European foreign affairs ministers reiterated their support for the nuclear deal brokered with Iran and expressed concerns Friday that the escalating tensions in the region could lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State’s activities. BRUSSELS — The EU reiterated its support for the nuclear deal brokered with Iran, also expressing concerns Friday that the escalating…
Moscow expressed skepticism toward Washington’s recent allegations that Iran was behind the deaths over 600 U.S. troops in Iraq and warned against launching any new wars in the Middle East. During a Tuesday press briefing at the State Department, Brian Hook, U.S. special envoy to Iran, revealed “based on declassified U.S. military reports, that Iran is…
The Middle East is a collection of countries that, by and large, do not work and play well together. It is not going to get better any time soon. A half-century ago, the author received his first real taste of how professionals viewed international relations — beyond the daily, often-scary headlines in the middle of…
Egyptian Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas in a church Cairo on January 6, 2016 MOHAMED EL-SHAHED (AFP) Christians have been rooted in the Middle East as minority communities since the birth of the religion, but their numbers are dwindling amid conflict and jihadist attacks. Today they make up only four percent of the region’s population, down from…
Fighters from the Iranian-backed Shia militia Kata’ib Hizbolla, part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), at one of the front lines in Iraq. (Photo: Archive) WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Two Iraqi Shiite groups have threatened the US and Israel following airstrikes Sunday night on a militia position in the Syrian town of Albu Kamal,…
An F-18 lands aboard carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) during flight operations in the Persian Gulf on March 10, 2018. USNI News photo. ABOARD CARRIER USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, IN THE PERSIAN GULF — The rollback of ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria and changes in how Iran operates in the Persian Gulf are prompting the U.S….
ARTICLE SUMMARY The Pentagon’s top commander in the Middle East told lawmakers today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s gains in the yearslong civil war will bolster Iran’s ability to frustrate US aims in the region. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki A Syrian army soldier is seen securing Syrian Arab Red Crescent trucks carrying aid at the entrance of…
IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER’S WEBSITE/AFP HO State sponsor of terrorism Iran has reportedly erected another permanent base in Syria capable of bombing Israel, considered Tehran’s public enemy number one, according to Fox News, citing Western intelligence sources and satellite images. Last December, Israel reportedly destroyed a similar base, warning Tehran against building any military installations. Israel and Syria share a border….
(CNN)As if the broken, angry, dysfunctional Middle East needed another conflict, along came an unprecedented escalation between Israel, Iran and Syria to make the region even more volatile and dangerous. In the predawn hours of Saturday, an Iranian drone penetrated Israeli airspace and was shot down. Israel retaliated by attacking Iranian facilities in Syria, from where the drone…