Middle Orient

Turkey, Iraq laud cooperation, but major disagreements remain

Sudani on his first visit to Ankara, stressed the importance of Iraq’s sovereignty in the two countries’ fight against terrorism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday lauded the cooperation between the two countries but reported only limited progress on the contentious bilateral rifts. …

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Iran, Iraq sign security deal boosting border cooperation

The deal follows the Islamic Republic escalating its attacks on Kurdish groups in Iraq amid the ongoing protests in Iran. Iran and Iraq signed a security agreement on Sunday. The deal follows Iran’s cross-border attacks on Kurdish groups in Iraq and demonstrates the Islamic Republic’s continued sway over its neighbor. …

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Erbil oil revenues to come under Iraqi supervision

The move continues a trend reversing aspects of Kurdish autonomy gained since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq For the first time since 2002, oil revenues from Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will be transferred to a bank account supervised by the Iraqi central government, state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) …

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Saudi finance minister says investments in Iran can happen ‘quickly’

Tehran and Riyadh recently agreed to restore diplomatic relations under the auspices of China Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said on 15 March that investments in Iran could happen “very quickly” following the signing of a normalization agreement. “There are a lot of opportunities for Saudi investments in Iran. We …

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Russian-Turkish ‘co-opetition’ from Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh

At a time when conflicts are increasingly interconnected, and provide tactical levers to assert pressure elsewhere, the competition between Russia-Iran and Turkiye in Syria and the South Caucasus is destined to overlap. Despite their robust diplomatic relations, Turkiye has been in direct competition with Russia and Iran in two major …

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Dead on arrival: The US plan to train PA ‘special forces’ in the West Bank

Despite being in conflict with armed resistance factions in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority forces have also collaborated with them, posing a challenge to those who seek to divide Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reportedly agreed to implement a controversial US proposal aimed at restoring its control over northern …

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The Saudi–Iran Rapprochement – Analysis

In a major breakthrough, on 10 March 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran signed an agreement to restore their diplomatic relationship, which was severed in 2016 after the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and Consulate in Mashhad were ransacked by protesters demonstrating against the Saudi execution of Shia cleric Nimr Al Nimr. …

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New Possibilities In Middle East Politics? – OpEd

On March 10, a special announcement aimed at easing the hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran came from both sides. China was the mediator of the talks held in Beijing. After four days of talks, two regional rivals in the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia, have agreed to restore …

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Islamic Jihad calls on Israeli Arabs to start another intifada

‘There is a new generation of people who believe the only solution is armed struggle’ A spokesman for the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group called on Israeli Arabs to start an intifada, an armed uprising. Speaking after large-scale military drills were held in the northern Gaza …

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US-led forces in Syria transport 150 ISIS militants from Al-Hasakah

The US-led “International Coalition” transfers ISIS militants to the US bases of Al-Shadadi and Al-Omar in the countryside of Deir Ezzor and the Semalka border crossing. Al Mayadeen sources reported that the so-called “International Coalition” led by the United States in Syria has transferred a number of ISIS militants from …

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