Middle Orient

The New Jersey senator has vowed to block any deal until the Turkish president “halts his campaign of aggression against the region.” Turkey’s hopes of overcoming congressional hurdles and acquiring F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits rose this week when the Senate removed two amendments to a bill designed to …

The often-deadlocked parliament chose a veteran Kurdish politician as president, who in turn designated Muhammad Shia al-Sudani for the prime minister position. Following a year of political deadlock since general elections in October 2021, Iraqi lawmakers today elected a new president as part of the process to form a government. …

Thirteen people, mostly fighters, have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes between rival factions competing for power in northwest Syria, a war monitor said Wednesday. Fighting between two pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups began in the town of Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province before spreading to other areas and …

Turkey must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all EU member states, particularly Greece and Cyprus, but Ankara remains a key partner, the EU Commission’s latest country report notes. The Commission’s enlargement package was presented by Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi on Wednesday. It assessed the progress made by Western …

The United States’ newly released national security strategy calls for restrained use of the American military in the Middle East. Instead, it prioritizes “out-competing China and constraining Russia” while criticizing the expanded missions of U.S. wars in recent decades. “We will not use our military to change regimes or remake …

The European Commission’s annual report on Turkey criticizes Ankara for increasing trade and financial relations with Russia, inviting Russian oligarchs to the country and undermining EU sanctions against Russia. The European Union is concerned with Ankara’s continued policy of non-alignment with restrictive measures against Russia and increased trade and financial …

By linking Turkey’s normalization with Armenia to a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Erdogan could encourage intransigence on Baku’s part. The recent meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Armenia — the first in 13 years — has rekindled the prospect of normalization between the two estranged neighbors, with …

Kayhan: The Americans “Have Understood It Correctly – Iran Is Exporting Military Equipment To The Second Most Powerful Military In The World – The Russian Federation” Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian has on several occasions denied to his European counterparts that Iran is selling Iranian weapons, especially combat drones, to Russia …

President Vladimir Putin may meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the West on Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not received any signals about the prospect of negotiations with …

Iran intensified its crackdown Tuesday on Kurdish areas in the country’s west amid protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the morality police as oil workers demonstrated at a key refinery, activists said. Riot police fired into residential neighborhoods in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan …