Susannah George

Dubai

The Persian Gulf

Education: George Washington University, BA in International Affairs

Susannah George is The Washington Post's Gulf bureau chief, based in Dubai, where she leads coverage of the oil-rich monarchies of the Persian Gulf and their neighbor, Iran. She previously spent four years The Post's Afghanistan-Pakistan bureau chief, where she covered the fall of the Afghan government and the return of the Taliban to power. She is a prize-winning journalist with deep experience in reporting from the Middle East, including assignments in Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Tunisia during the Arab Spring and in Iraq on multiple tours. She headed the Associated Press’s Baghdad bureau
Latest from Susannah George

Iranian reformist wins presidency, seeks engagement with the West

Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian campaigned on modest social reforms and talks with the United States over the country’s nuclear program.

July 6, 2024
Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, center, flashes a victory sign after casting his vote at a polling station near Tehran on Friday.

What low voter turnout might reveal about Iran’s presidential election

Political engagement in Iran has steadily plummeted, and voter turnout last week was the lowest in years. Will this round be different?

July 5, 2024
An Iranian woman votes at a polling station in Tehran during the runoff presidential election Friday.

Iran heads to presidential runoff pitting reformist against conservative

Turnout in the first round of voting hit a historic low. But some people hope the pro-reform candidate’s will mobilize voters ahead of the runoff July 5.

June 29, 2024

Iran extends voting hours in snap election for a new president

For Iran’s ruling clerics, the public’s participation in elections is important to maintain the regime’s legitimacy, even as Iranians grow more disillusioned.

June 28, 2024
Iranian women cast their votes in Tehran on Friday.

Hajj heat wave deaths underscore climate threat for most vulnerable

Many of those who died this month from extreme heat in Saudi Arabia were unregistered pilgrims without access to cooling facilities during the Hajj.

June 23, 2024
Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on June 16.

Yemen’s Houthis undeterred by U.S. campaign to halt Red Sea attacks

Recent attacks by Houthi fighters on commercial ships in the Red Sea have underscored the group’s ability to pose a sustained threat.

June 22, 2024
Cadets at a Houthi-run military academy in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, march last week during an intensive training program amid tensions with the U.S.-led coalition in nearby maritime routes.

Rift grows between Netanyahu and Israeli military over Hamas elimination

Differences are emerging as the Israeli army says Hamas is an idea that cannot be eliminated, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to seek a “total victory” over the group in Gaza.

June 20, 2024
Israeli soldiers and tanks gather in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Israeli military announces daily ‘tactical pause’ along aid corridor in Gaza

The announcement came as Muslim families in Gaza marked the beginning of a somber Eid al-Adha holiday on Sunday amid rubble and ruin.

June 16, 2024
Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayers by the ruins of a mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Sunday.

Hezbollah lobs rockets at Israel as U.S. accuses Hamas of prolonging Gaza war

The waves of rockets are a dramatic escalation in the simmering border crisis even as negotiations over a Gaza cease-fire reach a delicate moment.

June 12, 2024

Hamas responds to cease-fire proposal, seeks timeline for end of war

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept the current proposal “without delay” during talks with Middle Eastern leaders.

June 11, 2024