Middle Orient

Ankara, for its part, stressed the need for cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees, the top Turkish diplomat said ahead of Turkey’s crucial elections. The top Turkish and Syrian diplomats discussed the return of Syrian refugees and cooperation against terrorism during their first face to face meeting hosted in …

Shortly after striking and killing three Islamic Jihad seniors, Israel sent Gaza-based Hamas warnings to stay out of the expected conflagration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned citizens Tuesday evening that the expected conflagration with Gaza-based Islamic Jihad might last several days and extend to more than one arena. Israel …

Germany designated the Lebanese militant group a terror organization in 2020 and has seen its relations with Iran sour in the last year. German authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of two suspected members of the Lebanese Iran-funded Hezbollah group, which Germany designated a terror organization in 2020. The German …

Iran has seen a 14% year-on-year increase in non-oil trade with members of the five-state alliance, which includes Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. Iran has been ramping up trade with members of the BRICS group, as Tehran looks to join the five-nation alliance that is often seen as …

Can elections remove an autocrat like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power? If you pose this question to Turkey watchers in Western capitals to get their take on the country’s upcoming election, you will get a resounding “no” from a significant number of them. Some will say Erdogan is …

It is a cliché for politicians to claim that an upcoming election is the most critical vote in the history of the country. In Turkey’s case, however, the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 are indeed the most consequential ever. The prospects for Turkey’s democratic future are at stake. …

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Force opened a new airbase in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan. The new air base, named after Ali Arabi -an IRGC Ground Force serviceman martyred in October 2009- has come into service in the city of Zahedan. IRGC Commander Major General Hossein …

The Arab League’s decision to readmit Syria rewards brutality and betrays victims. It also confirms the marginalization of the United States and the irrelevance of Europe in the region. A collection of Arab countries grouped in the Arab League has brought President Bashar al-Assad back into its fold. The twenty-two-member-strong …

Tehran will host an international conference on the emerging new world order on May 10-11, General Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam announced on Monday. Moqaddam, the former police chief who is currently the head of Iran’s National Defense University, said Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf will deliver opening remarks at the conference. …

The failure [to report the deaths of two men in Hamas custody] underscores what appears their total lack of concern for the human rights of Palestinians living under the rule of Hamas…. The media seem more worried about the human rights of Palestinian terrorists than the rights of victims of …