Sonboli In 2023 we have faced with two totally opposite trends in West Asia: the First began with Iran- Saudi agreement to normalize relations on April 6, after the meeting between the security officials in Beijing. The dynamism could (and still can) lead the region toward greater peace and prosperity. …

Information Cutoff: 2:00 pm EST The Iran Update provides insights into Iranian and Iranian-sponsored activities abroad that undermine regional stability and threaten US forces and interests. It also covers events and trends that affect the stability and decision-making of the Iranian regime. The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American …

But It Can Still Prevent Chinese Hegemony By the end of U.S. President Barack Obama’s second term, the United States faced a clear choice regarding its future role in Asia. As China grew more powerful—and assertive in its territorial claims—Washington could double down on costly efforts to try to maintain …

Latest Developments The Israeli military went public on January 16 with a special forces operation in southern Lebanon, as the prospect of war with Hezbollah looms. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its special forces struck in order “to remove a threat” in the area of Ayta ash Shab, a …

Introduction Two developments with dangerous and even explosive repercussions for the standing and interests of both the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East occurred in the last few days. The U.S. has extended its presence at Qatar’s Al-Udeid airbase – CENTCOM’s main airbase in the region – for another …

Careful Diplomacy Can Stop the Attacks in the Red Sea The conflict between the United States and the Houthis in the Red Sea is steadily escalating. On December 31, Houthi small boats attempted to attack a commercial vessel; after U.S. naval helicopters responded to the attack, the Houthis—a rebel group …

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami discussed in a January 13, 2024, show on Ofogh TV (Iran) his county’s plans for obtaining nuclear weapons. He said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa forbidding the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore such weapons are not …

Iran launched attacks Tuesday in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl, potentially further raising tensions in a Middle East already roiled by Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Pakistan said the strikes killed two children and wounded three others in an …

While Moscow opposes the “military Schengen” due to the ease with which it’ll facilitate NATO aggression against Belarus, Kaliningrad, and/or “mainland” Russia and regards Bild’s leak as ridiculous, the Kremlin isn’t troubled by Germany reimposing its hegemony over Poland through these means. Bild cited classified documents to report on Sunday …

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they attacked the “espionage headquarters” of Israel in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against ISIS. “Ballistic missiles were used to destroy espionage centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in …