Mood among some in Iran shifts from hope of being rescued to dismay at destruction of infrastructure, culture and lives Smoke rising in Tehran. One person in the capital said they had experienced ‘something resembling the idea of carpet bombing'. Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images After years of arrests, disappearances and mass killings of protesters, the hatred in Iran from some quarters for the hardline, oppressive governing regime had boiled into such a desperate rage that many (…)

L'attaque conjointe israélo-américaine contre l'Iran donne un avant-goût de la manière dont une guerre mondiale pourrait éclater. 1. Les contre-attaques iraniennes qui ont visé les bases américaines ainsi que les raffineries et les ports des États du Golfe ont immédiatement affecté ces derniers : la compagnie pétrolière saoudienne – la plus grande au monde – a dû fermer l'une de ses plus grandes raffineries, tandis que le Qatar a suspendu sa production de gaz naturel. La Grande-Bretagne a (…)

When it comes to Mojtaba Khamenei, the issue is not just whether he has become, or may become, his father's successor. The more important issue is the kind of power concentrated around his name: faceless power, backstage power, security-driven power, and power deeply shaped by the logic of control. If we put together the many accounts that have emerged over the years, we are faced with a figure whose main advantage has never been public speaking, building public legitimacy, creating (…)

The US attacked Kharg, but it did not hit Iran's oil export terminal there. That apparent contradiction may explain the nature of this war better than any official statement. Kharg is not just an island. It is a place where military force, the Iranian state budget, oil tanker routes, and the nerves of the global energy market all come together in one small point. When Washington hits the island's military facilities but leaves the oil infrastructure untouched, it is basically admitting (…)