By Wesam Bahrani 

U.S. opposition to al-Maliki: Political and economic pressure on Iraq

TEHRAN – President Donald Trump’s warning to withhold U.S. support if Nouri al-Maliki returns as Iraq’s prime minister goes beyond personal criticism.

By Sondoss Al Asaad

Women as currency: Epstein files and the moral fraud of the Western order

BEIRUT — The renewed release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has been framed in Western corporate media as a triumph of transparency and accountability.

Trump’s tower of deceit: Epstein’s files pull back the curtain

Over three million pages of DOJ files fuel critical allegations, placing the U.S. president at the heart of Epstein's elite sex scandal network

TEHRAN – The newest release of the Epstein files has once again pulled U.S. President Donald Trump, along with a long list of powerful figures, into the center of a story that refuses to fade. The U.S. Department of Justice — the federal agency responsible for enforcing the law and overseeing the FBI — published more than three million pages of documents, along with thousands of images and videos, on Friday. What emerged is a portrait of Epstein’s world that is both familiar and newly disturbing: a network of wealth, secrecy, and influence that stretched across politics, entertainment, business, and even intelligence circles.

By Saleh Abidi Maleki

‘Iran as ready for diplomacy as it is for war’

In Ankara, Araghchi restates Tehran’s long-held position as neighbors call on Washington to halt escalation against Iran

TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in the Turkish capital on Friday with a message for Washington that was as firm as it was measured: Tehran remains open to a diplomatic resolution regarding its nuclear program, but it will not negotiate under duress, nor will it hesitate to engage in total war if the United States miscalculates again.

By Shahrokh Saei 

China leads the agenda: Xi–Starmer talks highlight the limits of US unilateralism

TEHRAN — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China has highlighted a broader shift in global diplomacy, showcasing the contrast between nations willing to engage Beijing and the unilateral approach pursued by US President Donald Trump. 

By Wesam Bahrani 

Trump’s threats against Iraq could backfire

TEHRAN – The U.S. president’s aggressive rhetoric about Iraq’s political future may ultimately produce the opposite of its intended effect.

By Soheila Zarfam 

US plan: ‘Make Iran Texas again’ 

Senator Cruz wants to bring Texas-style weaponization to Iran, openly stating that Washington must arm terrorists

TEHRAN – Ted Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas, has a reputation for rhetoric that often outpaces his grasp of its consequences. He was a central figure whose remarks fuelled the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and he remains infamous among his constituents for fleeing to Cancun during a deadly winter storm that crippled the state’s power grid. On the world stage, he is a reliable advocate for American military intervention, from West Asia to South America.

Trump’s ultimatum to Iraq: A blatant assault on sovereignty and the democratic order

TEHRAN — The recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s potential return to power represent a direct challenge to Iraq’s sovereignty and a troubling disregard for international norms. 

By Faramarz Kouhpayeh 

America’s ‘big armada’ won’t change the equation — at least not in Trump’s favor

Rather than forcing capitulation, escalating US pressure is driving Iran to prepare for worst-case scenarios

TEHRAN – Since 2018, Tehran has been the primary actor exercising strategic patience to prevent tensions with Washington from spiralling into an all-out regional conflagration. This restraint has sprung from a recognition of the catastrophic costs of conflict—not only for Iran but for the Arab neighbors it has sought to court against Israeli expansionism, and for extra-regional allies like China that depend on West Asian energy. 

Trump shakes up immigration crackdown leadership

The administration of President Donald Trump is shaking up the leadership of its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis by pulling its director of on-the-ground enforcement, according to two U.S. officials, as federal agents face growing criticism for their heavy-handed tactics in the city, New York Times reported. 

By Bobby Ciputra

Indonesia tests the limits of a decades-long doctrine by joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s decision to sign US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) charter in Davos marks a defining moment for President Prabowo Subianto’s foreign policy, revealing a strategic shift from traditional multilateralism toward calculated maneuvering within an emerging parallel global order.

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: A colonial blueprint for Gaza’s future

The Resist US-Led War Movement stands in resolute opposition to the Trump administration's attempt to repackage the genocide of the Palestinian people into a financial venture under its newly unveiled "Board of Peace." This so-called board, launched at the Davos summit, is a colonial blueprint for Gaza’s future, a direct assault on international law in an attempt to once again bend the world to the will of US imperialism.

By Ranjan Solomon

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza and the monetization of ruins

GOA — Gaza today is not emerging from conflict; it is still being crushed by its consequences. Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, civilians displaced en masse, famine conditions allowed to fester, and allegations of international crimes hang unresolved over the ruins. Any serious discussion of Gaza’s future would begin with a ceasefire, accountability, and the restoration of Palestinian political agency. Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” begins elsewhere. It begins with money, authority, and control.

Anti-ICE rallies sweep across the U.S. after Minneapolis fatal shooting 

Demonstrators have marched through major U.S. cities, calling for an end to federal immigration crackdowns and demanding the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

By Shahab Sarmadi 

Minneapolis: Ground zero of American hypocrisy

Alex Pretti’s death exposed a US that champions freedom abroad even as federal agents take the lives of its own citizens at home

TEHRAN — Anger is surging across the United States — particularly in Minneapolis — after federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American ICU nurse, during a chaotic immigration raid. His death has become a symbol of what critics describe as a violent and uncontrolled federal crackdown — one that is now claiming the lives of U.S. citizens.

By Sondoss Al Asaad 

Economic fragility and militarized escalation in Trump’s foreign policy

BEIRUT — Since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been characterized by confrontation, escalation, and a growing reliance on military force. 

By Saleh Abidi Maleki 

No anxiety in Tehran as commanders declare readiness for war

Top officials express confidence that US aggression failed once—and will fail again, this time at a much heavier cost

TEHRAN – Iran’s top military officials looked relaxed and in high spirits as they gathered for an annual meeting marking National Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Day. Speaking to an IRIB reporter who managed to gain access to the gathering, the commanders commented on the growing prospects of another war with the United States with visible confidence.

President Lula: Trump attempts to create a new UN

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Friday that US President Donald Trump is attempting to create a new United Nations and be its sole owner.

By staff writer 

A state in protest: Is Minnesota becoming the fault line of US immigration policy?

TEHRAN — Recent events in the US state of Minnesota have exposed the deep tensions created by President Donald Trump’s immigration strategy. The mass protests on Friday, the widespread business shutdowns, and the willingness of thousands to gather in dangerous cold weather show a community reacting forcefully to a federal operation it sees as excessive and harmful.

By Wesam Bahrani 

‘Board of Peace’: A new tool for American control

TEHRAN – U.S. President Donald Trump officially unveiled the so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza at a signing ceremony in Davos on Thursday. 

By staff writer 

Abu Dhabi talks spotlight Western missteps in Ukraine

TEHRAN — The first trilateral engagement between the United States, Ukraine and Russia since the outbreak of the 2022 conflict is taking place in Abu Dhabi at a moment when Western governments are reassessing the trajectory of a war that has become strategically, economically and politically burdensome. In whatever direction these discussions develop, their very initiation reflects a deeper reality: The US and Europe are seeking to unwind a crisis that their own longstanding policies helped set in motion and then prolong.