Tag: Iran

How the Houthi Militia in Yemen Became a Nimble U.S. Foe

For years, the scrappy Iran-backed Yemeni rebels known as the Houthis did such a good job of bedeviling American partners in the Middle East that Pentagon war planners started copying some of their tactics. Noting that the Houthis had managed to weaponize commercial radar systems that are commonly available in boating stores and make them […]

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U.S. Strikes 2 More Houthi Targets in Yemen

The United States struck two Houthi anti-ship missiles in Yemen, the military’s Central Command said on Tuesday, resuming what U.S. officials said were short-notice attacks against the Iran-backed militia’s imminent threats to merchant vessels, as well as Navy ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters. The U.S. strikes — the ninth in two weeks […]

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Iran’s Leaders Say They Don’t Want a War. Should We Believe Them?

The war in Gaza has now gone where many feared it would, expanding into conflict in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. With America’s repeated strikes against the Houthis in Yemen this month, fears of a larger regional conflagration are steadily growing. Present in each of those arenas is Iran — and the question […]

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As U.S. and Militias Engage, White House Worries About a Tipping Point

Mr. Biden’s team is trying to manage all those flashpoints at the same time it is trying to find a way to press Israel to scale back its war against Hamas to a more surgical operation with fewer civilian casualties. So far, according to Gaza health officials, more than 25,000 people have been killed, some […]

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Israeli Strike in Syria Kills Iranian Officials and U.S. Troops Injured in Iraq

Iran accused Israel of launching an airstrike on the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday that killed senior Iranian military figures, the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on officials from Iran and two of its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran vowed to retaliate, raising fears of even deeper regional turmoil rippling out from the […]

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Why Nikki Haley Could Be the Most Dangerous President

In the alternate timeline where Ron DeSantis proved to be a capable campaigner and looked poised to defeat Donald Trump in New Hampshire and beyond, we would be facing a multitude of left-leaning essays on a single theme: “Why DeSantis is actually more dangerous than Trump.” In this world, the only threat to Trump in […]

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Netanyahu Is Turning Against Biden

In response to this argument, Blinken said at our public discussion: “You now have something you didn’t have before, and that is Arab countries and Muslim countries even beyond the region that are prepared to have a relationship with Israel in terms of its integration, its normalization, its security, that they were never prepared to […]

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In No Position to Fight a War, Pakistan Seeks an Off-Ramp With Iran

When Iran and Pakistan traded airstrikes this week, both targeting what they said were militant camps, the exchange raised fears that the upheaval sweeping the Middle East was moving into new territory. To Pakistan, which was hit first, it was important to send a clear message that violations of its sovereignty would not be tolerated. […]

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Why Iran Is the Common Link in Conflicts From Gaza to Pakistan

Israel and Gaza. Yemen and the Red Sea. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq — and now Pakistan, too. At every flashpoint in a set of conflicts spanning 1,800 miles and involving a hodgepodge of unpredictable armed actors and interests, there’s been a common thread: Iran. Tehran has left its imprint with its behind-the-scenes-backing of combatants in places […]

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Knockoff Iranian Drone Sold on Alibaba Was Meant for War, Documents Show

Screengrab of marketing materials from Sunlipo. Earlier this week, a Chinese manufacturer listed a knockoff of an Iranian suicide drone on Alibaba, then removed it after being contacted by Motherboard. The XHZ-50 Fixed Wing UAV was marketed for use with “survey mapping inspection,” and other models came with similar disclaimers on the e-commerce website.  According […]

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Iran’s Missile Capability Is Forcing the West to Weigh a Response

When Iran launched a barrage of airstrikes this week into Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, it was not just showing off the reach and sophistication of some of its newest missiles but also staking a claim: This is a new era in which Iran can flex its muscles at will and, as an added benefit, bolster […]

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Fighting Near Gaza Hospital, and Trump Sharpens Attacks on Haley

The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven’t already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. The Headlines brings you the biggest stories of the day from the Times journalists […]

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What the Houthis Really Want

Vivian Nereim contributed reporting. The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle […]

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After Strikes, Iran Says It Won’t Hold Back on Using Military Might

Iran said it had launched the missiles at targets connected to a major terrorist attack earlier this month, the country’s deadliest ever, as well as in retaliation for the targeted killings of Iranian and Iran-allied commanders, which Iran has blamed on Israel. Analysts say Iran is walking a fine line, hoping to flex its strength […]

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After Iran Strikes, Pakistan Weighs Options for Response

An Iranian airstrike inside Pakistan on Tuesday that Iran said was aimed at militant training camps has left Pakistani officials facing a difficult decision about whether to retaliate and potentially expand the turmoil that has swept the Middle East. Relations between Pakistan and neighboring Iran reached a new low after Iran’s attack in the restive […]

