Analysts say ‘strategic leaks’ aim to influence public perceptions amid diplomatic impasse in US-Israel war on Iran.
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On BRICS meeting sidelines, India likely to press Iran for safe Hormuz passage
India is hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 14-15 under its current presidency of the grouping, with foreign ministers and senior representatives from member and partner countries expected to attend. The meeting is being viewed as a key preparatory exercise ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi in September.
Brothers-in-arms: How Modi and Netanyahu are bringing India and Israel closer together
(February 26, 2026)
The timing of the visit was notable. It came months before contentious Israeli elections and as Netanyahu’s international standing has deteriorated amid allegations of war crimes, UN accusations of genocide and an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Saudi Arabia and its allies must curb the growing Israeli-Emirati axis
(4 May 2026 16:12 BST | Last update: 2 hours 57 mins ago)
Iranian sources told MEE that Iranian intelligence had established the Emirati role in the attacks went beyond hosting US bases.
One official said: „Iranian intelligence believes the UAE also made some of its own air facilities available for operations against Iran.“ Abu Dhabi has served as an advanced platform for Israeli interests in the region, the official said.
He suggested this included „deception operations“ – false-flag Israeli attacks on Oman and at least one other country intended to look like Iranian ones.
Iran also believes that cooperation included the use of the AI infrastructure within the UAE to support data collection and analysis for US and Israeli targeting.
If Iran were to be invaded, the UAE would be treated as an aggressor, one diplomat told MEE.
That the UAE has gone way beyond its Gulf neighbours in supporting the US and Israeli attack on Iran, is down to one man, its President Mohammed bin Zayed, often referred to by the acronym MBZ.
Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.
(December 16, 2023)
Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.
Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.
Is Israel trying to foment civil war in Lebanon?
On April 14, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States, Nada Hamadeh and Yechiel Leiter, met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The goal is ostensibly to extend the ceasefire while working “on longer term disarming of Hezbollah, along with a peace deal between the countries.” During the two hours in which the meeting took place, Israel bombed at least 23 towns in southern Lebanon; afterward, Leiter said that both Israel and Lebanon were united in “liberating Lebanon” from Hezbollah.
This came less than a week after one of the most violent days in Lebanese history. On April 8, Israeli warplanes ravaged large parts of the country, killing at least 303 people and wounding 1,150.
High-Risk Strategy in the Strait of Hormuz: Donald Trump’s Costly Gamble Could Backfire
The strategy of a naval blockade, contrary to simplistic thinking, is not a low‑cost action. Continuous control of such a sensitive waterway requires a permanent military presence, vast resources, and enduring tensions. That means the US must enter an exhausting situation whose end is unpredictable. Experience has shown that entering such arenas, especially in a complex region like the Persian Gulf, usually leads to prolonged and costly conflicts rather than quick gains.
On the other hand, this action will, in practice, lead to a rise in energy prices on global markets. The Strait of Hormuz is the main artery for a significant portion of the world‘s oil, and any disruption there will immediately drive up prices. This price increase will not only put pressure on the economies of consumer countries such as China, Japan, and Europe, but will also directly harm the US economy. In such circumstances, Washington, by its own hand, imposes additional economic pressure on its allies – allies who are supposed to accompany it on this path.
News Analysis: Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade risks clash with China
No country relies more heavily on the strait than China, which receives nearly half of its oil imports through the international waterway. In recent days, Beijing has warned that access to its shipping lanes “must be guaranteed.”
Trump administration officials believe the blockade could compel China to pressure Tehran into making further concessions, following Beijing’s crucial role earlier this month in convincing Iran to accept an initial ceasefire.
As US and Iran talk truce, Israel digs in for a ‚forever war‘
Even as the U.S. and Iran seek to cement a ceasefire, Israel is seizing more territory from its neighbours in preparation for a long, drawn-out conflict across the Middle East.
Israel‘s creation of „buffer zones“ in Gaza, Syria and now Lebanon reflects a strategic shift after the attacks of October 7, 2023, one that puts the country in a semi-permanent state of war, six Israeli military and defence officials told Reuters.
MK Odeh After Cease-Fire was Announced: ‘Netanyahu is a Liar and an International Pyromaniac’
On Wednesday morning, Hadash MK Ofer Cassif said, “Congratulations to the brilliant duo, Orange & Purple, on their impressive list of achievements (economic, strategic & political), culminating in finding the lost key to the Strait of Hormuz. We warned from the very beginning that this was nothing more than a futile and pointless war of deception that would only lead to bloodshed, widowhood, orphanhood, and devastation, without achieving anything. No to occupation, yes to peace.”
According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, “Israel should learn three main lessons from the war: To recognize the limitations of power. There is no stability in the region without Israeli-Palestinian peace and Netanyahu is a liar and an international pyromaniac,” he wrote.
Anger and surprise in Israel after US-Iran ceasefire
(April 8, 2026)
The ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran has been met with anger and sharp criticism in Israel.
Politicians, commentators and analysts were quick to condemn the framework, with many blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what they described as a failure.
Israel‘s priority lies in destroying chances of peace between Iran, US: Ex-UN nuclear chief
Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has strongly warned of the Israeli regime‘s full intention to destroy chances of peace between the United States and Iran.
