Yearly Archives: 2021

The U.N. Refugee Convention Is Under Pressure—and Showing Its Age

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Convention, one of the signal moral advances in human history. Negotiated in the wake of World War II and initially limited to Europe, the treaty established the first binding legal protections for individuals forced to flee their countries. These …

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In First Call to Western Leader, Raisi Asks Macron to Secure Iran’s Nuclear ‘Rights’

French President Macron, for his part, called on Iran’s new president to ‘quickly resume’ stalled negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal In his first phone call to a Western leader, the new president of Iran asked his French counterpart Monday to help secure Iran’s “rights” in now-stalled talks to …

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Feud between Iraqi Sunni leaders could undercut bloc ahead of elections

Speaker of parliament and leader of the Advancement alliance Mohammed al-Halbusi has accused the leader of al-Azm alliance, Khamis al-Khanjar, of selling Sunni land. As Iraq’s legislative elections draw near, a major conflict between Sunni political leaders has started to rear its head for several political, societal and economic — …

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Sinai militants launch sporadic attacks against Egyptian army

Following the months-long calm, the Egyptian army said that eight soldiers have been killed and wounded in recent military operations in north Sinai, and 89 militants killed. The Egyptian army has recently revealed that eight Egyptian soldiers have been killed and wounded in recent anti-terrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula. …

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Gadhafi’s son announces return to Libyan politics

As soon as Saif al-Islam, the son of late Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi, announced his plan to return to political life, media outlets close to the regime in Egypt rushed to announce their support, thus raising many questions about Egypt’s position and whether Cairo would support him if he runs …

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How Syrian jihadi group is laundering money in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders in Idlib are investing their money in various economic sectors, as part of money laundering operations to control resources and economic activity in their areas of control. Prominent leaders in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Idlib and its surroundings in northwestern Syria, are seeking to …

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G7 condemns Mercer Street attack, says evidence points to Iran

The G7 foreign ministers said there was no justification for the drone attack, which came days before the suspected Iranian hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Oman. The Group of Seven (G7) largest advanced economies condemned on Friday what they concluded was an Iranian attack on an Israeli-linked …

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Iranian president expresses ‘heartfelt amity’ toward UAE

Despite past tensions, Iran and the UAE look to better ties to defuse friction in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s newly inaugurated President Ebrahim Raisi said Friday that he wants to have close relations with the United Arab Emirates. Raisi met with a UAE envoy in Tehran. During the meeting, he …

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Pentagon reveals evidence of Iran’s role in Gulf tanker attack

Last week’s drone strike on the Israeli-managed oil products tanker Mercer Street required “calculated and deliberate retargeting,” CENTCOM said. The US military on Friday revealed new details of its investigation into what it called a “deliberate attack” by Iran on an Israeli-linked tanker ship that left two people dead in …

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Iran deal instigated violence, says senior Bahraini official in Jerusalem

“The JCPOA [nuclear deal] has caused more instigation and extremism in many different regions across the Middle East.” The 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran led to greater violence and extremism in the Middle East, Bahrain Undersecretary for International Relations at the Foreign Ministry Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin …

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