Middle Orient

Iran moves US prisoners to house arrest ahead of planned exchange

Under a detainee deal negotiated between Washington and Tehran, several US citizens imprisoned in Iran have been transferred to house arrest in a step toward their full release. Iran has transferred five US citizens held in Evin Prison to house arrest as part of a long-awaited deal that would involve …

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How Saudi Arabia Bent China to Its Technoscientific Ambitions

Saudi Arabia’s cooperation with China on technological and scientific innovation is on the rise—and it is Saudi priorities that are steering the relationship. CHINA LOCAL/GLOBAL China has become a global power, but there is too little debate about how this has happened and what it means. Many argue that China …

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ISIS attack kills 10 Syria pro-government fighters in Raqqa: Monitor

ISIS militants killed 10 Syrian troops and pro-government fighters in the former extremist stronghold of Raqqa province, a war monitor said Tuesday. “ISIS attacked positions and checkpoints belonging to the regime… setting fire to military vehicles and prefabricated houses,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Six soldiers were also …

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In first foreign policy speech, Turkey’s FM asks NATO to be ‘considerate,’ slams PKK

Laying out Turkey’s foreign policy priorities, Hakan Fidan set forth a national security-oriented agenda, striking a more hawkish tone on the Kurdistan Workers Party while softening his language on regional ties. Articulating his foreign policy vision for the first time since he took over the office, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan …

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Islamic State attack in Raqqa kills 10 Syrian soldiers, second in a week

IS militants attacked several positions and checkpoints of the Syrian government and allied fighters in the group’s former stronghold of Raqqa. Islamic State militants launched a surprise attack on Syrian government positions in Syria’s northeast Raqqa province on Monday evening, killing at least 10 soldiers and pro-government fighters. The attack, …

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Iran warns of more ship seizures in defiance of US Marines’ Gulf deployment

Tehran ratcheted up its rhetoric against Washington in the wake of fresh American reinforcement in the Persian Gulf, prompted by the Iranian “harassment” of international commercial ships there. In a message of defiance and apparent preparedness for escalation, Iran warned on Monday that it could capture American vessels after the …

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Syrian and Russian aviation destroyed terrorist headquarters in Syria

Damascus, Aug 6 (Prensa Latina) The Russian and Syrian Air Forces bombed the central command of the Al-Nusra terrorist organization in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, some 300 kilometers northwest of the capital. “The headquarters of the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant terrorist group, formerly al-Nousra Front, …

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In blow to terrorist PKK, Turkish military seizes thousands of weapons, pieces of ammunition

Turkish security forces capture weapons and ammunition belonging to terrorist group PKK in search and sweep operation ISTANBUL A large cache of weapons and ammunition belonging to the terrorist group PKK was seized across the border at hideouts in northern Iraq, Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry announced on Friday. In a …

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Iran: The Failure Of Raisi’s Two-Year Presidency – OpEd

Two years ago, around this time, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran’s regime, appointed Ebrahim Raisi as his regime’s president and called it a “completely meaningful move.” “New people are entering into a field with new initiatives,” he said. The goal was to unify the government to deal with …

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Saudi Arabia agrees to produce Turkey’s Baykar drones

Riyadh wants to boost its military might, especially with the prospect of its main rival Iran developing its nuclear enrichment capabilities. Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with Turkish defense firm Baykar to localize the manufacturing of its popular drones in the kingdom, state-owned Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) said …

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