An Iranian strike on Pakistan this week that drew a rapid military riposte and raised fears of greater regional turmoil was driven by Iran’s efforts to reinforce its internal security rather than its ambitions for the Middle East, according to three Iranian officials, one Iranian insider and an analyst. Both …

Iran launched missile strikes on three different countries this week – Iraq, Syria and Pakistan – while proxy militant groups it backs continue to target US and Western interests and fight Israel, stoking fears of conflict that could engulf the Middle East and spread to other regions. Why did Iran …

On the evening of Monday, January 15, Iran targeted sites in Syria and Iraq with 24 ballistic missiles from southern and western Iran, with a range exceeding 1,200 kilometers. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it launched four “Khaibar Shekan” (Khaibar Breaker) missiles towards what it described …

Key Takeaways: Palestinian fighters are attacking Israeli forces in areas of the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli forces conducted clearing operations previously.The Gaza Strip is experiencing the longest, largest-scale internet blackout since the Israel-Hamas war began.Israel and Hamas began implementing a deal on January 17 that aims to supply medicine …

Yemen’s Houthi militia group, which controls the capital, Sana’a and parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, has attacked another ship in the Gulf of Aden, following a rash of attacks over the past several weeks. Iran’s supreme leader is encouraging the Houthis, which serve as an Iranian proxy in the …

In 10 years before the proverbial 2035 date when many mandated transitions to “green electricity” occur to reduce or eliminate usage of fossil fuels, most of today’s elected officials, policy advisers, and policymakers are: Mostly not trained in engineering.Only from wealthy countries.Unaware of the engineering reality that without the petrochemicals …

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Gabriel Attal as the youngest ever Prime Minister on 9 January 2024. Attal replaced Elisabeth Borne, whose popularity had been dwindling despite her managing the tricky 20-month tenure as PM without an absolute majority in the lower house of the French parliament. Borne’s Complicated Tenure …

The EU is learning the hard way to reduce dependencies on geopolitical rivals, including China and Russia. The allies are taking the first steps in this new geoeconomic reality. A brief history of the EU’s geoeconomic vision For years, the US had pointed to Germany and other EU member states’ …

Armenia’s strained relations with Russia, its traditional strategic ally, may have an impact beyond political and security alliance, affecting the country’s energy security as Moscow supplies most of Yerevan’s gas needs. Armenia is officially considered a self-sufficient country in terms of its volume of electricity, generating up to 98 per …

Turkey said it had destroyed 23 targets in overnight air strikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and Syria, a further escalation of conflict south of its border. The attacks were the latest by Turkey since nine Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in …