Middle Orient

On March 25, 2024, as Iranians celebrated Nowruz (Persian New Year), the black market rate of the Iranian rial plunged to a record low. Despite sanctions relief and infusions of cash, the Islamic Republic’s corruption, mismanagement, and the distortive effect of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps make the currency’s continued …

Commander of the IRGC’s Nuclear Facilities Protection and Security Command Brigadier General Ahmad Haqtalab warned of potential revisions to Iran’s nuclear policies if Israel continues to threaten attacks on its nuclear sites. “If Israel attempts to use the threat of attacking nuclear facilities to put pressure on Iran, a revision …

Not only are Jews under threat, but Christians and all “unbelievers” in the radical jihadist agenda as well. Although an “ostrich” mentality towards these genocidal objectives prevails among Western decision-makers, the reality is quite different: The driving ideology behind Hamas’s murderous intent is exemplified by the “Doomsday Clock” located in …

On the menu today: Israel tells President Biden it’s not interested in just “taking the win” and launches an airstrike against an Iranian air base; Hamas proves itself the intractable obstacle to a cease-fire again; mainstream American institutions finally get tired of putting up with the tantrum-throwing Hamas apologists; a …

Iran exported 141.7 million barrels of oil during the first quarter of 2024, a 28 percent increase over the same period last year. Increased oil exports enhance Tehran’s currency reserves and enable it to support its military industry and proxies as it escalates tension with Jerusalem. In March 2024, Iranian …

On April 18 the US and UK imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran. On April 17 European Union leaders had talked aggressively about ramping up sanctions on Iran. This has happened in the wake of Iran’s April 13 attack on Israeli targets, which in turn was in response …

The Iranian-Israeli ‘shadow war’ ended on 13 April with Iran firing 170 drones and 150 cruise and ballistic missiles at Israel from Iranian soil. This was the Islamic Republic’s retaliation for Israel’s razing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus 12 days earlier. Tehran’s bold, unprecedented, and risky move, which …

Voters in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region will cast ballots on 10 June for the regional parliament for the first time since 2018, but a major force will be missing from the ballot. In an unprecedented move, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) declared on 18 March that it would boycott the election. …

Last week, Turkey introduced restrictions on trade with Israel, announcing a list of 54 products whose export it will halt until Israel declares a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the trade ministry. Turkey and Israel restored diplomatic relations in 2022 by reinstating ambassadors following years of tension. However, ties swiftly …

The operational synergy between the Lebanese Army’s Intelligence Directorate and Syrian counterparts led to the capture of the three suspects in a border region shared by Syria and Lebanon. The Lebanese Intelligence Directorate, in collaboration with Syrian authorities, successfully apprehended the three Syrian individuals accountable for the abduction and subsequent …