Middle Orient

US show of force comes as Pentagon extends aircraft carrier deployment following last month’s lethal attack by Iran-backed militias on US personnel in Syria. The US Navy deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Middle East waters via the Suez Canal, a spokesperson revealed Saturday. …

The Turkish government unleashed a fresh regional charm offensive ahead of the critical May 14 vote, as the top Turkish diplomat announced planned and potential meetings with his Egyptian and Syrian counterparts. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry would pay a visit …

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would do “anything to reach power again” as Turkey prepares for elections next month. A top American ally in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) has confirmed that he was …

Turkey’s opposition leader is likely to receive crucial Kurdish support in his bid to unseat Erdogan in the May 14 polls, but a victory for the opposition remains far from assured. Turkey’s Kurds are expected to solidly support presidential contender Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the May 14 polls, a critical factor …

By ordering a brutal attack against Palestinian worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque on the 14th day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew very well that the Palestinians would retaliate. Netanyahu’s motive should be clear. He wanted to generate a distraction from the mass protests …

As the Kingdom steadily treads its path in line with Vision 2030, it won’t stop startling those less vigilant watchers who trumpet stereotypes instead of more nuanced analyses. The Cabinet’s approval of Saudi Arabia’s partnership with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization did not happen out of the blue. A meticulous process …

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly denounced the hazardous escalation by Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers who repeatedly attacked the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. The OIC issued a communiqué on Saturday following an unusual open-ended meeting of the organization’s Executive Committee. The communiqué …

As Russian troops continue their assault on Ukraine, Western countries persist in invoking international law, imposing crippling sanctions against Russian leaders and entities while publicly supporting Ukrainian armed resistance and opening their borders with open arms to refugees. However, we see such support utterly absent for people enduring Israel’s illegal …

Isolated by the West, Russia and Iran are looking to ease sanctions pressure by forging a new economic corridorthat boosts bilateral trade and connects them with fast-growing India – but the project’s effectiveness could yet be undermined by sanctions as well as logistical challenges and geopolitical tensions. The International North-South …

America is in decline. Eclipsed by China’s rise, it is shifting attention from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific. That is one refrain in the analysis of three seemingly paradigm-challenging developments in the past month: a Chinese-mediated restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the kingdom’s association with …