Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units have conducted numerous arrests of alleged ‘Bathists’ in recent days that raise questions about the legitimacy of the arrests and the political reasons behind them. As intra-Shiite conflict simmers in Iraq, arrests and questions about them threaten to derail attempts to restore calm after some of …
Read More »Iran and Russia: The New Alliance
Significantly, Russia and Iran’s cooperation extends to the military and space fields, with Russia recently helping Iran to launch a new satellite into space. Iran’s Khayyam satellite “will greatly enhance Tehran’s ability to spy on military targets across the Middle East… [and give] Tehran “unprecedented capabilities, including near-continuous monitoring of …
Read More »Blinken Says Revival of Iran Nuclear Deal Soon Is ‘Unlikely’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a revived nuclear deal with Iran in the near future is “unlikely,” based on Iran’s response to the European Union’s most recent proposal for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. “What we’ve seen over the last week or …
Read More »The Revenge of Muqtada al-Sadr
Why Iran Could Be the Real Loser in Iraq’s Intra-Shiite Struggle On August 29, the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he would withdraw from politics after months of failed attempts to form a new government. Thousands of supporters of the nationalist leader, who has emerged as a staunch …
Read More »Israeli spy chief warns Iran deal won’t give Iran ‘immunity from Mossad’
The comments by the Mossad chief reaffirmed Israel’s “octopus head” policy adopted by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “Even if a nuclear deal is signed, it will not give Iran immunity from Mossad operations. We won’t take part in this charade and we don’t close our eyes to the proven …
Read More »Ukraine says it shot down Iranian drone in Kharkiv
Photos posted online by Kyiv appear to confirm the Pentagon’s claim that Iran has delivered armed drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Ukraine’s military reported Tuesday that it had destroyed an Iranian drone used by Russian forces near Kharkiv. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry published photos of what it said …
Read More »US, EU says decision on Iran deal depends on Tehran
US and EU officials dismiss claims that an Israeli campaign has influenced negotiations, and say the next move is Iran’s. There is complete radio silence between Tehran and Washington, with no messages moving via mediators. There appears to be a sort of “negotiations fatigue” among all the parties. Iran says …
Read More »US-Iran clash in Albania as hopes of nuclear deal fade
Albanian authorities thwarted a second cyberattack over the weekend after Tirana, backed by the United States with pledges of support and fresh sanctions on Iran, severed all diplomatic ties with Tehran who it blames for the “sabotage”. Meanwhile, hopes of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal continue to fade as leading …
Read More »Iran To Build Own Refineries In Foreign Countries
Iran has signed two contracts to build oil refineries for itself in foreign countries, an MP said. Speaking to Tasnim, member of the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Commission Parviz Mohammadnejad said the lawmakers have repeatedly recommended that the Oil Ministry should take swift action to attract foreign investment and construct “extraterritorial …
Read More »Iran says it has developed Arash-2 drone designed to hit Israel’s Tel Aviv, Haifa
Iran has designed a drone, named Arash-2, specifically for targeting the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, a senior Iranian military commander said on Sunday. “We have specially designed this drone for Haifa and Tel Aviv. This is a unique drone that was developed for this task,” state media …
Read More »