could we live with a nuclear-armed Iran? Reluctantly, yes”
By Skip York, Nonresident Fellow in Energy and Global Oil, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University Global energy markets, such as those for oil, gas and coal, tend to be sensitive to a wide range of world events – especially when there is some sort of crisis. Having worked in the energy industry for … Continue reading “Why energy markets fluctuate during an international crisis”