Middle Orient

Why China and Russia Are Stepping Up Their Support On assuming power in 1979, Iran’s revolutionaries prided themselves on rejecting the global order. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the country’s first supreme leader, declared that his state would be “neither East nor West.” Khomeini viewed the United States as “the Great Satan”—the …

Gen. Mark Milley’s first announced call with newly appointed Turkish armed forces chief Metin Gurak follows reports that the United States is exploring alternate routes for Ukraine’s grain exports. Washington’s outgoing top general, Mark Milley, spoke by phone Wednesday with his counterpart in Turkey, Metin Gurak, in their first announced …

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Kurdish commander Mazlum Kobane discussed the recent clashes in Deir Ezzor between local tribes and Kurdish forces. A rare tribal uprising in eastern Syria against the United States’ top local ally has been successfully suppressed after more than a week of fierce clashes …

A U.S.-Iran understanding may have calmed tensions, but this was followed by Kurdish-Arab fighting that did precisely the opposite. The summer was hot in northeastern Syria, as has been the transition to autumn. The season began with increased tensions between U.S. forces, which maintain a presence in the northeast, on …

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria “poses a threat to its national security.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come out in support of Arab tribes engaged in violent clashes with the United States’ top local ally against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria’s oil-rich eastern …

Hamas criticized the visit as Israel’s relations with the island kingdom continue to improve, despite historically high tensions with the Palestinians. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrapped up a three-day visit to Bahrain on Tuesday, leaving the the Gulf nation with several bilateral agreements and cooperation pledges. The Gaza-based Palestinian …

Israel’s Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel met in London with Iranian exiled activists and journalists, preparing for “the day after” when the Iranian regime weakens. Israel’s Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel met on Wednesday in London with several Iranian activists and journalists in part of a monthslong campaign by the senior Israeli …

The UK before the economic crisis of 2008 was very different from the UK that emerged from the global financial meltdown and its repercussions, which have shaped, or rather failed to appropriately shape, the priorities of the country ever since. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the subsequent strategic …

IntroductionThe war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the Russian-Iranian relationship. The cooperation between the two countries has reached unprecedented levels, evident in the use of Iranian drones by Russia in Ukraine. The two countries have increased their efforts to jointly resist Western sanctions and political isolation. Iran also continues to …

After the US unilaterally walked out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 to revive the Iran nuclear deal have not succeeded so far. Points of contention have included re-imposition of sanctions by the US, Iran making significant gains in its …