(By Ayesha Mahnoor) The Chinese yuan has strengthened to 6.8982 against the US dollar in March 2026, marking a three-year high and reflecting a significant shift in global currency dynamics. This appreciation coincides with an accelerating trend of countries paying for oil in yuan rather than dollars—a development that challenges the seven-decade dominance of the…
(By Khalid Masood) Following the assassination of Ali Larijani by Israel, Iran has appointed Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), one of the most powerful positions in the Islamic Republic. Dehghan, a 69-year-old veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), brings decades of military experience, including command…
(By Khalid Masood) On 19 March 2026, a historic milestone was reached in modern aerial warfare: for the first time since its maiden flight in 2006, a US F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter was damaged by enemy fire during combat operations over Iran. The aircraft made an emergency landing at an undisclosed US air base…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction: The Puzzle of Timing in a Volatile Region On February 26, 2026, mediators in Geneva reported “significant progress” in negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Omani diplomats, who have long served as the quiet custodians of this backchannel, described an “unprecedented openness to creative solutions.” Forty-eight hours later, the region was illuminated…
(By Khalid Masood) In the shadowed corridors of power in Tehran, a transition is underway that could redefine the Islamic Republic’s trajectory for a generation. Following the death of Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), in Israeli airstrikes on March 18, 2026, the vacuum at the helm of Iran’s security apparatus…
(By Khalid Masood) The smoke rising over Asaluyeh on the Persian Gulf coast marks more than a tactical strike; it signals a qualitative shift in the 2026 Iran-Israel conflict. For the first time, the war has moved beyond military installations, nuclear facilities, and leadership targets to strike the very engine of Iran’s economy: its energy…
(By Khalid Masood) In the pre-dawn darkness of March 18, 2026, Israeli warplanes violated Iranian airspace once again, launching a cowardly strike that murdered Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alongside Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani and several brave defenders of the Islamic Republic. The blood of these martyrs stains not just the…
(By Khalid Masood) In the early hours of a March 2026 morning, as Pakistan Air Force jets returned from strikes against terrorist sanctuaries in eastern Afghanistan, a different kind of battle was already raging across social media platforms, newsrooms, and diplomatic cables worldwide. The Taliban government in Kabul claimed that Pakistani bombs had hit a…
(By Khalid Masood) The last night (16-17 March 2026) airstrikes of Pakistan Air Force inside Afghanistan have sparked intense regional debate, with the Taliban government condemning the operations as violations of sovereignty and alleging civilian harm at protected sites. Yet, to view these strikes solely through the lens of diplomatic friction is to overlook the…
(By Khalid Masood) From the outside looking in, the transformation within the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center over the past year represents more than routine personnel rotation. It signals a fundamental recalibration of the relationship between political authority and military professionalism—a dynamic that every officer who has served in uniform understands, but few outside the…
