Middle Orient

On Wednesday, a fire erupted in al-Hol, a camp located in the northeastern region of Syria. This camp shelters a large population primarily composed of women and children associated with the Islamic State group. Although the fire resulted in material losses, the camp’s director confirmed that no fatalities occurred. Simultaneously, …

The U.S. wants to obstruct the resistance axis extending from Tehran to Beirut through the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to Athr Press. Over the past few months, Syria has become a theater of heightened US military presence, particularly in the eastern and southern regions, with the Syrian Al-Tanf area serving as …

Abstract: The key mission of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) is to defend the Iranian Islamic Revolution and create armed militias in the countries of its “Axis of Resistance.” Its organization is opaque and complex, coordinating combat operations with soft-power actions aimed at, among other initiatives, establishing …

Abstract: Despite dominating the headlines for almost a decade, surprisingly little is known about the Islamic State’s internal organization. After the declaration of the caliphate in June 2014, the organization’s center of gravity rested in the offices of the caliph and the spokesman and the Delegated Committee. Yet, with the …

Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are leading conduits for the evading of Western sanctions against Russia. Armenia’s current assistance to Russia builds on its three-decade experience in being an intermediary assisting Iran to evade Western sanctions. Armenia’s military, political and trade relationship with Iran has existed since the early 1990s …

U.S. and Iraqi defense leaders discussed an enduring strategic relationship between the two nations during talks at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit Muhammad Al-Abassi for a discussion on U.S.-Iraq joint security cooperation dialogue Monday. This U.S.-Iraq bilateral engagement looks beyond the …

The Biden Administration also tried to deny that it had issued another waiver to Iraq to pay $500 million to the Iranian regime. According to a report by the Free Beacon, the waiver was issued “a day after Biden administration officials denied Iran’s claims that the United States had paved …

In mid-May, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the Taliban: honor Afghanistan’s water-supply agreement or face the consequences. A well-known Taliban figure offered a mocking gift of a 20-liter water container in response and told him to stop making terrifying ultimatums. About a week later, a skirmish erupted …

Over the past two years, as the United States and the European Union have invested in the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Iranian leadership has opted to solidify its non-Western foreign policy approach. In line with this approach, President Ebrahim Raisi embarked on a three-country trip to …

The view across the Tigris River from the eighth floor of the Babylon Hotel reveals a telling mise-en-scène: As a giant neon billboard that adorns the gleaming 32-story Baghdad Mall flashes the Iraqi flag in between ads for Coca-Cola, the ghost of the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid looms large …