Shi'ite

Iraqi PM-led coalition tops Iraq election with 46 seats, commission says

Prime Minister Sudani's bloc wins Iraq's election, but forming a new government may take months due to challenges in building a majority and balancing US-Iran influence.

|ByREUTERS
A man holds a flag of Iraq from a car with an election poster featuring current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, as supporters of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition celebrate after preliminary election results were announced in Baghdad, Iraq, November 12, 2025.
Iraqi polling officials count ballots at a polling station after closing of the polls during the country's parliamentary election in Al-Muhandiseen district in eastern Baghdad on November 11, 2025.

After elections, Iraq walks a tightrope between US ties and Iran’s control - analysis

Iraq’s recent election saw 329 seats contested along sectarian lines. The outcome will impact the US-Iraq security arrangement and address the growing power of Iran-backed militias.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani preside as binational pacts and memoranda of understanding are signed last month in Doha. Turkey and Qatar lead the Muslim Brotherhood’s neo-Ottomanism, says the writer.

The Shi’ite Crescent has collapsed, and neo-Ottomanism has risen - opinion

Even as Hamas is crumbling in Gaza, it may well be reborn in new forms, sustained by the Brotherhood network.

|ByBEN AVRAHAMI
Tehran's new Virgin Mary metro station has drawn both praise and criticism for the treatment of Christians within Iran.

Tehran opens Virgin Mary metro station amid scrutiny over Iran's Christian rights

Iran opens a metro station named after the Virgin Mary, calling it a gesture of coexistence, while critics cite ongoing discrimination against minorities.

|ByALEX WINSTON

To prevent civil war, Lebanese gov't compromising by not disarming Hezbollah, expert says

"Hezbollah and Amal, the two major Shi'ite movements in the country, are telling the Lebanese president and prime minister: forget the government's decision regarding Hezbollah's disarmament."

SEPTEMBER 1, 2025ByPELED ARBELI
Lebanon's Hezbollah members hold party flags as they listen to their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressing his supporters via a screen during a rally marking the anniversary of the defeat of militants near the Lebanese-Syrian border, in al-Ain village, Lebanon August 25, 2019.

Can Lebanon disarm Hezbollah? - explainer

Lebanon's cabinet decision gave the army until the end of August to submit a disarmament plan to the government.

AUGUST 7, 2025ByREUTERS
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the Lebanese cabinet meet to discuss efforts to bring all weapons in the country under the control of the state, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 5, 2025.

IRGC chief visits Baghdad over fears of Iraqi instability - analysis

Qaani met with top Shiite leaders in Baghdad to contain internal splits and preserve Iran's influence in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections.

JULY 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, the newly appointed commander of the country's Quds Force, is seen in Tehran, Iran, in this undated picture obtained January 3, 2020

Iran is more nuanced and diverse than wrong impressions of it - opinion

The Western world doesn't give Iran enough credit for being a multifaceted nation where many people hope for the downfall of its repressive regime.

JULY 15, 2025ByMICAH HALPERN
AN IRANIAN couple crosses the street in Tehran. Iran is composed of many different ethnic communities, the writer notes.

Khamenei’s personal hatred of Azerbaijan - opinion

The Islamic Republic of Iran's animosity toward Azerbaijan, an independent Shi'ite Muslim country, stems directly from its supreme leader.

JULY 10, 2025ByMORDECHAI KEDAR
IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised message last month. One could argue that he despises Azerbaijan almost as much as he despises the US, says the writer.

Axis of the weak: Iran's proxy network has been severely damaged - opinion

Iran’s axis of proxies has taken a serious hit and has become an axis of the weak.

JUNE 24, 2025ByELIE PODEH
DEMONSTRATORS HOLD a banner that reads: ‘Save the hostages, end the war,’ in Tel Aviv earlier this month. It’s against a relatively small organization – Hamas – that Israel is struggling, says the writer.

Why Iranians embrace Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi: Nowruz vs Ramadan, Pahlavi vs Khamenei - opinion

During the New Year celebration Nowruz, Iranians chose their old traditions, while the regime imposed mourning for Imam Ali. More and more, slogans for Reza Pahlavi as leader of a secular Iran.

MARCH 24, 2025ByAFSHIN ELLIAN
A woman poses next to an Iranian flag and photo of the Persian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, during a protest on the day of the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023.

Iran under threat: Is Trump preparing for decisive action? - opinion

What a beautiful image it is – when the embassies of Israel and the United States once again raise their flags in free Tehran.

MARCH 24, 2025ByERFAN FARD
Illustrative image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in front of the Israel-Lebanon border.

'Yemen is built off Iran': Cutting off Tehran's supplies will stop the Houthis, expert says

Baram proposes strategic alternatives to using the Israeli air force to defeat the Houthis, including targeting maritime supply routes and dismantling piers.

DECEMBER 27, 2024ByMAYA COHEN
Yemen's Houthi followers brandish weapons and chant slogans as they take part in a protest against the Israeli air strikes on Yemen on December 27, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen.

Iraq considers Syrian intervention as rebels advance

Iraqi forces bolster border defenses as Sunni rebels threaten Assad's hold on Syria.

DECEMBER 6, 2024ByREUTERS
Raising the opposition flag at the Aleppo Citadel in the center of the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 1, 2024.

Pro-Iranian militias enter Syria, President Bashar Assad's Aleppo Palace invaded

Battling Israel left Tehran too weak to deal with Syria, researcher says • Airstrikes in northwestern Syria kill 25 people

DECEMBER 2, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Illustrative image of Syrian opposition fighters,