Arab Desk

The Arab Desk leads The Eastern Herald's reporting on the Middle East and North Africa. The desk has covered the Gaza-Israel war since October 2023, the Iran-Israel war of 2025-2026, the fall of the Assad government in Syria, Hezbollah's political and military shifts in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, and the diplomatic realignment of the Gulf states under the Abraham Accords and the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington to discuss Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon’s Aoun Meets Rubio, Brings Hezbollah Disarmament Plan to Washington

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Secretary of State Rubio in Washington Sunday, heading into a Trump meeting Tuesday with a Hezbollah disarmament-for-Israeli-withdrawal plan. It is the first Lebanese presidential visit to Washington

July 20, 2026

by Arab Desk

Iranian Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile launch as Iran expands strikes to Kuwait

Iran Strikes US Bases in Kuwait as War With Washington Escalates

Iran's army fired drones at two US military bases in Kuwait on Saturday, targeting an ammunition depot at Camp Al-Udeiri and a Patriot radar at Ali al-Salem Air Base, while the IRGC declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all

July 20, 2026

by Arab Desk

US military aircraft conducting strikes against Iran targets during the July 2026 US-Iran conflict

America Strikes Iran’s Under-Construction Darkhovin Nuclear Plant in Khuzestan

US forces struck Iran's under-construction Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant in Khuzestan province at 3:39 AM on

Darkened streets in Tehran during power blackouts caused by US strikes on Iran's electricity grid

Iran’s Power Grid Fractures Under US Strikes and Record Summer Heat

Rolling blackouts across Tehran deepened as US strikes knocked 4,200 megawatts from Iran's grid, damaging over

Ships queue in the Strait of Hormuz during the 2026 Iran-US shipping crisis

A Cargo Ship, a Tanker, and One Death in Qatar: How the Hormuz Ceasefire Nearly Broke in June

A Qatari citizen was killed on June 28 by shrapnel from an Iranian drone strike on a tanker carrying Qatari crude -- the first confirmed civilian fatality since the ceasefire. His death

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

The Grand Mosalla prayer complex in Tehran where Ali Khamenei is to lie in state

As Iran Buries Khamenei, an Interpol-Wanted General Steps Into View

Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, unseen since February and wanted by Interpol, reappeared beside Ali Khamenei's casket days before Iran's slain leader is buried. His return, with the new supreme leader hidden and reportedly

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Emergency responders at the scene of the Damascus cafe bombing on al-Nasr Street near the Palace of Justice

Damascus Cafe Bombing Kills 9 Near Syria’s Palace of Justice, Challenging Al-Sharaa’s Government

A bomb planted under a table at a Damascus cafe on al-Nasr Street killed nine people and wounded 22 others on Wednesday — the most direct attack yet on Syria's new transitional

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Iran crisis vessels Strait of Hormuz Bandar Abbas May 2026 nuclear talks backdrop

Iran Agreed to ‘Just About Everything.’ Nuclear Talks Haven’t Started Yet.

Trump declared Iran had agreed to 'just about everything' after July 1 Doha talks. His vice president said nuclear discussions were going to start soon. Three weeks into the 60-day window, construction

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-US crisis, June 2026

Iran Suspended Its Hormuz Shipping Tolls for 60 Days. The Window Closes Around August 16.

Iran's 60-day suspension of Hormuz shipping fees expires around August 16. The IRGC has been charging vessels up to $2 million per transit in yuan since March. Secretary Rubio says the fees

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Mojtaba Khamenei elected as Iran's new supreme leader by the Council of Experts, March 2026

The Nuclear Fatwa Died With Ali Khamenei. His Son Has Said Nothing to Replace It.

Iran's nuclear working group resumes July 9, six days after Ali Khamenei's funeral. His successor Mojtaba has neither reaffirmed nor rejected the fatwa against nuclear weapons that structured every US-Iran nuclear negotiation

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Israeli forces in southern Lebanon amid ceasefire dispute over IDF withdrawal 2026

Iran Says No Comprehensive Deal Without IDF Withdrawal From Lebanon. The US Disagrees.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in June that no comprehensive deal is possible while Israeli forces occupy southern Lebanon. The US says the MoU with Iran contains no such requirement —

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Mourners and foreign dignitaries at Ali Khamenei state funeral Tehran Iran July 2026

Pakistan’s PM Came. Modi Didn’t. What Khamenei’s Funeral Guest List Reveals About Iran.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — the only sitting head of government to attend — flew to Tehran for Khamenei's July 3 ceremony. India sent a deputy minister. Saudi Arabia, the UAE,

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

A mourning billboard of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran June 30 2026 as Iran prepares for state funeral during ceasefire with the United States

Trump Called the Doha Talks a Denuclearization Breakthrough. They Produced a Dispute Hotline.

Two days of indirect talks in Doha produced a dispute-resolution hotline and a partial frozen assets arrangement — not a nuclear deal. While Trump said denuclearization was 'moving along well,' Iran's parliament

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Iran’s IRGC Commander Emerges from Five Months in Hiding at Khamenei Funeral

Iran's IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, unseen since February, appeared at Ali Khamenei's coffin Thursday — his first public appearance in five months, and a signal that the man carrying an Interpol warrant

July 3, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

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Arab Desk

Lebanon’s Aoun Meets Rubio, Brings Hezbollah Disarmament Plan to Washington

Iran Strikes US Bases in Kuwait as War With Washington Escalates

America Strikes Iran’s Under-Construction Darkhovin Nuclear Plant in Khuzestan

Iran’s Power Grid Fractures Under US Strikes and Record Summer Heat

A Cargo Ship, a Tanker, and One Death in Qatar: How the Hormuz Ceasefire Nearly Broke in June

As Iran Buries Khamenei, an Interpol-Wanted General Steps Into View

Damascus Cafe Bombing Kills 9 Near Syria’s Palace of Justice, Challenging Al-Sharaa’s Government

Iran Agreed to ‘Just About Everything.’ Nuclear Talks Haven’t Started Yet.

Iran Suspended Its Hormuz Shipping Tolls for 60 Days. The Window Closes Around August 16.

The Nuclear Fatwa Died With Ali Khamenei. His Son Has Said Nothing to Replace It.

Iran Says No Comprehensive Deal Without IDF Withdrawal From Lebanon. The US Disagrees.

Pakistan’s PM Came. Modi Didn’t. What Khamenei’s Funeral Guest List Reveals About Iran.

Trump Called the Doha Talks a Denuclearization Breakthrough. They Produced a Dispute Hotline.

Iran’s IRGC Commander Emerges from Five Months in Hiding at Khamenei Funeral

Radical Islam is being appreciated by Indian authorities too

Bangladesh; India’s Biggest Ally or China’s Dragon Nest?

Ahmadis in Bangladesh face fresh threat of persecution

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