‘I want to produce such an impression of utter weariness and ennui that my readers will imagine the book could only have been written by a cretin,’ Flaubert wrote.
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After the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, further esclation in the conflict between Iran and the US could come in the form of a cyber-attack.
The Ukrainian airliner went down shortly after take-off from Tehran’s airport. Western intelligence has indicated an Iranian missile might have been responsible.
ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA
Key evidence from the wreckage can show if the plane experienced engine trouble or was hit by a missile. But first, Iran must decide how much outside help it will accept in an investigation.
In an official White House photo, President Donald Trump stands alone.
Shealah Craighead/White House
Both President Trump and President Obama used military force without informing Congress, or getting its approval. But the differences reveal more than the similarities.
Mourners carry the coffins of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and eight others during a funeral procession in Karbala, Iraq on Jan. 4, 2020.
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP via Getty Images
The US and other countries set up the modern system of international law after World War II. Does the US killing of an Iranian general violate those laws? What about Iran’s attack on US bases in Iraq?
Golden Iwan, Shrine of Fatima Masuma, built in the eighth century, is also a leading Shii seminary in Iran.
Kishwar Rizvi
Trump recently warned Iran that the US could target its cultural sites. Many of Iran’s cultural sites carry deep religious meaning for a global Shii community and such a threat risks alienating them.
The ancient Persian symbol of victory in Persepolis, capital of the ancient Achaemenid kingdom in Iran.
Delbars via Shutterstock
The Persian Empire – on the site of what is now Iran – set the standard for superpowers of the ancient world and left a cornucopia of treasures and architectural masterpieces.
Iranian soldiers take part in National Persian Gulf Day in the Strait of Hormuz.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
It’s very dangerous to assume that Iran will not escalate the crisis further, much less that the US could limit any violence that might ensue.
Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has offered to help free three detained Australians in Iran, but the attacks on Saudi oil facilities have made the situation vastly more complicated.
Stringer/EPA
Australia has committed to joining the US and the UK in a mission to protect oil ships in the Strait of Hormuz. But why is the Strait the source of so much tension between the US and Iran?
Australia will be making a “modest, meaningful and time-limited contribution” to the US-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz.
MOD/CROWN
Scott Morrison has announced a long-expected commitment to join the US-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz, expressing concerns over incidents in the Strait: “It is a threat to our economy”.
Donald Trump stepped back from launching US airstrikes inside Iran, but the conflict is unabated and there appears to be no way out of confrontation for now.
New sanctions heading Iran’s way.
Kevin Dietsch/EPA
Trump announced ‘hard-hitting’ new sanctions on Iran in response to the attack on a US drone. A peace studies scholar explains why sanctions rarely work.