The hottest Middle East Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways

Digital Fog

Doomberg • 6819 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Viral videos and footage are often reused or misattributed during crises, so you can’t assume something is real just because it looks authentic or isn’t AI-made.
Curating segmented social media feeds and even training a fresh account to follow one side’s sources helps reveal different narratives and spot disinformation.
Comparing coverage across international outlets, including adversarial ones, uncovers details and biases that mainstream Western media may downplay or miss.

It's Unethical To Have Sympathy For Israelis, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1974 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The piece argues that one should never express sympathy for Israelis because, it claims, Israel habitually weaponizes sympathy to justify mass atrocities, so withholding sympathy is framed as the responsible choice.
It warns that US and Israeli threats against Iran—especially attacks on energy infrastructure—risk escalating into a far larger, potentially catastrophic war and need to be restrained.
It criticizes Western media and political hypocrisy for being shocked by Iranian retaliation while ignoring prior aggression, and calls for mass protests against the US-Israeli war policies.

You Can't Make People Cheer For Your Wars After Committing A Live-Streamed Genocide, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2030 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Committing visible atrocities destroys public support, so governments can’t expect people to cheer for their wars.
Ignoring decades of military warnings and escalating toward a ground invasion of Iran risks huge regional fallout, economic pain, and more lives lost.
Political leaders who don’t face personal consequences send others to fight, and history shows people only forcefully oppose wars when they themselves have skin in the game.

Are we in the foothills of World War 3?

Noahpinion • 29824 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Coalitions are hardening: in the Western and Middle Eastern theaters the U.S., Europe, Ukraine, and Israel are aligning against Russia and Iran, while alliances in Asia remain murky with India mostly neutral and China cautious.
Drones and AI are already reshaping warfare: strike drones and AI-driven targeting and decision‑support systems are being battle‑tested and will be central to how future wars are fought.
World War 3 isn’t imminent but the risk is rising: hardened alliances, disruptive military tech, and uncertain balances of power create foothills that could let a regional war escalate into a much larger conflict.

It's Getting Close to Clear How the War Will Turn Out

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 1141 implied HN points • 26 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Israel may be nearing a breaking point as actual casualties and the everyday strain of sheltering and nonstop attacks are likely far worse than reported, and public and political tolerance for the war has limits.
Israel’s air defenses may be close to collapse after radar damage, leaving it vulnerable to Iranian drones and high-speed missiles that can strike military bases and cities and could force more desperate Israeli options.
A nuclear strike by Israel on Iran could provoke an Iranian retaliatory use of low-yield nukes, causing catastrophic casualties in cities like Tel Aviv and risking uncontrollable regional escalation.

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The Exit Permit Edition

Why is this interesting? • 482 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Kuwait’s new digital exit permit ties a worker’s ability to leave the country to their employer’s approval, reviving kafala-like controls and trapping some expats who can’t get permission to evacuate.
While Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain have eased exit and job-change rules to attract global professionals, Kuwait moved in the opposite direction, introducing the permit in 2025 and diverging from regional reforms.
The permit was pitched as a routine labor-management tool but wasn’t designed for emergencies, so in a crisis it can prevent people from fleeing danger and reveals how bureaucratic rules can cause severe unintended harm.

Iran Is Forcing The World To Care About US-Israeli Warmongering

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2822 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

A US-coordinated Israeli strike on Iran’s largest natural gas field has crossed a red line and sparked Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, driving up fuel prices and risking a global energy crisis.
Western media, many US allies, and the public are much less willing to rally behind the administration this time, showing low support and growing skepticism of official war narratives.
Because energy supplies and prices are being directly affected, ordinary Westerners will likely be forced to pay attention and react, and the situation could rapidly get much worse or better with uncertain outcomes.

No Laffan Matter

Doomberg • 7994 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The EU weakened its industrial competitiveness by replacing cheap Russian pipeline gas with much more expensive LNG, and some of that LNG still came from Russia.
Brussels plans a phased ban on Russian pipeline gas and LNG by 2027, but that policy risks sharp price and supply shocks during the transition.
The war that shut down Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG exports has tightened global gas supplies and will hit the EU hardest, raising the danger of a repeat 2021-style energy crisis and deeper deindustrialization.

