Middle Orient

Senior Turkish, Syrian, Iranian and Russian diplomats are set to meet to advance the stalled rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus. Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar and his Syrian counterpart Ayman Susan will meet in Moscow on Wednesday for two days as part of efforts to advance the Ankara-Damascus thaw, …

The Iraqi government’s renewed effort to prohibit alcohol is not only worrisome for Christian and Yazidi minorities, but also raises constitutionality questions. Iraq officially banned the import, production and sale of alcoholic beverages of all kinds on March 4, in a repeat of a ban that was passed in 2016, …

The deal marks a turning point in Middle Eastern politics, but China may find its role undermined by failures in implementation. China’s role in the Saudi-Iranian deal is momentous. However, Beijing may find that its relations in the region are undermined by failures in its implementation. Last Friday marked a …

Arab states pursuing reconciliation with Syria aim to achieve what was unachievable during the war: Breaking Syria’s alliances and placing Arab troops on Syrian soil. After the devastating earthquake that shook Syria and Turkiye on 6 February, Damascus has found itself at the center of unprecedented regional diplomatic activity. Egypt …

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby warned that the Su-35 would ‘significantly strengthen Iran’s air force relative to its regional neighbors’ The Islamic Republic of Iran finalized a deal for the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets with the Russian government, according to state media reports on 11 March. The deal between Russia …

Around 900 US troops remain illegally stationed in Syria, controlling large swathes of the country’s oil-rich regions A War Powers Resolution that would have ended the US army’s illegal occupation of Syria was struck down late on 8 March by the House of Representatives in a 103-321 vote. The bill, …

The Iran-Saudi Arabia rapprochement has wide reactions. An NBC report — What does the Iran-Saudi Arabia truce mean for Washington’s standing on the global stage? (March 11, 2023, NBCNews.com) — said: As some world leaders hailed the restoration of ties between long-standing enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia, there were growing …

U.S. and international officials have expressed cautious optimism for a breakthrough in the long-running civil conflict in Yemen between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and the forces of the UN-recognized Republic of Yemen government.The restoration of a truce, which has mostly held since its formal end in October, appears increasingly likely, …

Can the bitter gulf across the Gulf finally be bridged? On Friday, long-standing regional adversaries Iran and Saudi Arabia made a big announcement: They will reestablish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China. Below, Atlantic Council experts share their insights on the breaking news and its significance for one …

Riyadh wants to exit its Yemen quagmire and is willing to end the siege on Ansarallah-controlled areas. Washington will have none of that, and is sabotaging a Saudi-Yemeni peace deal. The United States has played a crucial role in supporting the Saudi-led war on Yemen since its inception in 2015. …