The Media Line

‘Facing the Middle East’ examines Iran’s repression, black-Jewish solidarity, regional war risks

The Media Line began with the Islamic Republic’s efforts to reach Iranians abroad while tightening its grip on dissent at home, then turned to an exclusive report on its sexual abuse and repression.

FELICE FRIEDSON on 'Facing the Middle East' Episode 21
 Illustration of ISIS terrorists.

Russia warns ISIS-K recruiting Central Asian migrants for regional terror networks

International spiritual leaders stand on stage at a Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast event at the Knesset auditorium marking 600 days since the start of the war, May 28, 2025.

Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at 10: Moral Courage of Christians Needed as Jews Face Danger

Men console each other as they sit on a sidewalk, near the scene of a reported active shooter situation at the Islamic Center, in San Diego, California, US, May 18, 2026.

How hate crimes and political assassinations reflect America's polarization crisis - analysis


Iran war pushes Israel-Turkey rift into more dangerous phase - analysis

Competing claims over deterrence, restraint, and regional credibility are turning an already damaged relationship into a sharper strategic confrontation.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025.

Regime change is the only viable endgame in Iran - opinion

Iran’s rulers are facing a widening crisis at home, while the West still clings to strategies that have repeatedly failed to produce lasting change.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with students in Tehran, Iran, November 3, 2025

Iran’s economy could collapse within three months under naval blockade, experts warn

An expert on Iran's military noted that Iranian authorities have previously declared that if they are denied access to their ports, they will prevent other countries in the region from using theirs.

SCREENSHOT FROM a video released by Iranian media showing an encounter between the IRGC Navy and a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz, which they claim withdrew from the area after receiving a warning.

United against hate: Why Black and Jewish communities in America must stand together

Today, amid a terrifying global resurgence of antisemitism and racism, the memory of the world-changing cooperation between Black and Jewish activists is dangerously fading.

African-American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968, centre) among other marchers is Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (far right)

Kyiv chief rabbi on Holocaust remembrance: ‘We must not live inside it' - interview

Speaking with The Media Line on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Markovitch said he sees it as a responsibility. “This is something I live with,” he said. “Something I feel.” 

RABBI JONATHAN Markovitch celebrating Passover with his community.

Wiesenthal Center rabbi slams Japanese TV claim Kushner unfit for Iran talks because he is Jewish

Commentator Toru Tamagawa, appearing on Friday’s broadcast of TV Asahi’s Hatori Shinichi Morning Show, questioned whether the special envoy’s Jewish background should have disqualified him.

US President Donald Trump listens, as his son-in-law Jared Kushner speaks, during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, US, February 19, 2026.

Iran less likely to compromise in US talks as its isolation grows, analyst warns

The collapse of US-Iran talks is casting doubt on the ceasefire, suggesting it may be a fragile pause rather than a path to diplomacy.

A billboard with a graphic design about the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, Iran, April 13, 2026

Hormuz closure cripples fertilizer trade, causing ripple effect on food security - analysis

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global fertilizer supplies, leading to a 20-30% price increase and threatening food security worldwide.

A farmer sprinkles fertiliser on crops in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar on April 9, 2026.

International Christian Embassy condemns burning of Netanyahu effigy at Spain Easter ceremony

The group also urged the Vatican to reconsider what it described as one-sided criticism of Israel and to take steps to prevent similar incidents globally. 

People cheer as an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blown up, in this screengrab from a video obtained from social media, in El Burgo, Spain, April 5, 2026.

France, Spain's anti-Israel bias push Israel-Europe relations to new heights

Relations with Europe began deteriorating when the current Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in as Israel’s most far-right coalition ever.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Jerusalem, October 24, 2023; file photo.