Monopoly Round-Up: The Epstein Class Launches a War

BIG by Matt Stoller • 35524 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

A U.S.- and Israeli-led strike on Iran has escalated into a volatile regional conflict of drone and missile strikes that could disrupt oil markets, strain military munitions, and cause wider economic and human costs.
Wealthy Gulf rulers, Western banks, tech firms, and media investors form a close transnational elite that funds big deals and helps shape foreign policy, while regimes outside that network—like Iran—are treated as expendable.
There is a growing split between this elite class and the public: elites take short-term, risky actions assuming others will handle the fallout, while soldiers, ordinary people, and markets bear the consequences, even as monopoly and antitrust battles reshape the economy.

This Is What It Looks Like When You Give Zionists Everything They Want

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2943 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Zionism as practiced produces nonstop violence, massacres, bombings, destruction, displacement, and civilian suffering across historic Palestine and neighboring countries.
The idea of a peaceful, egalitarian Zionism is a fantasy; in reality the state depends on continuous military force, repression, and apartheid to sustain itself.
That system also fuels Islamophobia, erodes civil liberties, empowers warmongers, and diverts money from social services into war, showing the ideology is a failed experiment that should be ended.

The Madness of The Donald (MOATS w/ George Galloway)

The Chris Hedges Report • 187 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Middle East

Trump is portrayed as not very bright and has fallen into a dangerous, potentially deadly trap.
Israelis are said to have manipulated him into launching a war against Iran.
Those Israeli actors have allegedly been lobbying for a conflict with Iran for over thirty years.

Midweek Update #3: For Now, This Looks Like Obama-Minus (And Trump Minus-Minus)

Phillips’s Newsletter • 301 implied HN points • 25 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Iran controls the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, so the U.S. currently lacks leverage and must either escalate militarily or offer big concessions despite public claims of victory.
Seizing Kharg Island might hurt Iran's oil exports on paper, but holding it would be risky, logistically vulnerable, could fail to force concessions, and would likely spike oil prices and widen the war.
Threatening to destroy Iran's power plants was an extreme, possibly unlawful move that signaled desperation, weakened the U.S. negotiating position, and increased the risk of dangerous escalation.

The Many Faces of Jew-Hate

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 579 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Antisemitism is intensifying worldwide and shows up in many forms, from violent attacks and terror plots to surveillance, vandalism, and social exclusion.
Keeping accurate, evidence-based records of attacks and motives is vital to prevent denial, minimization, and misinformation about what happened.
Official and public responses are uneven: authorities sometimes increase security or deploy troops, but public concern often fades while antisemitic attitudes remain common and leave communities feeling unsafe.

How Israel Convinced Trump to Wage War Against Iran (w/ Max Blumenthal) | The Chris Hedges Report

The Chris Hedges Report • 231 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

An influence campaign by Israeli-aligned actors and wealthy backers leveraged Trump’s transactional instincts and fears to push him toward aggressive action against Iran.
The FBI’s use of informants and sting operations appears to have manufactured or exaggerated assassination plots on U.S. soil, reinforcing the belief that Iran was targeting Trump and helping justify escalation.
Those pressures contributed to a damaging war that shut down negotiations, provoked heavy retaliation, and raised the risk of a wider or even nuclear confrontation while leaving key questions about motives and accountability.

How Israel Is Hunting Members of the Iranian Regime

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 811 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Israel has escalated operations against Iranian regime officials, with the Israeli Air Force operating over Tehran and strikes growing more daring and consequential.
Iran’s leadership was caught off guard because it behaved like a conventional state and underestimated the risk, unlike groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah that accept becoming targets when they attack Israel.
Top Iranian security figures are taking extreme precautions—moving frequently and avoiding predictable patterns—to avoid being targeted.

