Thomas Erdbrink, the New York Times' correspondent in Tehran, drove across Iran to see the country's mood before today's presidential election and found that the country is extremely diverse, with lots of different political opinions and lifestyles.
Macron heads to Mali to reaffirm French commitment to battle jihadists. President Emmanuel Macron undertakes his first trip as commander-in-chief on Friday when he meets troops fighting Islamist militants in Mali where the security situation has worsened despite French intervention more than four years ago (Reuters).
A new political and economic settlement for Iraq. How reform could provide a template for the rest of the Middle East, writes on the Financial Times Barham Salih, former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and former deputy prime minister of Iraq.
What Did the Trump Administration Just Do in Syria? By apparently hitting regime-allied forces again, the president may be opening the door to more escalation (the Atlantic)
