Middle Orient

The Turkish president adds that “there is no resentment or bitterness in politics.” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has aired fresh interest in a possible meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Ankara is doubling down on its threat for a ground operation against Syrian Kurdish groups.  “A meeting with Assad is possible. …

The police of the Syrian National Army assaulted protesters near the city of al-Bab following civil protests calling for controlling the security situation in the city and holding the killers of a prominent activist accountable. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said on its official Twitter page, “It’s payback time,” in …

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iraq is “committed to keeping terrorists away from Iran’s borders.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke to reporters today at the Foreign Ministry, addressing a wide range of issues. On the protests that have rocked Iran over the last few months, especially the …

The Iranian government’s escalating violence against protesters in Kurdish cities has led to chains of funerals. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed helicopters and rows of military vehicles and machine guns to the Kurdish city of Javanroud as part of its clampdown on anti-government protests that have gripped the …

Inflation may be higher than the government is letting on due to US sanctions and government fiscal policy. Inflation in Iran increased 1.1% in late November to reach an annual rate of 44%, according to the Iran Chamber of Commerce. The chamber attributed the rise in inflation in recent years to …

Following Turkish airstrikes on his headquarters in northeast Syria, SDF commander Mazlum Kobane spoke with Al-Monitor about Erdogan’s threats of a new ground offensive. In his first interview with international media following Tuesday’s drone strike on his main headquarters in northeast Syria, Mazlum Kobane (also known as Mazloum Abdi), the commander …

Turkish analysts believe that the enthusiastic handshake between Sisi and Erdogan may facilitate the budding rapprochement but will not be a magic wand, particularly in Libya. Brushing aside name-calling and accusations of the past, the Turkish and Egyptian presidents shared an enthusiastic handshake on the sidelines of the opening ceremony …

Some experts are warning that Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia’s Rosatom, might become a tool to advance Russian interests in the region. A potential security threat has emerged for NATO and Europe at large: the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear plant. Experts say the project by Russia …

The US military says it opposes Ankara’s plans to send ground troops against Syria’s Kurds, but it has stood down in the face of similar attacks in the past. A suspected Turkish drone strike hit a Kurdish-led militia base in northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing two members of a local …

Τουρκικά γεράκια λένε απροκάλυπτα ότι, όπως τα τουρκικά αεροπλάνα πήγαν νύχτα στη βόρεια Συρία, μπορεί να κάνουν το ίδιο και στην Ελλάδα. Δεν πρέπει να έχουμε την ψευδαίσθηση ότι θα έχουμε άλλη αντιμετώπιση. Οι Κούρδοι της περιοχής αυτής ήταν σύμμαχοι των Αμερικανών στον πόλεμο κατά του Ισλαμικού Κράτους. Όμως, οι …