Malaysia

May 21, 2026 | Saeed Ghasseminejad, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Iranian Oil Exports Nosedive After U.S. Blockade Begins

Despite Iranian intransigence, the U.S. blockade of the Islamic Republic’s ports, which began on April 13, is already generating real pain — and real results — for the Islamic Republic. Iran exported...

May 8, 2026 | Mariam Wahba, Natalie Ecanow

New U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy Spotlights Muslim Brotherhood

Amid the war with Iran, the Trump administration has not forgotten about the Muslim Brotherhood. On May 6, the White House released its 2026 counterterrorism strategy,  identifying the Muslim Brotherhood...

May 1, 2026 | Janatan Sayeh |

Blockade Pressure Mounts as Washington Rejects Tehran’s Proposal

The Islamic Republic can absorb air and missile strikes but cannot withstand economic collapse. Yet it risks such a collapse if it does not budge. President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal...

April 30, 2026 | Craig Singleton, Jack Burnham

5 Things To Know About China’s Wartime Support for Iran

China is Iran’s top trading partner and one of the regime’s most important economic lifelines. Beijing is not seeking a wider Middle East war, especially one that threatens energy flows through the...

April 28, 2026 | Max Meizlish, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Trump Strikes at China’s Iranian Oil Trade, but It’s Not Enough

The bombs may have stopped falling on Iran — for now — but that doesn’t mean the regime isn’t still under attack, including its illicit oil trade with China. The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday...

April 23, 2026 | Elaine K. Dezenski, Daniel Swift, Miad Maleki, Joe Dougherty

Iran’s economic damage from Operation Epic Fury

April 15, 2026 | Angela Howard, Jack Burnham

China Uses Political Leverage To Influence Foreign Courts

The Chinese government’s power to prosecute — or persecute — critics does not stop at its borders. On April 13, a court in Kazakhstan sentenced 19 activists to prison after they protested Beijing’s...

March 24, 2026 | Max Meizlish |

Iran’s shakedown in the strait

Iran is seeking to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz — not by closing it, but by reopening it on its own terms and forcing countries to pay for passage. Multiple reports...

March 23, 2026 | Naomi Friedman |

Why Do We Allow Iran into American Classrooms?

Second graders are learning that non-Muslims are “the worst of all creatures” at the Brighter Horizons Academy near Dallas, Texas, according to a recent report by the Middle East Forum. The curriculum...

March 21, 2026 | Max Meizlish |

Funding the Enemy: Trump Rolls Back Sanctions on Iran Without Any Guardrails

On the evening of March 20, the Trump administration issued Iran General License U (GL U), a one-month authorization for the sale of what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says will be approximately 140...

March 17, 2026 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Blacklisting the Brotherhood

The Trump administration made history on November 24, 2025, when it issued an executive order calling for the U.S. government to designate “certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist...

February 11, 2026 | Max Meizlish |

Indian Seizure of Iranian “Shadow Fleet” Creates Opening for U.S.-Led Sanctions Enforcement Coalition

The Trump administration is reportedly considering whether to seize additional tankers carrying sanctioned Iranian oil. This comes on the heels of the Indian Coast Guard’s first-ever seizure of “shadow...

February 6, 2026 | Jack Burnham |

Taiwan Strengthens Energy Resilience With Planned Purchases of American LNG

In the run-up to Lunar New Year, Taiwan is looking to keep the lights burning brightly. The Taiwanese Ministry of Energy pledged on February 5 to increase its purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG)...

January 12, 2026 | Jack Burnham |

China Reportedly Blocks Rare Earth Exports to Japan, Targeting Defense Supply Chains

New Year, same bullying. On January 8, The Wall Street Journal reported that China halted the export of rare earths and rare earth magnets to some Japanese firms in direct retaliation for Tokyo’s possible...

January 6, 2026 | Jack Burnham |

U.S. Sees Korea as Potential Key To Supporting Taiwan

It looks like the United States Forces Korea (USFK) are getting a new mission without being relieved of any of their old responsibilities. On January 4, Nikkei Asia reported comments by the USFK commander...

December 8, 2025 | Bridget Toomey |

Iraq Almost Takes a Stand Against Iran’s Terrorist Proxies — Then Doesn’t

The Iraqi government did the right thing and froze the assets of Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, but once the story made news on December 4, the government walked its decision back within hours. In...

December 4, 2025 | Saeed Ghasseminejad |

Iran’s Oil Exports Remained Near Peak in November

Although Iran’s oil exports dipped slightly from their October high of 2.15 million barrels per day (mbpd), its exports in November remained robust at 2.06 mbpd, for a total of 61.8 million barrels,...

November 13, 2025 | Justin Leopold-Cohen, Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst

Israel and India Strengthen Defense Ties

United by “shared challenges of terrorism,” Israel and India are moving to deepen their already robust security cooperation. The two governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on November...

November 6, 2025 | Jack Burnham |

Hegseth Visits Vietnam Looking To Pull Hanoi Away From Russia and North Korea

Fifty years after the end of America’s war in Vietnam, Washington has returned with a long wish list for Hanoi. On November 3, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth concluded his two-day visit to Vietnam,...

October 29, 2025 | Elaine K. Dezenski |

Trump rallies the allies to break China’s dangerous mineral, rare earths monopoly

As President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepared for their Thursday meeting in South Korea, trade talks between Washington and Beijing had fallen into a familiar pattern. Trump’s...