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With few good strategic options, Iran’s best prospect may be to retaliate while it can

Regime could try to retain control of streets as US and Israel have expressed no intention of mounting ground invasion

Venezula’s Nicholás Maduro was captured. But Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have chosen a different strategy for Iran: to target and aim to kill the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, , and as many other senior regime figures as possible.

Though Iranian military sites and its air defence systems were also targeted by coordinated US and Israeli bombing, beginning in the morning, the most significant attack was on Khamenei’s compound in Tehran.

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© Photograph: Amir Kholousi/AP

© Photograph: Amir Kholousi/AP

© Photograph: Amir Kholousi/AP

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‘Diversionary war’: Trump wants to distract Americans from scandals at home | Christopher S Chivvis

From Epstein to tariffs: the strikes function as an attempt to hijack the global narrative and drown out domestic scandal with the thunder of cruise missiles

In 2003 the United States invaded Iraq without deciding whether it should. The George W Bush administration failed to ask whether the costs, risks and likely consequences of regime change justified the gamble. The result was tragedy – for Iraq, for the Middle East and for America.

Donald Trump’s attack on Iran now follows the same pattern – but with an even narrower logic of performative power. In the run-up to Iraq, Washington devoted enormous energy to planning the invasion. Almost no attention was given to the more important question: was war necessary, and could it realistically produce a stable political outcome?

Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

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© Photograph: Fatima Shbair/AP

© Photograph: Fatima Shbair/AP

© Photograph: Fatima Shbair/AP

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Spring in Sesko’s step is thanks to Carrick scrapping Amorim’s tactical stranglehold | Jonathan Wilson

The starkest improvement under the interim manager has been the Slovenian supersub’s attacking potency

Benjamin Sesko’s career at Manchester United breaks into two distinct periods. In the first, he played 1,404 minutes of football and scored two goals. In the second, he has played 274 minutes and scored six goals: 702 minutes per goal and then 45 minutes 40 seconds per goal.

There’s a very obvious explanation. On 4 January, Sesko toiled in a 1-1 draw at Leeds. He didn’t manage a shot on target. He completed only 76% of his passes. He didn’t attempt a dribble but still lost possession five times. He was caught offside twice. On 5 January, Ruben Amorim was sacked.

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© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

© Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

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Manchester City close gap to two points at top after Semenyo sinks Leeds

For those wondering if Manchester City are over reliant on Erling Haaland, they offered a riposte at Leeds. It was neither a fluid nor entertaining victory but, importantly, it closed the gap at the top to two points, increasing the pressure on Arsenal in the process.

It helps that when the league’s top scorer is absent, City can rely on the third man in the charts. Antoine Semenyo scored his 14th of the season on a difficult night for Pep Guardiola’s side, making the full-time euphoria well deserved after what felt like a significant win.

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© Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

© Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

© Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

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Explosions rock Bahrain, Dubai, Jordan and Kuwait as war spreads across Middle East

War launched by US and Israel on Iran has quickly escalated prompting anxiety and concern in whole region

Iran struck the world-famous Fairmont hotel in Dubai, setting the hotel alight, as the war launched by the US and Israel on Iran quickly spread to the rest of the Middle East on Saturday.

Residents watched in shock as an Iranian missile hit the five-star hotel in Dubai’s luxurious Palm Jumeirah area. Social media videos showed fires breaking out near the entrance of the hotel, which led to four people being injured.

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© Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

© Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

© Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

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