Section archive

Middle East

The US-Israel war on Iran, the Gaza war, ceasefire diplomacy and the region's interlocking conflicts. Coverage tracks the gap between what governments say and what they do — in Washington, Jerusalem, Tehran and the capitals that watch from a careful distance.

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The Ledger

Not Iran. Netanyahu.

The real obstacle to the ceasefire was never in Tehran. It was in Jerusalem. While Washington and Tehran were negotiating, Israel launched a hundred strikes on Lebanon on the ceasefire’s first day. The question is not whether Trump can reach a deal with Iran. It is whether he can with Netanyahu.