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ExJapanese diplomat tells Tehran Times why he wrote Why the United States Lost to Iran

· 17 min read

Ex-Japanese diplomat tells Tehran Times why he wrote ‘Why the United States Lost to Iran’​

Mitsugu Saito, former Japanese Ambassador to Iran (October 2018–October 2020), has spent decades studying the Middle East, and his latest book, "Why the United States Lost to Iran" (Bungeishunju Ltd., July 2026, 224 pages), argues that Washington misjudged its political objectives in the recent war with Iran. The book, published with an initial print run of 10,000 copies — a notably large figure in Japan for a specialized foreign-policy title — follows his 2022 work, "Is Iran a Threat? — A Regional Power on the Strait of Hormuz and Japan's Diplomacy" (Iwanami Shoten).

Ex-Japanese diplomat tells Tehran Times why he wrote ‘Why the United States Lost to Iran’

Iran army ground forces commander borders are our red line

· 3 min read

Iran army ground forces commander: “borders are our red line”​

TEHRAN- Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi, commander of Iran’s army ground Forces, has warned Takfiri terrorist groups and other hostile elements operating beyond Iran’s borders that any attempt to create insecurity or carry out attacks near the country’s territory would trigger a “decisive and crushing” response.

Iran army ground forces commander: “borders are our red line”

Poker versus chess Former Japanese envoy on why Washington misread Iran

· One min read

‘Poker versus chess’: Former Japanese envoy on why Washington misread Iran​

In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, former Japanese ambassador to Iran Mitsugu Saito said Washington’s strategic miscalculations, contradictory objectives, and failure to understand Iran’s asymmetric strengths prevented its overwhelming military power from delivering victory.

‘Poker versus chess’: Former Japanese envoy on why Washington misread Iran

Tehran Dushanbe open virtual exhibition highlighting shared decorative arts

· 2 min read

Tehran, Dushanbe open virtual exhibition highlighting shared decorative arts​

TEHRAN – A joint virtual exhibition showcasing Iran’s Qajar-era tilework and Tajikistan’s traditional Kundal decorative art has opened simultaneously at the Golestan Palace World Heritage site in Tehran and the National Museum of Tajikistan.

Tehran, Dushanbe open virtual exhibition highlighting shared decorative arts

Irans largest solar power plant inaugurated to supply electricity to Shamsabad industrial town

· 3 min read

Iran's largest solar power plant inaugurated to supply electricity to Shamsabad industrial town​

TEHRAN- Iran's largest solar power plant was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, the second day of Government Week, with President Masoud Pezeshkian in attendance. The facility is designed to supply part of the electricity demand of Shamsabad Industrial Town, the country's largest industrial zone, located southeast of Tehran.

Iran's largest solar power plant inaugurated to supply electricity to Shamsabad industrial town

Strategic vacuum Why is Trumps economic warfare against Iran doomed to fail

· 4 min read

Strategic vacuum: Why is Trump's economic warfare against Iran doomed to fail?​

TEHRAN- Six months into his military campaign against Iran, Donald Trump finds himself trapped in the very quagmire he promised to eliminate. What began as a boastful declaration of "decisive action" to crush Iran and effect regime change has devolved into a strategic fiasco that not only fails to achieve its objectives but is inflicting profound damage on the U.S. economy and global stability. The administration's latest gambit—announcing the "largest financial attack in history" against Iran on August 24, a self-styled "D-Day" of economic warfare—appears less a stroke of genius and more an act of desperation from a presidency with no viable strategy left.

Strategic vacuum: Why is Trump's economic warfare against Iran doomed to fail?