On 17 June 2026, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran digitally signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which consists of a 14-point framework aimed at ending the war that erupted on 28 February 2026. This framework outlines a comprehensive peace agreement to be negotiated within 60 days of the MoU, with the possibility of extending this period by mutual consent of the parties involved.
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Jordan is in the throes of a highly sensitive phase that is reshaping both its relationship with its surroundings and its domestic makeup. In the context of an ongoing regional escalation, including the fallout from conflicts in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Iran, along with the transformation of Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and the subsequent reconfiguration of its neighborhood, the Kingdom is facing a persistent test of its ability to maintain its domestic balance and political stability.
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Introduction On June 18, 2026, the United States and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, dubbed the Islamabad MOU, committing to negotiate a roadmap to end hostilities that had commenced in late February 2026. Over the course of roughly four months, the conflict rippled across the region, exacting significant costs on neighboring states, severely disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint, and weighing… Continue reading The 60-Day Test: Fault Lines in the U.S.-Iran Deal
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In the early hours of July 7, an anti-ship missile struck Al Rekayyat, a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanker, as it left the Strait of Hormuz. A fire spread through the engine room, and for a few hours, the region waited to find out whether the vessel would be the latest casualty of the U.S.-Iranian war’s worst maritime incident yet. Al Rekayyat belongs to transportation firm Nakilat, majority-owned by Qatar, which has facilitated extensive negotiations between Washington and… Continue reading The Iranian Duality the Region Must Stop Indulging
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The U.S.-Iran war has so far failed to produce any decisive strategic outcome or end the threat hanging over the Gulf. Instead, it has ushered the region into a new phase of managed instability, characterized by cycles of escalation and de-escalation, with no clear political or military resolution in sight. The war has placed the Strait… Continue reading Rethinking Gulf Security on the Threshold of a New World Order
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An anniversary is a moment for story-telling, and the U.S. loves grand stories. Yet as the country marked its 250th anniversary, the stories its leaders told were as much linked to the electoral politics of the moment as to a grand national narrative. The left condemned President Donald Trump for turning the spotlight on himself; the right accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of being unpatriotic. Yet focusing on domestic politics, even in light of November’s midterm elections, ignores the broader significance of the occasion—not least, the highly contested question of how Trump’s fateful war… Continue reading Iran War Marks the Struggle for America’s Story at 250 Years
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