Middle Orient

This past Memorial Day, as Americans honoured their war dead, the Biden administration was running interference for an Iranian regime whose Supreme Leader has described “death to America” as his official state policy. A report in the day’s Wall Street Journal described how the US was “pressing European allies to …

Hardliners overwhelmingly dominate the candidate pool for the upcoming Iranian presidential election. The registration period for the election ended on June 3, and 80 individuals registered to compete in the election.[i] The Guardian Council—a regime body responsible for supervising elections and approving candidates—will vet candidates between June 4 and 10, …

Senior Iranian regime officials, along with regime mouthpieces, are referring to the recent pro-Palestinian student protests at university campuses across the U.S. and Europe as “exporting [Iran’s Islamic] revolution” to the West, which has been a key policy goal of Iran’s Islamic regime since its founding. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali …

In the lead up to the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operation to destroy Hamas and secure the release of over 100 hostages – including 8 Americas – believed to be in and around Rafah, leaders around the world from Joe Biden to the collective leftist leaders of the European Union …

Following is the March 2024 installment of “ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency,” a monthly chronicle of attacks by the terrorist group ISIS in central Syria. All previous monthly installments can be found here, as well as a review of developments throughout 2023, 2022, and 2021. A full background and …

While prior to Oct. 7 the Turkish leader was viewed favorably among wide swaths of Palestinians for his harsh rhetoric against Israel, many now say he’s done too little since the outbreak of the war. When rogue officers sought to overthrow Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a bloody coup …

Another hard-liner and a Reformist recently declared their candidacies, and others may soon announce theirs in the election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi. A number of potential candidates have emerged in Iran’s upcoming presidential elections, possibly setting up a crowded field with the important vote weeks away to …

Israel on Monday announced the deaths of four captives held in Gaza amid growing doubts and international pressure over a plan for a ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden. Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the bloody …

Accepting a ceasefire deal with Israel should be a “no-brainer” for Hamas, but the motivations of the militants’ elusive Gaza-based leadership remain unclear, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has announced that its delegation will return Saturday to Cairo to resume long-running talks …

Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday registered to be a possible candidate for the upcoming presidential election following Raisi’s death. Iran’s hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered on Sunday as a possible candidate for the presidential election, seeking to regain the country’s top political position after a helicopter crash …