Ali Hashem

Ali Hashem is a journalist and researcher covering wars, diplomacy, and political transformations across the Middle East. He is a correspondent with Al Jazeera and a research fellow at the Centre of Islamic and West Asian Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London.

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Articles by Ali Hashem
Iranian women watch the Si-o-Se Pol bridge on the Zayandeh River in Isfahan, Iran, on July 13, 2002.
Iranian women watch the Si-o-Se Pol bridge on the Zayandeh River in Isfahan, Iran, on July 13, 2002.

The World Keeps Asking Iran the Wrong Question

Argument
Ali Hashem
An Iranian woman sits close to a destroyed vehicle as she watches and listens to a traditional band as it performs to show solidarity with the Iranian people at Hafteh-tir Square, in Tehran on June 23, 2025.
An Iranian woman sits close to a destroyed vehicle as she watches and listens to a traditional band as it performs to show solidarity with the Iranian people at Hafteh-tir Square, in Tehran on June 23, 2025.

Iran Is More Unified Than Ever

Dispatch
Ali Hashem
People hold portraits of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally to commemorate his death in Tehran on April 9, 2026.
People hold portraits of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally to commemorate his death in Tehran on April 9, 2026.

The Iran Cease-Fire Has Only Divided the War

Dispatch
Ali Hashem
A man in a suit walks near the remains of a residential and commercial building in the Shahrak-e Gharb neighborhood of Tehran.
A man in a suit walks near the remains of a residential and commercial building in the Shahrak-e Gharb neighborhood of Tehran.

Waiting for the War to End in Tehran This article has an audio recording

Dispatch
Ali Hashem
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump observe naval flight demonstrations on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier on October 5, 2025 off the eastern coast of the United States.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump observe naval flight demonstrations on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier on October 5, 2025 off the eastern coast of the United States.

Iran Is Becoming America’s Ukraine This article has an audio recording

Dispatch
Ali Hashem
A beared man in glasses and a turban is ushered into a car as he stands amid a crowd.
A beared man in glasses and a turban is ushered into a car as he stands amid a crowd.

Iran Signals Defiance by Naming Khamenei’s Son as Supreme Leader

Analysis
Ali Hashem
Mourners carry a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's funeral march through Tehran on May 22, 2024.
Mourners carry a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's funeral march through Tehran on May 22, 2024.

Iran Is Built to Withstand the Ayatollah’s Assassination This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Ali Hashem
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump reads a document backstage before after taking the stage on October 9, 2023 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump reads a document backstage before after taking the stage on October 9, 2023 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

The United States Is Misreading Iran

Argument
Ali Hashem
Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei is alongside Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Mohsen Ejeie, and Hezbollah representative in Iran Abdallah Safieddine reading the Koran during the Friday prayer ceremony on October 04, 2024 in Tehran.
Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei is alongside Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Mohsen Ejeie, and Hezbollah representative in Iran Abdallah Safieddine reading the Koran during the Friday prayer ceremony on October 04, 2024 in Tehran.

Iran Dangerously Misunderstands Its Situation This article has an audio recording

Argument
Ali Hashem
An Israeli soldier wearing a patch on the back of his flack jacket showing Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a target, stands in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer in Upper Galilee in northern Israel on January 4, 2024.
An Israeli soldier wearing a patch on the back of his flack jacket showing Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a target, stands in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer in Upper Galilee in northern Israel on January 4, 2024.

Israel and Lebanon Won’t End Up at War

Analysis
Ali Hashem
Lebanese riot police guard a bank in Beirut on April 28.
Lebanese riot police guard a bank in Beirut on April 28.

The United States Is Pushing Lebanon Further Into Iran’s Embrace

Argument
Ali Hashem
Shiite Muslim pilgrims walk in front of posters of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the spiritual leader of the Shiite community Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, and the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement Hasan Nasrallah during their procession from the holy Iraqi city of Najaf to the central shrine city of Karbala on Oct. 12, 2019.
Shiite Muslim pilgrims walk in front of posters of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the spiritual leader of the Shiite community Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, and the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement Hasan Nasrallah during their procession from the holy Iraqi city of Najaf to the central shrine city of Karbala on Oct. 12, 2019.

Washington Doesn’t Understand Shiite Clerics in Iran or Iraq

Argument
Mohammad R. Kalantari, Ali Hashem
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