Middle Orient

Foreign Ministry sends social media support in Farsi • Amnesty Int’l, HRW denounce regime’s clampdown on protests • Pahlavi praises Trump’s support, calls on European leaders to follow suit Tehran and several other parts of Iran experienced a digital blackout on Thursday as internet connectivity dropped across multiple service providers, …

Civilians were fleeing Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo on Wednesday after the Syrian army declared them “closed military zones,” amid ongoing fighting with Kurdish-led forces in the northern city. The deadly clashes, which started on Tuesday, are the worst between the two sides, who have so far failed to implement a …

A Saudi-led coalition struck the home province of Yemen’s UAE-backed separatist leader Wednesday, after he failed to show up for talks in Riyadh and was kicked out of the country’s presidential body. The coalition said it had given Aidaros Alzubidi a 48-hour ultimatum to come to Riyadh for discussions, after …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s government cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls Thursday night as a nighttime demonstration called by the country’s exiled crown prince drew a mass of protesters to shout from their windows and storm the streets. The protest that went …

In May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that it would set in motion a process of dissolution. This historic disbandment was given further legitimacy when disarmament commenced in July, followed by a withdrawal of forces in October. The international response to the announcement has been overwhelmingly positive. While …

Israel’s approval of the delayed export agreement is a welcome development, but U.S. officials should view it as the start, not the end, of efforts to ease tensions between two key peace partners. On December 17, Israel announced the largest natural gas deal in its history—a $35 billion agreement to …

Mass displacement, settler violence, and Israeli military killings have surged across the West Bank, driven by an unbridled campaign to seize Palestinian land In Burqin, a hillside village overlooking Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Abdullah family mourns a heavy loss. A large, framed picture of their son, Montasser …

Nightly protests continued across several Iranian cities as authorities reported no official toll, while Donald Trump warned Tehran against using force. Nightly protests continued across several Iranian cities on Sunday, while US President Donald Trump renewed warnings against the use of force and Iranian officials delivered mixed messages on how …

Iraqi militias refuse to disarm following the top judge’s assertion that there is no justification for weapons outside state control. Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions have openly rejected demands to surrender their weapons to state control, directly challenging the authority of Iraq’s top judge and prime minister. This highlights divisions within …

The universities, historically the bastions of anti-monarchist Marxism, are now echoing with chants of “Down with the three corrupts! Mullah, leftist, Mujahid.” For a week, the Islamic Republic has tried to tell itself, and the world, that the protests in Iran are merely about the price of the dollar. They …