Iran’s pressure on the Strait of Hormuz is now being reinforced by Houthi advances towards Bab al-Mandeb and attacks affecting Saudi oil infrastructure. Together, the two chokepoints expose the vulnerability of global energy and shipping routes.

Trump and Netanyahu are openly pushing for regime change in Iran as the war intensifies, while the battered USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand after months at sea.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 250 days at sea as the Iran war tests America's military power, endurance and strategy. From mounting strain on its crew to the cost of sustaining combat operations, the Lincoln offers a glimpse of the deeper limits of American power.

Iran says negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages, but Tehran has presented a demanding list of conditions. Reports that Trump may prioritise reopening the waterway while postponing the nuclear issue raise a bigger question: can Iran trust Washington to keep its word?

Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of key elements of Trump's Gaza peace plan exposes a widening gap between Washington's vision for a new Middle Eastern order and Israel's security strategy. As Iran remains central to the region's power struggle, the dispute raises questions about US influence, Israeli politics, Gaza's future and the fragile architecture of Middle Eastern peace.

Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz will depend on U.S. acceptance of Tehran's conditions, including compensation over alleged violations of the Islamabad MOU. While Iran and Oman work on a temporary shipping route, Tehran is making clear that Hormuz remains both a vital commercial artery and a powerful instrument of geopolitical leverage.

As hundreds of thousands gathered in Tehran to bid farewell to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the United States launched fresh strikes inside Iran, dramatically escalating tensions despite ongoing Doha negotiations. The developments have cast fresh doubt over the ceasefire framework, the future of US-Iran diplomacy and whether the Middle East is entering a dangerous new phase of geopolitical confrontation.

The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ushered in one of the most consequential transitions in modern Iranian history. As the Islamic Republic prepares for life after its longest-serving leader, his son Mojtaba Khamenei remains elusive and out of public view. FTN examines the succession process, the IRGC's role, and what Iran's next chapter means for the Middle East and beyond.