As the U.S. administration considers whether to remove Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, understanding its nature, development, and ideology is essential to making an informed decision. There is much about it that differentiates it from a conventional armed force. One fundamental aspect of its ideology …
Read More »Pentagon: Iran-backed militias, PKK coordinated vs. Turkish troops in Iraq
Turkey’s targeting of veteran PKK cadres in Iraq has pushed the Kurdish guerrillas to collaborate with an unlikely partner, a new Pentagon report suggests. US military intelligence believes Iran-backed militias have been coordinating with Kurdish guerrillas to launch attacks on Turkey’s military presence in northern Iraq, according to a Pentagon …
Read More »Iran sanctions raise doubts about the success of economic pressure on Russia
On February 24, Russia attacked Ukraine, bombarding multiple cities, and killing soldiers and civilians. Russia’s attack plunged Europe into one of its most serious security crises since World War II. As a result, President Joe Biden, European leaders, and other US allies announced severe sanctions, targeting major Russian financial institutions …
Read More »Iran and the Ukraine Crisis: Complexities and Considerations
Iran’s close relations with the Russian Federation, along with Tehran’s efforts to maintain relations with Ukraine, have complicated Iran’s approach to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Although Iran has not recognized the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, it simultaneously has not criticized the attack and abstained …
Read More »Iraq helps broker Iran-Saudi negotiations
The latest Iran-Saudi talks in Iraq have been the most productive, according to reports. Iraq hosted the fifth round of Iran-Saudi talks in Baghdad last Thursday. After about a year of dialogue, this meeting showed significant progress as the two countries agreed on a general roadmap for normalizing relations. The …
Read More »Regional diplomacy could break deadlock on Iran’s IRGC
While the United States and Iran seem to have hit a dead end over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one answer could lie in Iran’s regional policies, including its dialogue with Saudi Arabia. The call to prayer echoes through the labyrinthine alleys of Tehran’s smaller market that lies to the …
Read More »Where Is Money From Iran’s Oil Exports Being Spent? – OpEd
The government of President Ebrahim Raisi blames the previous government of Hasan Rouhani for all its shortfalls and social, economic, and international incompetencies. Before that Rouhani blamed Ahmadinejad, President of Iran from 2005 to 2013 for the same things. Despite their blaming game, all these government officials and authorities have …
Read More »Khamenei urges Iranians to prepare for ‘new world order’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told university students that there is a new multipolar world order emerging. During a speech to Iranian university students Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke about a number of global developments. Khamenei said, “Today, the world is on the threshold of a …
Read More »Iran confirms Taliban diplomats stationed in Tehran Embassy
Tehran said the move to allow Taliban-appointed diplomats was not a step toward recognizing the current establishment in neighboring Afghanistan. Iran has confirmed allowing Taliban diplomats at Afghanistan’s Embassy in Tehran, insisting, however, that the decision is not meant to pave the way for official recognition of the Taliban as …
Read More »Iran Entangled: Iran and Hezbollah’s Support to Proxies Operating in Syria
At a time when power dynamics in the Middle East region are in flux due to the shifting circumstances of the Islamic State, the drawdown of U.S. troops in the region, and the intensification of Iranian-backed attacks on U.S. and Saudi Arabian targets in the region, an historical look at …
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