Gareth Smyth

Gareth Smyth has covered Middle Eastern affairs for 20 years and was chief correspondent for The Financial Times in Iran.

Author Articles

Shifting politics. European Council President Donald Tusk holds a news conference after a European Union leaders summit following the EU elections, in Brussels, May 28. (Reuters)
European elections bring different challenges to Arabs, Israelis
June 01, 2019
New bloc. (L-R): Manuel Vescovi of Italy’s League; Jaak Madison, deputy chairman of the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia; French far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen; and Finns Party member Olli Kotro, a candidate in the European Parliament elections, give a news conference in Tallinn, Estonia, May 14. (AFP)
Will the far right make significant gains in European parliament elections?
May 18, 2019
A file photo shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visiting the Bushehr nuclear power plant just outside of Bushehr, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iran ‘calibrates’ its moves but does not know what to expect
May 11, 2019
Hopes and challenges. Bryan Gibson, of Hawaii Pacific University, poses for a photo in the Iraqi city of Erbil. (Courtesy of Bryan Gibson)
Momentum for Kurdish independence stalled but is not finished
May 04, 2019
A view of Lebanon’s Central Bank building in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanon nearing fiscal crunch
May 04, 2019
An Iranian military speedboat patrols the Arabian Gulf as a tanker prepares to dock at the oil facility at Kharg Island, Iran. (AFP)
New phase of cat-and-mouse tussle between US, Iran begins
April 27, 2019
A driverless vehicle at Masdar City, on the eastern outskirts of Abu Dhabi. (AFP)
‘Artificial intelligence’ becoming buzz phrase in Arab world
April 13, 2019
A Syrian refugee works on an oud, a pear-shaped stringed instrument made of wood, in Beirut. (AFP)
Lebanon’s divisions prolong suffering of Syrian refugees
April 06, 2019
The price of mismanagement. A view of areas affected by floods in Iran’s north-eastern Golestan region, March 27.(AFP)
Environmental problems exacerbate Tehran’s political tensions
April 06, 2019
Iraqi President Barham Salih (R) walks with Iranian President Hassan Rohani at as-Salam Palace in Baghdad, March 11. (Reuters)
Bumpy prospects for Iraq’s ‘Silk Road’ as US-Iran showdown fuels tensions
March 23, 2019
A 2017 file picture shows Iran’s new judiciary chief Ebrahim Raeisi speaking at Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran. (AP)
Iran’s new judiciary chief eyes Khamenei’s succession
March 09, 2019
President Hassan Rouhani, (R) shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad before their meeting at his office in Tehran, Iran, February. 25. (AP)
Despite Assad’s welcome, Iran can be of little help to Damascus
March 02, 2019
A 2016 file picture shows Iranian officials applauding on the platform as a train connecting China and Iran arrives at Tehran Railway Station. (AFP)
China is no saviour for sanctions-hit Iran
February 16, 2019
Is Europe’s trade tool with Iran just a ‘political act’?
February 16, 2019
Growing links. A ship used for carrying goods is seen at the Hamad Port in Mesaieed, Qatar. (Reuters)
Doha’s Iran imports jump and it hopes US doesn’t notice
February 02, 2019
Who’s next? Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sits next to a picture of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, last March. (AFP)
Iran’s opaque politics of succession to Khamenei
January 12, 2019
People walk in front of a currency exchange shop in Tehran. (AFP)
Rohani walks an economic tightrope
January 05, 2019
Cover of Samuel Helfont’s “Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq.”
Studying Saddam’s ‘compulsion in religion’
December 15, 2018
An Iranian worker walks the platform of an oil facility in the Khark Island. (AFP)
Iran’s shadowy game with oil exports
December 15, 2018
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini speak at a meeting in Brussels, last July. (Reuters)
Is Europe aligning more closely with US on Iran?
December 08, 2018