Israel Once Again Decapitates the Serpent

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 792 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Israel reportedly killed several top Iranian security figures, including Ali Larijani.
Larijani had recently become head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and was seen as the most powerful remaining military/security leader in the regime.
The strike is a major, unprecedented blow that creates a leadership vacuum and raises big questions about who will lead Iran’s security apparatus next.

The Desalination Edition

Why is this interesting? • 2352 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Gulf countries depend almost entirely on desalination for drinking water, with places like Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia getting the vast majority of their water and having no permanent rivers or lakes to fall back on.
Desalination plants and their coastal intakes are highly exposed: attacks, oil spills, or damage to nearby refineries and tankers can contaminate the water supply or disable plants, and existing storage typically only covers days.
Desalination is energy-intensive, so cuts to power or fuel can stop water production fast and trigger a rapid humanitarian crisis that can make Gulf cities effectively uninhabitable within days.

Clarity After Iran Strike, as Israel Tries to Pivot to Nuclear Arc

Simplicius's Garden of Knowledge • 14008 implied HN points • 04 Oct 24

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Israel faced significant challenges with its air defenses when Iranian missile strikes were more successful than previous attacks. This suggests that Iran has been learning and improving its strategies.
There's a mix of opinions about whether Iran was really trying to hit specific targets or just sending a message. Some believe the strikes were accurate while others think they were done to avoid major damage.
Tensions are rising as Israel and the US are contemplating serious military responses against Iran, while Iran has managed to strengthen ties with other countries like Saudi Arabia amidst these conflicts.

Chartbook 436 Unseasonal war. How the US-Israeli war on Iran threatens the global agricultural cycle.

Chartbook • 3404 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The war is interrupting LNG and fertilizer flows from the Gulf, causing urea and ammonia shortages and forcing some plants to cut output.
The timing is critical because shipments are needed now for the spring planting season, so delays could force farmers to switch crops or accept lower yields.
Large fertilizer producers are likely to profit, while poor, smallholder farming countries—especially in Africa—plus fiscally stretched governments like India, will bear the worst food-security and budgetary costs.

War Isn't a Zero-Sum Game

Nonzero Newsletter • 790 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

War is often non-zero-sum: even if one side gains land or security, the human and economic losses can leave both sides worse off.
Political leaders can personally benefit from conflicts, so they may start or prolong wars for domestic political gain even when the country as a whole suffers.
If people recognize that wars are often driven by leaders' incentives and special-interest pressure, they can be more skeptical of threat inflation and help push to change the incentives that make war politically rewarding.

Who's That Source? Iran Edition

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2786 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

Many analysts from DC think tanks and NGOs are presented as neutral experts, but their funding sources and past advocacy can shape their views and those ties are often not disclosed.
Some organizations produce rigorous, policy-relevant research and advise government, while others have clear partisan, donor-driven, or foreign-linked agendas that push hawkish or activist positions.
With deeper U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict, media and readers need clearer transparency about who funds and influences cited experts so public debate isn’t shaped by hidden interests.

Trump Can Deliver a Lasting Victory in Iran. Here’s How.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 403 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The piece argues that President Trump can achieve a lasting victory in Iran.
The president wants an end to the war, but he also believes a premature exit would leave Iran’s core threat intact.
Active U.S. military operations, like Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean, show ongoing engagement and imply a need for sustained pressure.

Are We Winning the War in Iran? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 329 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The war has escalated with strikes and the targeted killing of senior Iranian figures, and leaders are debating whether a decisive military victory is even possible.
The conflict is already spilling into the global economy and region—oil prices are surging, major energy sites have been hit, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted.
The fight is politically fraught and uncertain: U.S. officials face pressure and resignations, intelligence describes Iran as degraded but intact, and experts disagree whether decapitating the regime will topple it or reveal its resilience.

How Israel Is Helping Iran’s Opposition

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 380 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🌐 International Middle East

Israel is actively targeting Iranian security forces blamed for killing protesters, aiming to weaken those who crushed demonstrations.
Israeli forces may provide air cover if another uprising breaks out, suggesting readiness to intervene more directly during future protests.
This pattern shows Israel moving beyond diplomatic support toward clearer military or covert backing for Iran’s opposition.

