Religion-State Relations – War Watch

Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud | Appointments and Executive Changes | Defense and Military Forces | Espionage and Intelligence Services | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Karroubi, Mehdi | Khamenei, Ali | Khamenei, Mojtaba (1969- ) | Khomeini, Ruhollah | Muslims and Islam | Politics and Government | Religion-State Relations | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

New Supreme Leader Inherits Sprawling, Secretive Office That Dominates Iran
ByNeil MacFarquhar March 10, 2026March 10, 2026

His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had turned what was traditionally a religious affairs office into a shadowy national security juggernaut.

Read More New Supreme Leader Inherits Sprawling, Secretive Office That Dominates Iran
Appointments and Executive Changes | Clergy | Constitutions | Courts and the Judiciary | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Khamenei, Mojtaba (1969- ) | Khomeini, Ruhollah | live-detached | Middle East | Muslims and Islam | Politics and Government | Religion-State Relations | Shariah (Islamic Law) | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Armed Conflicts

Iran Has a New Supreme Leader. What Does That Mean?
ByCarlotta Gall March 8, 2026March 9, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei takes on a role that makes him not only Iran’s spiritual leader but also the highest authority in the land.

Read More Iran Has a New Supreme Leader. What Does That Mean?
al-Shara, Ahmed (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) (1982- ) | Aleppo (Syria) | Assad, Bashar al- | Bombs and Explosives | Churches (Buildings) | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) | Israel | Israel–Iran War | New Year | Religion-State Relations | Syria | Terrorism

Suicide Bomber in Syria Kills Security Officer in New Year’s Eve Attack
ByEphrat Livni and Hussam Hammoud January 1, 2026

The attacker likely had links to the Islamic State and was possibly targeting a Christian church in the center of Aleppo, according to a government spokesman.

Read More Suicide Bomber in Syria Kills Security Officer in New Year’s Eve Attack
Arab-Israeli War (1948) | Ben-Gvir, Itamar | Civilian Casualties | Defense and Military Forces | Discrimination | Food Aid | Gaza City (Gaza Strip) | Gaza Strip | Hamas | Hezbollah | internal-open-access-from-nl | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel-Gaza War (2023- ) | Israel–Iran War | Israeli Settlements | Jews and Judaism | Khan Younis (Gaza Strip) | Kibbutz Movement | Kidnapping and Hostages | Middle East | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Palestinians | Politics and Government | Race and Ethnicity | Refugees and Displaced Persons | Religion-State Relations | Smotrich, Bezalel (1980- ) | Terrorism | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | War and Armed Conflicts | War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity | West Bank | Yaalon, Moshe

Amid the Gaza War, Israel Is More Divided and Isolated Than Ever
ByRoger Cohen, David Guttenfelder and Saher Alghorra October 5, 2025October 7, 2025

The longest war of an endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict has come to challenge Israel’s own image and understanding of itself.

Read More Amid the Gaza War, Israel Is More Divided and Isolated Than Ever
Abdulaziz Al Sheikh | Clergy | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Mohammed bin Salman (1985- ) | Muslims and Islam | Religion-State Relations | Saudi Arabia

Saudi Grand Mufti, an Archconservative in a Changing Kingdom, Dies
ByVivian Nereim September 23, 2025September 24, 2025

The death of Abdulaziz Al Asheikh, Saudi Arabia’s most senior cleric, was the symbolic end of an era as the kingdom transforms.

Read More Saudi Grand Mufti, an Archconservative in a Changing Kingdom, Dies
Arabs | Europe | Famine | France | Gaza Strip | Great Britain | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel-Gaza War (2023- ) | Israel–Iran War | Jews and Judaism | Middle East | Oren, Michael B | Palestinians | Peace Process | Religion-State Relations | United States | War and Armed Conflicts

Sykes-Picot, the 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over French and British Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State
ByMark Landler August 3, 2025August 3, 2025

The Sykes-Picot Agreement was a secret treaty Britain and France signed more than a century ago. Many consider it to have seeded a legacy of strife in the Middle East.

Read More Sykes-Picot, the 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over French and British Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State
Druse (Sect) | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Lebanon | Minorities | Religion-State Relations | Sweida, Syria | Syria | War and Armed Conflicts

Who Are the Druse: The Religious Minority at the Center of Israel and Syria’s Tensions
ByEuan Ward July 18, 2025

Spread across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, the secretive religious minority has long balanced integration and independence. Now, members are at the heart of the region’s shifting power struggles.

Read More Who Are the Druse: The Religious Minority at the Center of Israel and Syria’s Tensions
Druse (Sect) | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Lebanon | Minorities | Religion-State Relations | Sweida, Syria | Syria | War and Armed Conflicts

Who Are the Druse? The Religious Minority at the Center of Israel and Syria’s Tensions
ByEuan Ward July 18, 2025July 20, 2025

Spread across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, the secretive religious minority has long balanced integration and independence. Now, members are at the heart of the region’s shifting power struggles.

Read More Who Are the Druse? The Religious Minority at the Center of Israel and Syria’s Tensions
Basij | International Relations | Iran | Iran-Israel War (2025- ) | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Middle East | Politics and Government | Religion-State Relations | War and Armed Conflicts | Women's Rights

After War With Israel and U.S., Iran Rests on a Knife Edge
ByRoger Cohen June 29, 2025June 29, 2025

The Islamic Republic limps on after the 12-day conflict. Where will the nation go from here?

Read More After War With Israel and U.S., Iran Rests on a Knife Edge
Central Intelligence Agency | Defense and Military Forces | International Relations | Iran | Iran-Israel Proxy Conflict | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Khomeini, Ruhollah | Macron, Emmanuel (1977- ) | Merz, Friedrich | Muslims and Islam | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Nuclear weapons | Politics and Government | Putin, Vladimir V | Religion-State Relations | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government

Iran Has Its Back Against the Wall
ByRoger Cohen June 19, 2025June 20, 2025

The Iranian regime finds itself in its most difficult position 46 years after the revolution that brought it to power. But does it mean the end?

Read More Iran Has Its Back Against the Wall