Islamic Republic

‘Facing the Middle East’ examines Iran’s repression, black-Jewish solidarity, regional war risks

The Media Line began with the Islamic Republic’s efforts to reach Iranians abroad while tightening its grip on dissent at home, then turned to an exclusive report on its sexual abuse and repression.

FELICE FRIEDSON on 'Facing the Middle East' Episode 21
A MAN gestures as people gather at a farewell ceremony for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of their departure to the 2026 World Cup, in Tehran, in May 2026.

FIFA and Iran’s identity crisis - opinion

Gambia-flagged tanker vessel Bili is pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, May 2, 2026.

Inside the perfect storm: Windward on the hidden war reshaping the oceans

A woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building, amid a ceasefire between US and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 27, 2026

Islamic regime sentences Iranian to prison for handing out candy after Khamenei's assassination


Without regime change in Tehran, this war is not over - opinion

The Iranian regime’s ideology is built not on coexistence, but on permanent confrontation, antisemitism, revolutionary expansionism, and the export of instability across the Middle East.

A billboard with a graphic design about the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, Iran, May 6, 2026.

What is the future for Jews in the UK? | Jerusalem Dispatch

The latest episode dives into the security concerns of British Jews, political polarization in the UK, and the challenges facing Jewish authors amidst rising anti-Israel sentiment.

A march against antisemitism in Leeds, UK.

Iran threatens to enrich uranium to weapons-grade, as Israel sends Iron Dome to UAE

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

 Georgia's authorities stop an illegal uranium sale. Stock photo.

Israelis report receive recruitment, threatening text messages from Iran

The Israel Police released a statement calling the messages “attempts by Iranian intelligence elements to recruit Israeli citizens in Israel and abroad.”

Messages sent by Iranian intelligence elements, May 12, 2026

The US is ignoring Iran’s religious agenda at its own peril - opinion

The Trump administration needs to be conscious that Iran is not only an Islamic state and not only a Shi’ite variety, but the elites directing the country are steeped in its Twelver sect version.

A MAN holds a flag with a picture of late leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during a rally in Tehran, in April 2026.

Kurdish leaders in Iraq seek stability and influence under Zaidi government - analysis

Iraqi Kurdish leaders are seeking greater influence in Baghdad as Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi forms a new government amid rising regional tensions.

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) members pose for the camera as they celebrate Nowruz at the Jezhnikan Village around Baharka, Iraq, on March 18, 2025.

'Nation held hostage': Global protests planned as Iran's internet outage reaches nearly 70 days

Growing desperation to access online space has led some Iranians to connect with Virtual Private Networks and Starlink satellite dishes. This connection carries with it a significant risk.

A protester holds a placard about the internet blackout in Iran during a demonstration outside Downing Street against the Islamic Republic and calling for Reza Pahlavi to take over as King of Iran, as the Iran war escalates on March 14, 2026.

Iran builds proxies, Qatar peddles influence: Decoding Doha's double game - analysis

Iran thinks in terms of proxies and building muscle, while Qatar supplies the money, the political oxygen, and the legitimacy – in other words, acting like a peddler

In 2020, the US Justice Department concluded that AJ+, Al Jazeera’s American digital platform, was required to register under FARA as an agent of the Qatari government.

Rubio says Roaring Lion is over, Haredim boycott Rami Levy over flights

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US wants allies who can defend themselves ‘so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.’

Strait of Hormuz tensions rise, Finance Minister Smotrich makes explosive comments

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, February 23, 2026