How Trump Can Buy Time for His Iran War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 259 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Middle East

The current campaign against Iran is functioning as a global energy war rather than a traditional territorial conflict, because it directly threatens the oil and gas flows that keep economies running.
Oil prices are the central battleground — spikes quickly translate into pain at the pump and broader economic strain, and disruptions to natural gas supply (like halted LNG) are making the pressure worse instead of easing it.
There is growing pressure on the president to end the war to stabilize energy markets, but there are political and strategic options that could let him buy time and continue the campaign.

New Issue Of JOHNSTONE: They're Going To Keep Lying About This War The Entire Time

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1075 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The government and mainstream media are repeatedly lying about this war, inventing or mischaracterizing events like missile strikes, nuclear threats, and casualty figures. They use those lies to build support for military action.
These deceptions expose the true nature of imperial power and the plutocrats who run it, showing that they prioritize control and violence over democracy or human rights. Their actions reveal hypocrisy and a willingness to harm others to keep power.
The proper response is skepticism and refusal to accept pro-war narratives at face value, so people should stop trusting leaders and outlets that push warmongering propaganda. Demand accountability, question official claims, and resist being rallied into war.

The Home Front of the Iran War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 820 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26

🌐 International Middle East

A vehicle packed with explosives was driven into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan while about 140 children under five were attending preschool, and the building was set on fire.
The suspect, identified as Lebanese-born U.S. citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was later found dead; a security guard was struck and more than 50 first responders were treated for smoke inhalation.
The piece frames the attack as the war in Iran spilling onto American soil and argues that we can’t defeat terrorism if we’re afraid to identify its source.

Iran War Supporters Invent a New and Absurd Justification: It Is All About China

Glenn Greenwald • 2408 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The idea that the U.S. war on Iran is really aimed at hurting China is a new, widely promoted justification that the administration itself has not presented as its main motive.
The China argument is weak because China’s ties to Iran are neither unique nor decisive, and U.S. actions have often pushed Middle Eastern states toward Beijing rather than blocking it.
A more plausible driver of the conflict is pro-Israel and hawkish interests, and the China narrative mainly distracts from Israel’s influence and other political motives behind the war.

Trump Starts a Major Regime-Change War with Iran, Serving Neoconservatism and Israel

Glenn Greenwald • 6015 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The Trump administration has launched a large-scale regime-change war against Iran that serves long-standing neoconservative and Israeli goals.
This action directly contradicts Trump’s decade-long promises to end regime-change wars, betraying the anti-war stance many of his supporters expected.
The war lacks a clear justification, congressional approval, or exit strategy and risks massive, unpredictable destruction and prolonged U.S. entanglement in the Middle East.

This Isn’t Israel’s War. It’s America’s.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4535 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

America is fighting in Iran for bigger strategic reasons — Iran’s alignment with China and the global competition that represents, not just regional issues.
Israel is a capable local partner and beneficiary of U.S. action, but it did not drive Washington into this conflict.
Framing it as 'Israel's war' misreads the situation and can mislead public debate and policy by hiding the larger geopolitical stakes.

Opposing "Both Sides" In This War Is Crazy Imperialist Nonsense, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1806 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

If you live under a western empire, don’t amplify 'both sides are bad' or regime‑change narratives; use your voice to oppose your own government’s role in the war.
Bashing the Iranian regime right now helps manufacture consent for violence and makes you partly responsible for the suffering it causes, without improving rights for people there.
This escalation was predictable — tearing up the JCPOA and leaning on regional allies made war more likely, so strikes, mine threats to the Strait of Hormuz, and wider fallout should have been anticipated.