„The most important thing Israel will work on by all means is eliminating any chances for peace between Iran and America,“ he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran
The black S.U.V. carrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 11. The Israeli leader, who had been pressing for months for the United States to agree to a major assault on Iran, was whisked inside with little ceremony, out of view of reporters, primed for one of the most high-stakes moments in his long career.
U.S. and Israeli officials gathered first in the Cabinet Room, adjacent to the Oval Office. Then Mr. Netanyahu headed downstairs for the main event: a highly classified presentation on Iran for President Trump and his team in the White House Situation Room, which was rarely used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders.
So You Lost A War To Iran
(March 31, 2026)
Iran, despite the decapitation of its leadership, has dealt the United States a strategic defeat in the classical sense. It will end the war in a stronger position than when it came under attack. The United States will end the war in a weaker position than before it launched its war. The rest is details.
(…)
Welcome to strategic defeat—or, I should say, welcome back, considering the whole War on Terror and all, and the Vietnam War. Only this time the consequences of defeat for the Americans are set to be far more severe.
Netanyahu says there is ‘more to come’ in Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there is “more to come” amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, adding that he aspired to enable the Iranian people to rid themselves of “the yoke of tyranny.”
Trump says ending Iran war will be ‚mutual‘ decision with Netanyahu
(March 9, 2026)
Speaking by phone with The Times of Israel, Trump said Netanyahu will have input on resolving the conflict.
„I think it’s mutual … a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,“ said Trump.
Netanyahu Finally Got What He Wanted on Iran by Appealing to an Audience of One
JERUSALEM—The Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel was the greatest security failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s career. Less than three years later, the Israeli prime minister is pursuing what may become his defining strategic achievement: toppling the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ella Baron on Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran – cartoon
Illustration: Ella Baron/The Guardian
Why Trump can’t explain the start — or the endgame — of the war in Iran
Ten days in, Trump still hasn’t settled on a consistent rationale for why he went to war. Now, he’s hinting that peace might soon be at hand — even while he and top aides simultaneously warn the fighting might get more intense and last longer.
(…)
Tumbling stock markets and spiking oil prices have raised the possibility that a prolonged conflict could shatter the global economy. Days of Iranian retaliatory drone and missile strikes on Gulf states stoked fears of a wider conflagration.
The political clock is now ticking faster inside the United States, where Trump and his allies fret reverberations will worsen the cost-of-living misery that threatens the GOP’s midterm election prospects.
Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government denies reports it is part of a plan to send opposition forces into Iran
“The Kurdistan Regional Government and the political parties within it are not part of any campaign to expand the war and tensions in the region,” a government spokesperson, Peshawa Hawramani, said in a statement. He added that reports of Iraqi KRG involvement in a plan to arm Kurdish forces are being spread “deliberately and maliciously.”
“On the contrary, we call for peace and stability in the region,” Hawramani added. “We strongly condemn the cowardly attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region, and we call on the federal government and the international community to intervene to stop these assaults and protect our land, our people, and our region.”
CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say
(March 4, 2026)
Washington and Erbil, Iraq —
The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.
The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said.
Pro-American Kurdish Forces Are Preparing Possible Iran Incursion
(March 4, 2026)
Pro-American, Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq are preparing armed units that could enter Iran, creating a potential new front in an already expanding conflict, according to Iraqi officials and senior members of Iranian Kurdish groups.
The C.I.A. has previously given small arms to the Iranian Kurdish forces as part of a covert program to destabilize Iran, an effort that began before the current war, according to people familiar with the effort.
Trump holds call with Iraqi Kurdish leaders on war with Iran
(March 3, 2026)
Erbil (IraqiNews.com) — US President Donald Trump talked by phone with top Iraqi Kurdish politicians on Sunday to discuss the current US-Israeli military operation against Iran and possible future actions, according to Axios.
According to sources acquainted with the discussions, the talks included Masoud Barzani, chairman of the Masoud Barzani Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Bafel Talabani Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Lawmakers: Israeli plan to attack Iran dictated Trump’s decision on strikes
Senior lawmakers in both parties said Monday that the Trump administration’s decision to launch bombing and missile strikes across Iran this weekend was largely dictated by Israel’s plan to attack Iran with or without U.S. support.
Trump admin warned lawmakers Israel was ‚determined to act with or without us‘ before massive Iran strikes
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., described the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as a defensive measure, saying, „Israel was determined to act with or without us“ following a classified briefing on Monday evening.
„They had to evaluate the threats to the U.S., to our troops, to our installations, to our assets in the region and beyond. And they determined, because of the intelligence that we had, that a coordinated response was necessary,“ Johnson said.
Terrifying Conclusion of Secret Senate War Briefing Revealed
Warner told reporters those officials had explained how, prior to those strikes, Israel had warned it was facing an imminent threat from Tehran. Israel’s plans to attack first, the officials apparently went on, had effectively forced the U.S. into a pre-emptive assault on Iranian targets, on the basis of protecting American military assets across the region from prospective retaliatory strikes by the Islamic regime.
UK will allow US to use its bases to strike Iranian missile sites, Starmer says
„We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran from firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved.
„The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies, and protecting British lives.“
The UK reportedly shot down a missile heading towards a base housing its service personnel in Iraq on Saturday.