Middle Orient

Mohammad Hossein Velayati, an Iranian photojournalist working for the Tasnim News Agency, was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul. Iran was determined “to pursue securing the release of a photojournalist in Afghanistan,” Iranian President’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs Hassan Kazemi Qomi said earlier this week. Reports state that Mohammad …

Turkish drone strikes on Thursday killed seven members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) including two medical personnel, in Iraq’s northern province of Erbil, the counter-terrorism service said, as Turkey’s foreign minister visited the region. Three PKK fighters were killed in Sidakan district when a Turkish drone struck their vehicle, …

As Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to meet in Baghdad with Iraqi leaders, disrupted oil flows, water and cooperation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party are expected to top the agenda. Iraq and Turkey failed to agree on the resumption of oil exports via the southern Mediterranean port …

The Biden Administration has destabilized the Middle East, launched a potential international nuclear arms race, incentivized global terrorism, increased American taxpayers’ funding both sides of the Ukraine war, crushed even further a people fighting for their freedom and appeased yet another rogue regime — after Afghanistan, China and Venezuela – …

Efforts to reform the Iraqi Kurdish security forces known as the Peshmerga are at serious risk of failing. Tensions between the ruling parties of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region are not new, but the working relationship between the leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) …

Syria’s dramatic readmission into the Arab League in May was perceived as a turning point for the country’s fortunes. A swift normalization agreement was concluded with Saudi Arabia and an official meeting — albeit tense and brokered by Russia — was even held between the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers, …

It has been two months since Turkey’s new economic team took over and some progress has been made. Under the new minister of treasury and finance, Mehmet Şimşek, and the new governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT), Gaye Erkan, market normalization has begun and the …

Riyadh is redefining its role as a trusted mediator and diplomatic force in the international arena, using its strategic relationships with both east and west to achieve those ambitions. Last weekend’s gathering in Jeddah of over forty nations marked a significant milestone in Saudi Arabia’s political landscape. The event, ostensibly …

The geopolitical competition between Beijing and Ankara challenges their mutually harmonious Silk Road initiatives. As western pressure on China and its Asian periphery increases, will NATO-member Turkiye choose growth and development over a hegemonic clash? In the highest-level meeting between Chinese and Turkish officials since 2011, Turkish President Recep Tayyip …

The UN Development Program (UNDP) in Yemen sparked anger among Yemeni governmental and human rights activists after handing over $750,000 worth of demining equipment and devices to the Houthis in al-Hodeida. Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani expressed his surprise at the UN’s behavior, describing it as an “unacceptable transgression of …