Conflict
Iran-Gulf crisis
Primary actors
United States
The dominant external military and diplomatic power in the Middle East, with treaty allies on all sides of the region's major fault lines.
Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Regional power with the largest missile and drone arsenal in the Middle East, a contested nuclear programme, and an alliance system built primarily on non-state armed partners.
Israel
Regional military power with a stated nuclear-ambiguity policy, intelligence services with documented operations against Iranian assets, and the closest US security partnership in the region.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Iran's parallel military, distinct from the regular army (Artesh); operator of the country's external proxy network via the Quds Force.
Hezbollah
Lebanese Shia armed political movement; Iran's most capable non-state partner; the regional precision-missile and rocket arsenal Israel watches most closely.
Yemen (Houthi-controlled north)
Houthi-led de facto authority in northern Yemen; operator of the Red Sea / Bab el-Mandeb interdiction campaign; Iran-aligned but operationally independent.
Saudi Arabia
Iran's principal Sunni regional rival; major oil exporter; security partner of the US; normalised relations with Iran in 2023 under Chinese mediation.
United Arab Emirates
Gulf state with the most diversified foreign policy in the region; signatory to the Abraham Accords; significant economic relationship with Iran.
Qatar
Host of the largest US air base in the region (Al Udeid); major LNG exporter; principal regional mediator with Iran, Hamas, and Taliban.
International Atomic Energy Agency
UN-affiliated nuclear safeguards body; the standard external reference for Iranian enrichment levels and inspection access.
Explore this conflict
Dashboard →
Current status, oil price, active fronts, today's briefing.
Timeline →
Reverse-chronological event feed.
Claims & verification →
Claims with verification status and evidence.
Peace proposals →
Diplomatic initiatives and ceasefire frameworks.
Actor profiles →
Profiles of every actor shaping the conflict.
Daily briefing →
Bias-filtered daily summaries across six perspectives.
Oil & economy →
Brent crude and macro spillover.