Neck Deep In The Big Muddy

John’s Substack • 7 implied HN points • 24 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The decision not to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure averted an immediate and dangerous escalation.
Despite avoiding strikes, the situation remains grim because the US still has no viable exit strategy.
Further escalation would be a recipe for disaster since Iran currently holds the stronger hand in this confrontation.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Iran Is Collapsing, but Islamism Is Spreading

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4159 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The Islamic Republic looks like it's collapsing, which would be a big defeat for political Islam in Iran. But that collapse doesn't mean Islamism is disappearing elsewhere.
A trio of events — a surprising UK by-election, upheaval in Iran, and a terrorist attack in Texas — together suggest Islamism is spreading beyond the Middle East and increasingly threatens Western countries.
A shock British by-election where the Greens took a long-held Labour seat and a Reform candidate came second shows unexpected political realignments that aren't about climate policy.

The World the Fatwa Made

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2235 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

A short religious edict can act like a weapon, inspiring violence and fear far beyond the borders of the state that issues it.
The fatwa against Salman Rushdie shows how a few broadcast words can export an ideology and keep threatening people even if the issuing regime weakens or falls.
Words and religious rulings can be more enduring and influential than missiles or militias, shaping politics and danger for decades.

How This War Ends

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1010 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

This conflict is more like a Cold War than Afghanistan, meaning it calls for a long-term strategic containment campaign rather than short counterinsurgency operations.
U.S. goals have been inconsistent and shifting, so it's unclear which objectives would end the war or be accepted as 'victory'.
Victory would require massive initial military force followed by sustained total containment, unless the Iranian regime collapses or is overthrown internally.

Fuck Everyone Who Made This War Possible

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 4805 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The US and Israel have launched a major military attack on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes and likely causing widespread death and suffering.
Many people see the official reasons for this war as false and believe powerful leaders and institutions are pushing it forward regardless of public consent or the horrific consequences.
There is raw anger and total condemnation directed at the US, Israel, political parties, the media, and the military‑industrial complex, who are being blamed for enabling and profiting from the war.

The US Soldiers Killed In This War Were Not Heroes, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2514 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The US soldiers killed in the Iran war did not die defending ordinary Americans but advancing elite geostrategic interests. Calling them heroes encourages recruitment and falsely frames an aggressive, harmful war as righteous.
Leaders keep promising quick endings while military planners are preparing for a protracted conflict lasting months; don’t trust rosy, short-timeline assurances.
Left-wing resistance has been weakened by pro-regime-change voices and diaspora figures pushing for bombing, but people should not defer to those voices or be silenced. Those who ask for their homeland to be bombed don’t grasp the real horrors it brings, so strong public opposition is needed.

Donald Trump Says You Can’t Negotiate with Terrorists

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 510 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The U.S. is trying to internationalize its conflict with Iran by rallying other countries to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz open and safe.
Trump is pushing a hardline stance that you can’t negotiate with terrorists, framing Iran’s attacks on shipping as unacceptable and non‑negotiable.
Many media outlets portray this as Trump scrambling after failing to foresee Iran’s attacks and their impact on oil markets, though that simple incompetence narrative is disputed given how the war has actually unfolded.

Trump Announces A Sort Of Cease Fire, and, The US Strategic Goal Seems To Be "Mowing The Grass"

Phillips’s Newsletter • 186 implied HN points • 23 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Middle East

The US lacks a clear, consistent strategic goal and seems to be practicing “mowing the grass.” That means repeated, limited strikes without a path to decisive victory, making the campaign costly and purposeless.
A short cease-fire announcement looks like a tactical backtrack to avoid extreme actions and calm markets, but it probably only pauses operations rather than ends the conflict.
This approach effectively guarantees the Iranian regime survives and can rebuild smarter, so regime change is off the table and strategic gains are doubtful.

This Is Even Dumber And Crazier Than The Iraq War

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2728 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26

🌍 World Politics Middle East

The current campaign against Iran is even more reckless and cynical than the Iraq invasion, with leaders often not pretending to have sincere humanitarian or democratic motives.
Those pushing the attack are using obvious lies and atrocity propaganda to justify bombing, aiming to smash the country like Libya and then walk away without rebuilding or stabilizing it.
U.S. imperial leadership has grown openly thuggish and indifferent to public will or international consequences, escalating toward more brutal and chaotic foreign interventions.