American war against Iran

Middle East, Africa and Eurasia on the American war against Iran

Nobody in this sample is angry at Tehran; the loudest voices mock Trump's gunboat bluff instead

The sharpest original takes come from Kompas.com, Komsomolskaya Pravda and Tribunnews. All three cast Iran as the side that stood up to US threats. Criticism of Iran shows up only in wire copy and US or UK official statements: the Fairford plot claim, the Flydubai threat, Gulf states bearing the cost of Iran's strikes, and attacks on shipping. No outlet in this set editorialises against Iran. Kompas.com, 4 OctKomsomolskaya Pravda, 4 OctTribunnews, 4 Oct

1. Indonesia Tribunnews 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
2. Malaysia Harian Metro 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
3. Russia Komsomolskaya Pravda 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
4. Türkiye Sabah 3/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
5. Qatar (pan-Arab) Al Jazeera Arabic 3/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
6. Egypt Youm7 (اليوم السابع) 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
7. Morocco Hespress (هسبريس) 1/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
8. Algeria Echorouk (الشروق) 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
9. Tunisia Mosaïque FM 1/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
10. Libya Al Wasat (بوابة الوسط) 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
11. Sudan Alrakoba (الراكوبة) 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
12. Senegal Seneweb 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
13. Mali Maliweb 1/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
14. Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan.net Nothing on this
15. Somalia Hiiraan Online 2/10 at its hottest, 2 pieces
16. Angola Jornal de Angola 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
17. Indonesia Republika 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
18. Malaysia Utusan Malaysia 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
19. Türkiye Yeni Şafak 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
20. Saudi Arabia Okaz (عكاظ) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
21. UAE (Saudi-owned, pan-Arab) Al Arabiya (العربية) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
22. Iraq Shafaq News (شفق نيوز) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
23. Syria Enab Baladi (عنب بلدي) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
24. Bangladesh Prothom Alo (প্রথম আলো) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
25. Afghanistan Hasht-e Subh (هشت صبح) Nothing on this
26. Estonia Õhtuleht 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
27. Latvia Delfi (Latvia) 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
28. Lithuania Lrytas 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
29. Belarus SB. Belarus Segodnya 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
30. Moldova Unimedia 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
31. Azerbaijan Report.az 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
32. Kazakhstan Tengrinews 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
33. Uzbekistan Daryo Nothing on this
34. Kyrgyzstan Kaktus.media 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
35. Tajikistan Avesta.tj 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
36. Turkmenistan Turkmenportal 0/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
37. Georgia Netgazeti Nothing on this
38. Armenia News.am 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
39. Indonesia detikcom 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
40. Indonesia Kompas.com 3/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
41. Malaysia Sin Chew Daily (星洲日报) Nothing on this
42. Russia Meduza 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
43. Russia RIA Novosti 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
44. Moldova NewsMaker Nothing on this
45. Armenia Azatutyun (RFE/RL Armenian) 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
46. Kazakhstan Egemen Qazaqstan Nothing on this
47. Uzbekistan Kun.uz Nothing on this
48. Kyrgyzstan 24.kg 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
49. Tajikistan Asia-Plus 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
50. Turkmenistan Chronicles of Turkmenistan 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
51. Estonia ERR Novosti 2/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
52. Lithuania 15min 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece

Blind spots: Imedi (Georgia), 1TV (Georgian Public Broadcaster) (Georgia), Sin Chew Daily (星洲日报), Al Arabiya (العربية), Mosaïque FM, Alrakoba (الراكوبة), Jornal de Angola.

1. 6

   Kompas.com mocks Trump openly. It says he 'still hasn't learned his lesson' and calls his third carrier group a 'worn-out bluff' that 'bounced off Iran'. It praises Tehran for daring to fire a Qasem Basir missile straight at a US carrier group.

   This is Indonesia's paper of record writing its own copy, not wire. It is the most openly admiring take on Iranian defiance in the sample, and it is aimed at a young audience through an explainer video. Kompas.com, 4 Oct

2. 5

   Komsomolskaya Pravda builds a story around Medvedev calling Hormuz Iran's 'thermonuclear weapon' and saying Iran 'responded well' to US threats.

   Russia's biggest pro-Kremlin tabloid is promoting Iran's chokehold on Hormuz as a smart move. It ties the Kremlin line to Iran's main source of leverage. Komsomolskaya Pravda, 4 Oct

3. 5

   Tribunnews runs the headline 'US Fighter Jet Destroyed!' and says Washington is 'baffled'. The story underneath only repeats IRGC claims made at an exhibition.

   Indonesia's highest-traffic network is selling Iranian military claims to a mass audience as established fact. Tribunnews, 4 Oct

Read the full Middle East, Africa and Eurasia lens: 58 translated articles, where outlets split, and what the coverage says about the countries themselves.