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Is there a ceasefire or is there escalation? The pace of events and confusion in the skies above Iran, Israel and across the Middle East is as confusing as it is terrifying. Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, TruthSocial, that Israel and Iran had negotiated a ceasefire. The deal, which was reportedly struck with Qatari assistance, was subsequently acknowledged by Iran.
But within the last few minutes reports have emerged of new rocket launches from Iran, and Israel has vowed to respond. One thing that has become clear in the last 24 hours has been the central role of the Gulf states in this conflict. Below, Mira Al Hussein of the University of Edinburgh, explains their role.
Trump is scheduled to be attending the annual Nato leaders’ summit in the Hague which begins today. The key meeting of the slimmed down two-day gathering will be tomorrow when leaders meet to discuss, and most likely affirm, their commitment to raise their countries’ defence budgets to 5% of GDP. International security analyst Stefan Wolff writes that, with the president’s mind still apparently on the Middle East, much of the leaders’ energy will be focused on keeping Trump engaged with Nato amid fears the US president could significantly scale down US commitment, or even walk away from the alliance.
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Jonathan Este
Senior International Affairs Editor, Cambridge, England
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Mira Al Hussein, University of Edinburgh
Gulf states have long sought to contain Tehran through diplomacy rather than pursuing regime change.
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Amir Levy/Getty Images
Ali Mamouri, Deakin University
Mutual deterrence may prevent a longer war for now, but the balance remains precarious and could collapse with little warning.
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Nakissa Jahanbani, Penn State
Tehran can utilize an army of proxy groups, intelligence operatives and cyberhackers as part of any retaliation for Israeli or US attacks.
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Ben Livneh, University of Colorado Boulder
Scientists analyzed water quality in 145 watersheds after wildfires and found dramatic spikes in contaminants.
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Laura Case, University of Sydney
Nico Muhly’s Aphrodite reimagines the mythological goddess for the modern age, in a production that is both visually stunning and musically engaging.
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Jia B. Kangbai, Njala University
Sierra Leoneans are worried by the increasing number of mpox cases and deaths that have been recorded in 2025.
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Handan Vicdan, EM Lyon Business School
Local efforts to transform discarded garments and textile waste into valuable products are evidence that fashion and degrowth are compatible.
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Jack L. Rozdilsky, York University, Canada
There are few guardrails in place to prevent a rogue president from misusing the military in domestic civilian affairs as Donald Trump seemingly manufactures false emergencies
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Andrew Hacket-Pain, University of Liverpool
Plants seem to know when the longest day of the year is.
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Yusuf Oc, City St George's, University of London; Janina Steinmetz, City St George's, University of London
The messaging service was always going to be monetised.
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Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Rutgers University
Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is changing contemporary Ghanaian art
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