If, as Donald Trump had threatened, ‘a whole civilisation’ had died on Tuesday night, the whole civilisation concerned would have been that of the United States, not of Iran. If an American president had deliberately ordered the death of a civilisation – whether or not such a thing is achievable – America’s claim to world leadership would have collapsed. Like, I suspect, many, however, I did not go to bed that night thinking that Trump would carry out his threat. I remember my parents telling me that, during the Cuban missile crisis, people truly believed there might be nuclear conflagration at any moment. It did not feel like that this time. It felt as if Trump had said something frightening and horrible in order to be able to claim mastery over whatever was going to happen next. In one sense, this tactic sort of works: the enemy is kept guessing. In another sense, it does not work at all: no ally can follow or assist Trump without being degraded or humiliated in the process.

In Shia Islam, the 40th day after death (arba’in) marks the end of mourning. It is now more than 40 days since the announced death of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but still no known or reported funeral ceremony. Islamic law is strict about the need to bury the deceased within 24 hours. Did this happen to Khamenei? Has his funeral taken place? If he is buried, where? I have been checking the careful and elaborate rules which govern all stages of a believer’s death and........

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