Amir Taheri

This morning, the great city of New York will once again hold a ritual ceremony that has become a fixed part of its annual agenda for a quarter of a century. The names of the 2,977 men, women and children who died in the terrorist attacks on World Trade Center’s twin towers on September 11 will be…

More than a year ago when some American politicians and pundits were beating the drums for war against Iran, Victor Davis Hanson reminded his audience that two of what he terms “the 10 decisive battles” that “the West” has fought in history were against Iran. The battles mentioned by the…

“A specter is haunting America; the specter of Communism!”. Until recently this re-writing of the opening of “The Communist Manifesto” by Marx and Engels might have sounded like a sour joke. Now, however, we have American politicians who describe themselves alternately as Democratic Socialists or…

As Antonio Guterres, the United Nation’ Secretary-General, will soon start clearing his desk and prepare for retirement, assessments of his tenure vary between “passable” and “mediocre”. There are those who appreciate his passionate defense of the Palestinians and critical stance on the Israel-US…

Is the war launched by Israel and the US against Iran already over bar the shouting? As far as the war that the Islamic Republic started in 1979, the answer is no. The regime created by Ayatollah Khomeini built its legitimacy around its claim of fighting against the “Great Satan” and its “little”…

More than a year after the latest phase of the US-Israel war against Iran started with a 12-day mass bombing a consensus is emerging among pundits that President Donald Trump who casts himself as the commander-in-chief in this conflict cannot win it. One sign that Trump himself may have reached…

Until even a few months ago talking of regime change in Iran would have exposed you to the charge either of utopian fantasies or anachronistic miscalculation. The Islamic Republic founded by Ruhollah Khomeini was supposed to last until the return of the Mahdi at the end of time, that is to say…

After more than a year of war, albeit with on and off fighting spells, it is perhaps time for US President Donald Trump to take stock of what has happened so far as a guide to what he might do next. But before he does that, he needs to ponder the key question: is this a war of choice or of…

Is the 60-day ceasefire with Iran declared by President Trump last month over? As is often the case with what the mercurial leader of the world’s only superpower says the answer is: yes-but not quite. In his tongue-lashing of Iran on the margin of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump compared the…

Having led ceremonies marking the 250s anniversary of the United States’ independence on July 4 President Donald Trump will be heading to Ankara, Türkiye, for the 36th summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which some fear could be the stormiest the 75-year-old beast has seen. …