The Terror Threat Is Back: Practical Security Advice for Americans as Iran Tensions Rise
The terror threat in the United States is back in the conversation. A GWOT veteran offers practical advice on staying alert without living in fear.
Author: Benjamin Reed
104 articles
Benjamin Reed is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and later worked as a private security contractor in Afghanistan and Europe. In 2022, he deployed independently to Ukraine, where he served in multiple roles, including drone operator and infantryman. He is the author of War Tourist, a forthcoming memoir represented by Writers House.
Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei? Inside the Rise of Iran’s New Supreme Leader
The rise of Mojtaba Khamenei reflects a shift inside the Islamic Republic from clerical authority to security rule. His leadership may strengthen Iran’s hardline institutions while narrowing any remaining path toward diplomacy.
Morning Brief: Iran War Updates, U.S. Diplomats Evacuated, Trump Pushes Latin America Cartel Alliance
The war with Iran is producing ripple effects across the Middle East and global markets. U.S. diplomats are evacuating Gulf posts, Israeli strikes expand into Lebanon, oil prices surge, and Kurdish leaders warn against opening another front as Washington pushes new alliances abroad.
Morning Brief: Iran Bombing Campaign Intensifies as War Spreads Across the Region
Israeli and U.S. airstrikes across Iran intensify as the conflict spreads into Lebanon and Azerbaijan, disrupts Gulf aviation and shipping routes, exposes divisions among NATO allies, and coincides with renewed U.S.–Venezuela diplomatic and energy negotiations.
Morning Brief: Kurdish Strikes Escalate Iran Conflict, Pressure Mounts on Cuba, Ukraine Offers Drone Defense
Iran expanded cross-border strikes against Kurdish militant groups as regional tensions escalate, while U.S. officials say munitions stocks remain sufficient for sustained operations. In the Western Hemisphere, Cuba faces mounting economic pressure amid power outages and a collapse in tourism revenue, while Ukraine offers its drone interception expertise to Gulf states confronting Iranian unmanned threats.
Morning Brief: Kurds Weigh Ground Operations in Iran as Asian Markets Plunge and Russia Faces Heightened Geopolitical Pressure
U.S. discussions with Iranian Kurdish forces highlight possible ground ops; Asian stocks slump on oil shock; Russia feels rising diplomatic pressure amid widening Iran conflict.
Morning Brief: Iran Conflict Escalates as U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Hit; Russia’s Ukraine Advance Slows
A fire at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh amid expanding Israeli strikes on Iran highlights rising regional risk, while Russia records its slowest advance in Ukraine since 2024, signaling strain across two active conflict theaters.
Morning Brief: Iran Conflict Expands Into Lebanon and Gulf States
The Iran conflict expanded into Lebanon and across the Gulf, with missile exchanges, a strike on a British base in Cyprus, U.S. aircraft losses in Kuwait, and confirmed American combat fatalities.
Morning Brief: Pakistan–Afghanistan Escalation Widens as Ukraine Expands Long-Range Strike Capability
Pakistan and Afghanistan trade airstrikes in a widening frontier clash, while Ukraine claims a 900-mile missile strike inside Russia amid one of Moscow’s largest drone barrages of the war.
Morning Brief: Ukraine U.S. Russia Talks Advance as Pentagon Presses AI Firm
Ukraine and the United States advance structured talks ahead of a potential March trilateral with Russia, while the Pentagon escalates pressure on an AI firm over military-use restrictions and a former F-35 pilot faces arrest in a China training case.
Morning Brief: State of the Union Highlights Iran Warning as Epstein Scrutiny Resurfaces
President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address focused on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, border enforcement and economic policy. Meanwhile, separate reporting shows Russia assessed capable of sustaining the war in Ukraine through 2026 as global defense spending continues to rise.
Why Russia Chose War: Four Years After the Invasion
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not improvisation but doctrine. Four years later, the war reveals how restoration politics and instability became instruments of state survival.
