Events Email Briefings
rotating globe
Privacy© 2026 Semafor Inc.
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
Events Email Briefings

Intelligence for the New World Economy

  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
rotating globe
Intelligence for the New World Economy
Semafor World Economy
Jay Solomon

Jay Solomon

Email Jay

Salman Rushdie’s alleged assailant seeks plea deal with US

Negotiations with state and federal prosecutors on behalf of Hadi Matar could shed light on whether a foreign government or terrorist organization was involved in the attack.
Salman Rushdie poses during a photocall ahead of the presentation of his book “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, Germany, May 16, 2024Fabrizio Bensch/REUTERS

Republicans probe if Iran envoy Robert Malley shared classified documents with allies

Malley was leading the Biden administration’s diplomatic outreach to Tehran when his security clearance was abruptly pulled last April.
Robert Malley, Biden administration special envoy for Iran, testifies about the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

US, EU offer condolences to Iran, irking activists

Outreach a clear sign of the West’s desire to maintain a diplomatic line to Tehran.
Late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at February meeting in Minab, IranWANA News Agency via Reuters

How Princeton got burned by its outreach to Iran

Princeton University saw an opportunity to make the school a central player in bridging the decades-long divide between the US and Iran. But over the past dozen years, two of Princeton’s graduate students have been detained or kidnapped by Tehran and its military proxies.
Semafor/Al Lucca

Iran sought mass casualties in Israel strike, U.S. officials say

The assessment could complicate deliberations on how to respond to Tehran and its military allies in the coming weeks.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Kidnapped Princeton student’s family seeks terror tag for Iraq

The family of Elizabeth Tsurkov called on the Biden administration to designate Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Jay Solomon/Semafor

The senators who could fill Trump’s national security cabinet

The former president has his eye on three elected Republicans for top spots.

The White House knew Schumer’s Israel speech was coming. Israel will notice that.

The broadside from the top-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. could backfire if the early Israeli reactions are to be believed.

FBI hunts for suspected Iranian assassin targeting Trump-era officials

Iranian intelligence operative is believed to be plotting to assassinate current and former U.S. officials, including one-time Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Iran sending attack drones to Sudan’s military

Tehran’s shipments are further internationalizing the North African country’s civil war and potentially providing Tehran with a new ally through which to project power into the Red Sea.

Capitol Hill dysfunction threatens US-Pacific pacts

Congressional delays are fueling doubts among U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific about Washington’s commitment to deterring China.

State Department Inspector General probing suspension of Biden’s Iran envoy

Probe looks into the steps leading up to and after the suspension of the Biden administration’s special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley.

Kim Jong Un’s military threats put US on edge

The Biden administration is closely monitoring a military buildup between North and South Korea along their Yellow Sea maritime border.

Iran’s nuclear hints draw UN rebuke

Western officials are alarmed by recent claims by senior Iranian leaders that Tehran now possesses all the components and nuclear fuel required to produce atomic weapons.

Republican lawmakers seek DOJ probe of NGO’s Iran work

Three Republican lawmakers are seeking to determine if the International Crisis Group acted as an unregistered agent for the government of Iran.

How Iran used its ties to a top global NGO

During nuclear negotiations in 2014 and 2015, Iranian diplomats turned to a prominent global think tank with deep connections in Western capitals to help promote its positions.

Three families of October 7 victims sue Iran, Syria, Binance in New York

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, is the first of what will likely be a flood of cases tied to the Hamas assault in Israel.

Israel eyes longshot plan of exile for some Hamas leaders

A new proposal is being greeted with skepticism by Arab diplomats .