Middle Orient

In many ways, Qatar is completely misunderstood. No wonder – Qatar plays in the playgrounds of the empires, while in itself it is hardly more than a gas-providing emirate. Qatar hosts world sports events like F1, football world cup and intends to hosts the Olympic games, yet has less sports …

Since 2011, conflict between the government of Syrian President Bashar al Asad and opposition forces seeking his removal has displaced roughly half of the country’s population and killed over half a million people. Five countries operate in or maintain military forces in Syria: Russia, Turkey (Türkiye), Iran, Israel, and the …

The history of relations between two key countries of the Middle East, Iran and Israel, is longer than seven decades. The dynamics of the relationship is intriguing and shows how in a very short period of time bilateral relations can transform from reserved, cordial to extremely hostile. Iranian-Israeli relations are …

In the aftermath of the killing of nine Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq, Turkiye carried out a series of airstrikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Syria and Iraq. “Turkiye will never allow the establishment of a ‘terrorland’ on its southern borders under any pretext and …

There is now an understanding that in the post-October 7 realities that Israel must face, there is an imperative to deprive Iran of using its insurance policy as a shield. If the Islamic Republic of Iran decides to dash to a nuclear weapon, it will likely activate Tehran’s formidable insurance …

This week, two activists are facing trial under the UK’s Terror Act for the “crime” of holding a flag at a demonstration. But this wasn’t a Palestinian flag, which former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said could be a criminal offence. It was Kurdish. Though troubling, this assault on free …

The IRGC bombarded bases belonging to the Jaish ul-Adl terrorist militia group in a remote area of Pakistan on Tuesday, with the strikes coming less than 24 hours after separate Iranian attacks on jihadist and Mossad targets in Syria and Iraq. Sputnik asked veteran political analyst Mohammad Marandi about the …

Moscow has little to gain from a major flare-up in the Red Sea, which means Washington’s efforts to stop Houthi attacks on shipping are likely to be quietly welcomed. Predictably, Russia has been deeply critical of strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom against Yemen’s Houthi militia, which …

In-depth: Armenian lawyers and the diaspora community in Jerusalem are uniting their efforts to push back against secretive Israeli land deals. Yerevan, Armenia – There are mounting concerns in Armenia regarding a controversial land lease agreement in East Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, with many fearing the issue goes well beyond just …

In a sign of mounting concern about the inflow of captagon into Jordan – a highly addictive amphetamine – Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi recently spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to find ways to tackle the trade, according to unofficial reports. The fact that Syria and Iran’s borders lie …