Insider

Your all-access pass to FP

Get Ready for More Mischief From Iran

An energy expert warns that Tehran will find new ways and locations to strike asymmetrically, maybe even in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

By , a deputy news editor at Foreign Policy.
Iranian mourners carry a picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decorating now-slain Gen. Qassem Suleimani during his funeral procession in Tehran on Jan. 6.
Iranian mourners carry a picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decorating now-slain Gen. Qassem Suleimani during his funeral procession in Tehran on Jan. 6.
Iranian mourners carry a picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decorating now-slain Gen. Qassem Suleimani during his funeral procession in Tehran on Jan. 6. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

After Iran launched a bloodless retaliatory strike early Wednesday on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to seize the opportunity to de-escalate the military confrontation between the two countries. “The United States is ready to embrace peace,” he said in a White House address on Wednesday.

Keith Johnson is a deputy news editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @KFJ_FP

Read More On Energy Policy | Iran | Middle East and North Africa | Saudi Arabia

Read More

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the situation with Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the situation with Iran

Flanked by Military Brass, Trump Backs Off War Footing

President announces he’s imposing new sanctions in response to Iranian missile strike.

Report
Lara Seligman, Robbie Gramer
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi

Is Iran Abandoning the 2015 Nuclear Agreement?

Not quite. But by saying it’s no longer bound by any nuclear restrictions, Tehran has come one big step closer to scrapping the deal.

Explainer
Keith Johnson
Demonstrators wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags during a protest in support of Palestinians on Oct. 20.
Demonstrators wave Palestinian and Hezbollah flags during a protest in support of Palestinians on Oct. 20.

The Future of Hamas Passes Through Tehran

Clarity about Gaza’s postwar rule requires addressing the role of Iran.

Analysis
Lina Khatib

Latest

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

India Looks to Seize Opportunity at COP28

Negotiators Race to Extend Israel-Hamas Truce

Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu

Will U.S. Revelation of Plot to Kill Sikh Activist Strain Ties With India?
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    What Was Hamas Thinking?
  2. 2
    Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
  3. 3
    What Geert Wilders Wants in Europe
  4. 4
    Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It
  5. 5
    Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
  6. 6
    Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger’s Reputation

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  2. Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
    Obituary
    Michael Hirsh

  3. Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger’s Reputation
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  4. Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
    Argument
    Marc Weller

  5. What Was Hamas Thinking?
    Argument
    Tareq Baconi