Middle Orient

On Jan. 4, 2024, the U.S. assassinated Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, a commander in an Iran-linked Iraqi militia. The Pentagon press release called the militia a “terrorist group” and claimed the strike was in “self-defense.” But it neglected to mention the militia was also part of the Popular Mobilization Forces …

Israel’s suspected killing of senior Hamas figure Saleh Al-Arouri in Beirut on Jan. 2, followed by the death of Hezbollah commander Wissam Al-Tawil in a similar strike in southern Lebanon on Jan. 8, has once again thrust the country into the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although Israeli forces and …

Iran has vehemently condemned the military actions undertaken by the United States and Britain in Yemen, labeling them as “arbitrary” and a blatant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The attacks are a breach of international laws and regulations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in Iran’s initial response …

The internal politics of Iran is being shaken by the election agenda while the Israel-Hamas war continues in a tense phase. The elections scheduled for March 1, 2024, will define both the composition of the 12th term parliament and the Council of Experts, which is empowered to appoint the Supreme …

As Iran’s regime nears its sham parliamentary elections, scheduled for March, the process of purging the key regime figures from running for office has reached a point thateven the regime newspaper Ham-Mihan wrote on January 7, “No news has had as strong a reaction as the disqualification of Seyyed Mahmoud …

US President Joe Biden should be applauded for Thursday’s strikes against the Houthis. International trade is constrained by eight primary maritime chokepoints, hard realities imposed by immutable geography. The United States has long recognized a vital national security interest in ensuring freedom of navigation through each of them. This strike …

Pax Americana has hollowed out our sense of duty The year I was born, one of the most famous New Wave songs of all time was released: Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army”. It was written after Costello visited Northern Ireland during the Troubles. There, he described seeing “mere boys walking around …

We are always at the tip of the American spear “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living,” Karl Marx observed. When it comes to British military adventurism in the Middle East, that certainly rings true. The recent history of British interventions …

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have threatened a “strong and effective response” after the US carried out another strike in the country, ratcheting up tensions as Washington vows to protect shipping from attacks by the group. The latest strike, which the US said hit a radar site, came a day after dozens …

Sometimes it is even more clear than usual, the priorities of US capitalism: near 24,000 civilian lives lost is acceptable, a 20% drop in Red Sea traffic is not. Assuring Israel’s survival as a US base in the Middle East is essential, minimizing the risk of wider war in the …