Con Coughlin

So the US war with Iran isn’t over, after all. The resumption of direct hostilities between Tehran and Washington, prompted by the Iranians downing a US Apache helicopter, has the usual suspects in the West once again claiming the conflict was a momentous mistake. They have ignored the extent of the damage done to Iran’s military infrastructure and nuclear programme, they have downplayed the threat the Iranians pose not just to their neighbours but to the rest of the world, and they have treated

Iran's "more rational, far less radicalised " chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who signed the MOU electromically with US Vice President JD Vance, immediately appeared on television where he

We must embrace revolutionary battlefield technologies such as drone warfare rather than simply buying more tanks

The extraordinary security measures implemented for the funeral of Iran's assassinated Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shows that, despite

The most surprising aspect of Donald Trump’s announcement that the 60-day ceasefire agreed with Iran was “over” is that the deal aimed at ending the war has lasted as long as it has. From the moment the Trump administration signed the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran last month, serious doubts were raised about its chances of achieving Trump’s two key goals – ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and safeguarding freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's willingness to even consider lifting the F-35 ban is being seen in the context of his charm offensive to forge closer ties with Erdogan, an initiative the American leader has undertaken despite the Turkish leader's well-documented support for radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

A Foreign Secretary who opposes taking military action against a brutal dictator. A Solicitor General who happily consorts with Islamist terrorists. It is early days in Andy Burnham’s tenure as Prime Minister, but it is already self-evident that, in terms of protecting British interests, our new Government is going to be even more of a liability than its predecessor.

Trump's remarks were seen as a rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is — quite rightly — opposed to F-35 sales to Turkey on the grounds that it could ultimately prove a direct threat to Israel's security, as well as to Cyprus and Greece, which Erdogan has repeatedly threatened.

It has become a perennial feature of the Ukraine conflict that, whenever Vladimir Putin finds himself on the defensive, he resorts to making ominous threats against the West.

Simon Sebag Montefiore’s new history traces the rivalries, revolutions and larger-than-life figures that have shaped the war-torn region