The Iranian and Russian negotiators meeting in Vienna with global powers played down the hopes for a quick settlement in the talks to revive the 2015 landmark deal that curtailed Tehran’s nuclear programs. Abbas Araqchi, Tehran’s chief negotiator, said late on June 12 that he did not think they could …

The departing head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service has hinted at possible Israeli involvement in recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and on an Iranian scientist, though he stopped short of directly claiming responsibility. The statements to Israel’s Channel 12 by Yossi Cohen, broadcast late on June 10, included phrasing …

The Washington Post has quoted current and former U.S. and Middle Eastern officials as saying that Russia is preparing to supply Iran with an advanced satellite system that could greatly advance Tehran’s surveillance in the region and beyond. The report says the Russian-made Kanopus-V satellite and its high-resolution camera could …

As the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, China seeks to leverage opportunities for influence while avoiding potential security risks. In early June, foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met to discuss how to maintain security amidst a U.S. troop withdrawal. China’s growing visibility in the region means Beijing …

Series Note: We are in the middle of an unprecedented crisis as the Covid-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns implemented in response, continue to deliver a series of economic, social and psychological shocks to the world. In this time of chaos, some of the world’s most powerful interest groups have stepped …

Iran-backed militias have arrested militants from the Nujaba movement near Aleppo, reports Etihad Press. Iranian militias arrested a Damascus regime officer, as well as civilians and several members of the Iraqi “Nujaba” movement, in rural Aleppo. According to the local website Ain Al-Furat, drivers were arrested at a checkpoint held …

The resurgence of the terrorist group in the Syrian desert puts the region again at the forefront of the conflict, according to Baladi News. The Syrian Badia (desert) reclaimed its position at the forefront of hostilities in Syria following the recent return of activities by ISIS’ cells and increased military …

The spokesman of Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Khaled al-Shami, and two other fighters were reportedly killed by Russian bombardments, according to Al-Etihad Press. On Thursday, news reports said that the spokesman of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Al-Nusra) was killed in a missile strike targeting several areas of the Idleb governorate, controlled …

Next month’s planned meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to include conversations on Ukraine, COVID-19 and the recent diversion of a flight by officials in Belarus, but as tensions between the two countries remain tense, there are bigger issues at play, like the …

Spotlighting an African rarity: a poor but democratic nation. A dirty white, bullet-pocked house, without electricity and running water, does not merit a second glance in the town of Burao high in the east of Somaliland. Yet this former colonial governor’s residence, shaded by a giant acacia, was the site …