Middle Orient

Sheikh Khaled, who has promoted several projects in the UAE, was also mentioned in the Pandora Papers for his alleged business partnership in an offshore investment company. The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed his eldest son Sheikh Khaled as crown prince of Abu …

Biden’s airstrikes in Syria highlight paradox of deterring Iran-backed groups without triggering further escalation. The Pentagon’s top general publicly advocated a more forceful US response targeting the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a spate of attacks on US bases in Syria last week. US Army Gen. …

Despite international pressure, the two isolated states have been ramping up military ties with reported deliveries of Iranian drones in exchange for Russian Sukhoi warplanes. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was in Moscow on Wednesday for a visit he said covered military cooperation among a host of other bilateral and …

These posters reportedly contain threats of murder against men and women, including accusations of failing to pay “zakat” (Islamic tax) and other charges. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor on Tuesday reported that ISIS cells in the Arab-majority Deir ez-Zor province are spreading fear among civilians …

The Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, announced on the sidelines of the “Armenia-Iran Relations in Context of Common Interests” forum, which was held on February 10, that “Iran does not oppose the deployment of a civilian EU [European Union] monitoring mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border” (PanArmenian.net, February 10). …

Not surprisingly, given Russia’s war against Ukraine, Iran’s decision to supply Moscow with drones and other military technology has attracted some of the most attention around the world (Cursorinfo.co.il, March 30). And equally unsurprising, given the long-term consequences of any change in east-west and north-south trade routes in the context …

Over the past few months, Jordan has undergone another peak in a multi-year crisis. It made headlines last April—the official centennial of the Hashemite monarchy in Jordan—with an unprecedented intra-family crisis ending with indefinite confinement to quarters of King Abdullah II’s brother (and former Crown Prince) Prince Hamza. Two of …

Polls suggest that although the presidential race will be tight, the gap against Erdoğan is widening…. [T]he CHP-led opposition bloc, with the participation of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, would win a combined 55.4% of the nationwide vote. Reuters reported that new polls show the opposition’s presidential candidate, CHP leader …

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian unveiled plans to finalize the draft agreement on comprehensive and strategic cooperation with Russia within the next month. “Reviews on the long-term strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries have been finalized in Russia. Iran has also examined it. I hope that in less than …

In an unprecedented turn of events, Iran and Saudi Arabia have come to a momentous agreement on March 10, 2023, which has the potential to bring about a transformative shift in the political landscape of the Middle East. After years of adversarial relations, these regional rivals have chosen to set …