Features

Features A general view from a street in Tehran, Iran, 08 January 2026. (EPA)

A Timeline of How the Protests in Iran Unfolded and Grew

Demonstrations broke out in Iran on Dec. 28 and have spread nationwide as protesters vent their increasing discontent over the country's faltering economy and…

Features Houses covered by snow are seen on the coast of a sea inlet of Nuuk, Greenland, on March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

Why Greenland Is Strategically Important to Arctic Security

Location, location, location: Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy. Increasing…

Features Iranians protest a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini's death after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Sept. 20, 2022, in this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran. (AP Photo/ File)

Protest-Hit Iran Warily Watches the US After its Raid on Venezuela

Iran faces a new round of protests challenging the country's theocracy, but it seems like the only thing people there want to talk about is half a world away:…

Features Burning debris lies in the middle of a street during protests in Hamedan, western Iran, Jan. 1, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran at a Critical Crossroads Testing the Survival of its Regime

Iran is confronting one of the most consequential junctures since the founding of the republic in 1979. The pressures bearing down on the system are no longer…

Elie Youssef (Washington)
Features A young protester sits on a large-scale Venezuelan national flag during a protest following US military action in Venezuela, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 05 January 2026. (EPA)

‘Nobody Is Going to Run Home’: Venezuelan Diaspora in Wait-and-See Mode

"A new dawn for Venezuela" is how a top US diplomat described the future awaiting the Caribbean country after Saturday's capture of President Nicolas Maduro by…

Features President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump Administration's Capture of Maduro Raises Unease about the International Legal Framework

From the smoldering wreckage of two catastrophic world wars in the last century, nations came together to build an edifice of international rules and laws. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features Gul Ahmad (center) along with his deceased stepbrother Habibullah's son Waheed (right) and Saeed offering prayers over his grave in Ghunjan. Mohsen KARIMI / AFP

'I Can't Walk Anymore': Afghans Freeze to Death on Route to Iran

Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features  03 January 2026, Argentina, Buenos Aires: Venezuelans gather at the obelisk in Buenos Aires to celebrate the US military operation in their country. (dpa)

US Strike on Venezuela to Embolden China’s Territorial Claims, Taiwan Attack Unlikely, Analysts Say

The US attack on Venezuela will embolden China to strengthen its territorial claims over areas such as Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea but will not…

Features  The first supermoon of the year, the "Wolf Moon," is seen rising over Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2026. (AFP)

International Aid Groups Grapple with What Israel’s Ban Will Mean for Their Work in Gaza

Israel’s decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen humanitarian organizations this week has aid groups scrambling to grapple with what this…

Features This grab taken on January 2, 2026, from UGC images posted on social media on December 31, 2025, shows protestors attacking a government building in Fasa, in southern Iran on December 31, amidst spontaneous nationwide protests driven by dissatisfaction at the country's economic stagnation. (Photo by UGC / AFP)

What to Know about the Protests Now Shaking Iran as Tensions Remain High Over Its Nuclear Program

Widening protests in Iran sparked by the republic's ailing economy are putting new pressure on its theocracy. Tehran is still reeling from a 12-day war…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features Piles of ransacked papers in a room in Maher al-Assad's private office in the hills above Damascus. (AFP)

How the Assad Regime Covered Up Its Crimes

Thousands of documents and interviews with Assad-era officials reveal how the Syrian regime worked to conceal evidence of its atrocities during the civil war,…

Asharq Al Awsat (New York)
Features Destroyed buildings after Israeli military operations in Gaza City, November 12, 2025. (Reuters)

How Israel’s Multi-Ton Truck Bombs Ripped Through Gaza City

In the weeks before the Gaza ceasefire on October 10, Israel widely deployed a new weapon: M113 Armored Personnel Carriers repurposed to carry between 1 and 3…

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Features A rocket launches from Pingtan island in eastern China's Fujian province, the closest point to Taiwan. ADEK BERRY / AFP

What to Know about China's Drills around Taiwan

China's military drills around Taiwan entered their second day on Tuesday, the sixth major maneuvers Beijing has held near the self-ruled island in recent…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features People gather in front of a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 December 2025. (EPA)

Why Do the Houthis in Yemen View Israel's Recognition of Somaliland as a Direct Threat?

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen view Israel's recognition of Somaliland as direct threat, warning that any Israeli presence in the separatist region…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Features “Artificial intelligence in the physical world” is displayed on a screen during a conference showcasing advances in autonomous driving technology in California on Dec. 11, 2025. (Reuters)

AI Tsunami Plunges Millions into Unemployment

The year 2025 brought no respite for Lebanese language editor and proofreader Hamida Al-Shaker. Before the year had run its course, her decades-long…

Malek El Kaakour (London)
Features New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani listens to a reporter's question during a press conference in New York City, US, December 22, 2025.  (Reuters)

New Year Brings New Mayor for New York City

New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to become the US city's first Muslim mayor, and the youthful optimism of his Democratic Socialist platform will be…

Features Displaced Palestinians walk past a large pool of standing water in Gaza City. Heavy winter rains have have made an already precarious life worse for displaced Gazans © Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP

'Shivering from Cold and Fear': Winter Rains Batter Displaced Gazans

It only took a matter of minutes after the heavy overnight rain first began to fall for Jamil al-Sharafi's tent in southern Gaza to flood, drenching his food…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant before the arrival of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, June 15, 2023. (Reuters)

What Lies Ahead for Ukraine’s Contested Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant?

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, is one of the main sticking points in US President Donald Trump's peace plan to end the nearly four…

Features Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets President Donald Trump ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)

Egypt, Trump Reaffirm Strategic Alliance in 2025 amid Regional Turmoil

After months of speculation over the trajectory of Egyptian-US relations, fueled by persistent talk of strain and an impending rift, a high-level meeting…

Fathiya al-Dakhakhni (Cairo)
Features A salesman displays gold chains at an Indian jewelry store in September. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP

Why Metal Prices are Soaring to Record Highs

Precious and industrial metals are surging to record highs as the year ends, driven by economic and geopolitical uncertainty, robust industrial demand and, in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features A photo of US President Donald Trump meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington on Nov. 10 (AFP)

How Trump’s Decisions Reshaped Syria

In a crowded regional and international landscape shaped by overlapping security, strategic, economic, and political pressures, the administration of US…

Sultan al-Kanj
Features  Palestinian scout bands parade toward the Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Thousands Flock to Bethlehem to Revive Christmas Spirit after 2 Years of War in Gaza

Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The giant Christmas tree…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features Head of the Military Council, Tareq al-Shoufi, is seen with his fighters.

Israel Planning to Exploit Druze File to Weaken Sharaa’s Rule in Syria

After the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad, Israel supported Druze fighters in the south, in an effort to weaken Syria’s new government under the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Features A woman sits next to her tent on an alley of a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP)

‘No Male Visitors’: Gaza Rents Soar Under Tight Restrictions

For weeks, Nafez al-Ghorani has moved from one lead to another, spending long, punishing days searching for an apartment to rent, clinging to the hope of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)