The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said that security forces recently came to the aid of a foreign oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after reports that Iran might have seized a tanker from the United Arab Emirates in the area.
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2019
Turkey: Out in the Cold
The fight for Tripoli has killed more than 750 people – not a stunning number when compared to 9/11, but not small enough to be ignored like a bomb blowing up in Paris, Istanbul or Berlin.
Read More »Qatar opens largest naval base amid US-Saudi military drills
Qatar, which is home to the biggest US military base in the Middle East, has opened its own largest naval base amid ongoing tensions with Saudi Arabia, currently holding joint military drills with American forces.
Read More »Russia rejects starting talks with Japan on return of islands: Kyodo
Russia has rejected starting talks with Japan on the return of two disputed islands despite an agreement last year, in a move that could further delay the signing of a peace treaty, Kyodo news agency says.
Read More »PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME: EXTERNAL SUPPORT TO CIVIL WARS & INSURGENCIES
The United Arab Emirates has dumped weapons into conflict zones throughout the Middle East. Given how unstable the situation in Libya remains and the more external actors involved, the more prolonged and bloody the conflict is likely to become.
Read More »Germany – Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Germany of Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced (MSE) with support for an estimated cost of $401 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this …
Read More »Greece – MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Greece of MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters with support for an estimated cost of $600 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on July 12, 2019.
Read More »Turkey Challenges US as Russian Missiles Arrive
Russia is delivering its S-400 missile system to Turkey, a move that threatens to rupture Turkish-U.S. relations and puts Russian military technology inside a key NATO alliance member.
Read More »Islamic State Turkey province video claims new wilayah in old turf
Fighters from Islamic State Turkey Province in the affiliate’s first video released in July 2019. ISIS released a propaganda video from ‘Wilayah Turkey,’ showing a small group of militants pledging bayah, or allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The eighth in the “And the best outcome is for the …
Read More »Islamic State Remains Unpredictable as it Regroups
The Islamic State terror group is adapting to the loss of its self-declared territorial caliphate by returning to its origins and becoming once again a more local, Iraq-focused insurgency, and is recruiting in remote border areas in Iraq’s western desert. But it still harbors ambitions to strike in the West, …
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