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U.S. Strikes Houthis Again, and China’s Population Decline

The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven’t already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. The Headlines brings you the biggest stories of the day from the Times journalists […]

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Deadly Iranian Strike in Northern Iraq Inflames Tensions in the Region

A deadly Iranian ballistic missile strike in northern Iraq on Tuesday drove a wedge — at least temporarily — between Baghdad and Tehran, adding to the already volatile and tense situation in the Middle East. The Iraqi government recalled its ambassador to Tehran and summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Baghdad to the Foreign Ministry after […]

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Iran Hits Iraq and Syria With Missiles, Citing Terrorist Attack

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched a missile attack against what they called “anti-Iranian terrorist groups” in a northern Iraqi city, setting off large explosions and sirens, including at the American Consulate, around midnight on Tuesday. The strike in the city of Erbil killed at least four civilians, according to the Kurdistan Regional Security Council in Iraq, […]

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Iran Adds Prison Time for Narges Mohammadi and Frees 2 Journalists

The Iranian regime sentenced Narges Mohammadi, the jailed human rights activist who received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, to 15 more months in prison, her family said on Monday. The news came a day after Iran released the journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi on bail while they appeal their sentences, according to state media. […]

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U.S. and Iran Wage a Proxy War

For all the fears of an outbreak of fighting in the Middle East that could draw the United States, Israel and Iran into direct combat, a curious feature of the conflict so far is the care taken — in both Tehran and Washington — to avoid putting their forces into direct contact. No one knows […]

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The Necessary Risk of America’s Military Strikes in Yemen

By striking Houthi rebel targets in Yemen with Britain on Thursday, Washington sent a searing message to both the Houthis and its Iranian backers that the United States has ended its longstanding defense-only posture in the Red Sea and is determined to stop the group’s attacks against commercial ships in regional waters. It’s unclear whether […]

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After U.S.-Led Strikes in Yemen, How Wide Will the Middle East War Get?

From the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war nearly 100 days ago, President Biden and his aides have struggled to keep the war contained, fearful that a regional escalation could quickly draw in American forces. Now, with the American-led strike on nearly 30 sites in Yemen on Thursday and a smaller strike the next day, there […]

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The Regional War No One Wanted Is Here. How Wide Will It Get?

From the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war nearly 100 days ago, President Biden and his aides have struggled to keep the war contained, fearful that a regional escalation could quickly draw in American forces. Now, with the American-led strike on 16 sites in Yemen early on Friday morning, there is no longer a question of […]

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Iranian Navy Says It Seized an Oil Tanker off the Coast of Oman

Iran’s Navy said it had seized a vessel loaded with crude oil off the coast of Oman on Thursday after an armed group wearing military-style uniforms and black masks boarded the ship. The vessel, previously named the Suez Rajan, was seized last year by the U.S. government over allegations that it was carrying Iranian oil […]

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The Threat of a Wider War in the Middle East

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting. The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle […]

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U.S. and British Forces Fend Off Houthi Attack in Red Sea

The United States and its allies are weighing how to stop attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea after American and British officials said on Wednesday that their navies had intercepted one of the largest barrages yet of drones and missiles fired from an area controlled by the Houthis, an Iranian-backed group in Yemen. […]

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Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Kill Hezbollah Commander, Militia Says

Israel launched strikes into southern Lebanon on Monday against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia, which said one of its senior commanders had been killed there, adding to concerns that Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza could erupt into a wider regional war. Hezbollah and Israel have shelled and fired rockets at each other frequently over the […]

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From Lebanon to the Red Sea, a Broader Conflict With Iran Looms

President Biden and his top national security aides believed last summer that the chances of conflict with Iran and its proxies were well contained. After secret talks, they had just concluded a deal that led to the release of five imprisoned Americans in return for $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds and some Iranian prisoners. […]

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Terrorism in Iran Exposes a Vulnerability It Doesn’t Want to Admit

For years Iran justified its military presence in Iraq and Syria, to its own people and the world, as a strategy for keeping terrorist groups at bay. Iranian officials frequently boasted that fighting terrorists directly or through proxy militias in the region meant they didn’t have to fight them at home. That sense of security […]

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U.S. Says It Believes ISIS Was Behind Bombing That Killed Dozens in Iran

American officials believe that Wednesday’s bombing attack in Kerman, Iran, was most likely the work of the Islamic State — a preliminary assessment based on intelligence, according to four American officials, who cautioned that no final conclusions have been drawn. Two regional military officials also said they believed the Islamic State had perpetrated the attack, […]

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