3 h. ago We’re on the brink of a disastrous, illegal conflagration in the Middle East. Trump must be stopped | Fawaz Gerges

This is a war of choice, based on misinformation. If the US and UK join it, they risk a rerun of the Iraq debacle of 2003Like the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, Israel’s war on Iran is neither legal nor just. It is a war of choice, not of necessity – and should the US or its European allies, particularly Britain, join in, they risk being dragged into another disastrous and unlawful conflict in the Middle East.A US military intervention would be in direct contravention of international law. Already, the US, once the architect and guardian of the international order, is now among its chief violators. Instead of pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu to end his siege and destruction of Gaza, Donald Trump has fully sided with Netanyahu and called Israel’s attacks on Iran “excellent”. He has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. Trump is considering military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Doing so is explicitly prohibited under article 56 of the additional protocol to...

Events

4 h. ago Evacuation charter flights for Brits fleeing Israel to be laid on at Tel Aviv airport once airspace re

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been working with the Israeli government on the flights back to the UK

Politics

4 h. ago Iran's internet blackout leaves public in dark and creates an uneven picture of the war with Israel

As the war between Israel and Iran hits the one-week mark, Iranians have spent nearly half of the conflict in a near-communication blackout, unable to connect not only with the outside world but also with their neighbors and loved ones across the country

Politics

5 h. ago Middle East crisis live: Ministers from Europe and Iran to hold talks; UN warns of ‘man

Ministers from UK, France and Germany will meet Abbas Araqchi after White House says Trump will ‘make a decision on whether to attack Iran within two weeks’Trump sets deadline of two weeks to decide if US will join Israel’s war on IranLiving in Iran: how have you been affected by the recent conflict?Living in Israel: how have you been affected by the recent conflict?The French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has spoken to the US secretary of state Marco Rubio ahead of a meeting in Geneva between foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.The Geneva meeting is aimed at creating a pathway back to diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago America made a catastrophic mistake with the Iraq war. Is it about to repeat it in Iran? | Stephen Werthheim

If the United States joins Israel’s fight to try to finish Israel’s job, it will enter into a war of unknowable scope against a country of 90 million peopleTwo decades ago, as Americans debated whether their country should invade Iraq, one question loomed the largest: did Saddam Hussein possess weapons of mass destruction? If so, the implication was that the United States should disarm and overthrow his regime by military force. If not, Washington could keep that option in reserve and continue to contain Saddam through economic sanctions and routine bombings.In time, the implications of the Iraq war far exceeded the boundaries of the original debate. Saddam, it turned out, had no weapons of mass destruction. But suppose he had possessed the chemical and biological agents that the war’s advocates claimed. Invading his country to destroy his regime would have given him the greatest possible incentive to use the worst weapons at his disposal. The war would have been just as mistaken — ...

Events

7 h. ago The Latest: Israeli airstrikes reach into Iranian city of Rasht

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway

Politics

8 h. ago Israel and Iran launch strikes a week into their war as new diplomatic effort takes shape

Israel and Iran have struck at one another again a week into their war as President Donald Trump weighs U.S. involvement and new diplomatic efforts appear to be taking place

Politics

8 h. ago Trump's indecision on Iran due to primal fear about 'another Libya'

Trump is confident he can still secure a diplomatic outcome amid the war between Israel and Iran. And one major military failure is playing on his mind as he issues a two-week grace period.

Politics

11 h. ago Asian shares are mixed and oil gains as world waits to see if US will join Israel's war against Iran

Crude oil prices have climbed and Asian shares are trading mixed as markets await more clarity on whether or not the U.S. will join Israel’s war against Iran

Politics

16 h. ago Trump sets deadline of two weeks to decide if US will join Israel’s war on Iran

US president leaves window for negotiation after Israeli defence minister openly embraces regime change Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has set a two-week deadline to decide whether the US will join Israel’s war with Iran, allowing time to seek a negotiated end to the conflict, the White House has said.The decision to leave a window for diplomacy came after Israel’s defence minister openly embraced regime change in Tehran as a war aim. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago War in Middle East 'to push oil price to $100': Experts sound alarm as Israel and Iran trade blows

Brent crude - the global benchmark for oil - reached a five-month high above $78 a barrel as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks.

Events

21 h. ago A Ukrainian fled to Israel. An Iranian missile shattered her new life

Ukrainians who fled the war in their country for Israel are facing a new conflict

Events

22 h. ago Rhetoric heats up and modern missiles evade defences as the conditions are set for yet more violence in the Middle East

Israel’s rhetoric has gone up into the use of the N (azi) word as the battlespace is being shaped for more bloodletting, World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Tel Aviv

Events

24 h. ago Footballer pays 'best hotel fees' to shelter Iranians from bombs as Israel conflict escalates

Former Roma and Bayer Leverkusen star Sardar Azmoun has stepped forward to help fellow Iranians who have been urged to evacuate the country's major cities amid the conflict with Israel

Events

25 h. ago Gulf companies prepare contingency plans amid fears of conflict spillover

Risk advisory firms report rise in inquiries since start of Israel-Iraq war as groups consider crisis management strategies

Events

26 h. ago Mapped: Where Iran and Israel’s missiles have struck as Tehran hits major hospital

Tensions escalate after Israel launches largest bombardment on Iran in decades early on Friday

Events

27 h. ago Ministers urged to publish legal advice on UK involvement in Israel

Calls follow news that attorney general advised government to limit its involvement to defending alliesUK politics live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesMinisters are facing calls to publish legal advice given to the government on Israel’s war against Iran after reports emerged that the attorney general had warned that any UK involvement beyond defensive support would be illegal.Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior legal officer, is said to have raised concerns internally about the legality of joining a bombing campaign against Iran. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago Donald Trump shocks Juventus stars with 'trans athletes dig' and Israel

US President Donald Trump left Juventus stars stunned as he asked them about transgender players and made comments on the Israel-Iran war in an awkward encounter during the Club World Cup

Politics

30 h. ago Iran Israel war LIVE: Missiles hit nuclear reactor as Iron Dome penetrated

Israel's Iron Dome appears to have buckled under Iranian bombardment after a hospital suffered direct hits - it comes as Israel struck a nuclear reactor in Iran

Events

35 h. ago Voice of America and Radio Farda's Persian services cover Israel

Despite the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle or sharply cut back on U.S. government-run news outlets like Voice of America, two Persian-language services have been called into duty to report on Israel's war with Iran to Iranian audiences

Politics