Middle Orient

What’s Behind Iraq’s Escalating Political Crisis

Deadly clashes flared in Iraq on Monday after hundreds of people stormed its government palace, an ominous turn of events that has plunged the country even deeper into political turmoil. The protesters, fiercely loyal supporters of the influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, had been enraged by his pledge to leave …

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« Manipulation », « passé colonial » : nouvelle passe d’armes entre Paris et Ankara

Dans un communiqué du 27 août, le ministère des Affaires étrangères turc a vivement réagi aux propos tenus la veille par Emmanuel Macron sur l’influence de la Turquie en Afrique, lors du second jour de sa visite officielle en Algérie. « Extrêmement regrettable ». C’est l’expression utilisée par le porte-parole …

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Whose war is the US fighting in Syria, and why?

American troops have been exchanging fire with alleged Iran-backed militas all week. The timing is curious, and dangerous. U.S. forces in Syria have been carrying out strikes against “Iran-backed” militias this week in response to a recent drone attack on the American base at Tanf and rocket attacks at two …

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Official Close to Hezbollah Assassinated in Damascus Countryside

Unknown individuals assassinated the commander of the Baath Brigades, a close figure to the Lebanese Hezbollah party, in the countryside of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday. The official was assassinated in recent Israeli shelling in the Damascus countryside, said the Observatory.

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History As It Happens: Ayman al-Zawahiri and the future of al Qaeda

One year after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan ended America’s nation-building project in the “graveyard of empires,” the Taliban-led country faces mass starvation and state collapse. Amidst that cauldron of human misery is what remains of al Qaeda, the terrorist group whose jihadist violence led the U.S. into Afghanistan way …

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Iraqis heed cleric’s plea to leave streets after clashes

Armed supporters of a powerful Iraqi cleric who clashed with security forces in the capital began to withdraw from the streets Tuesday, restoring a measure of calm after a serious escalation of the nation’s political crisis. Following two days of deadly unrest that sparked fears instability might spread throughout the …

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Iran Successfully Implements Advanced Uranium Enrichment Program, IAEA Report Says

Iran has successfully implemented advanced uranium enrichment program, with the first of its cascades of advanced IR-6 centrifuges operating at its Natanz underground fuel enrichment plant, Reuters first reported, citing a report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The report comes as the world powers, …

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Iran urges dialogue amid Iraq turmoil

Iranian authorities have called on Iraqi factions to seek political solutions as Baghdad streets saw deadly clashes between members of the Shiite Sadrist movement and their Tehran-backed rivals. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said constitution-based dialogue among political blocs was the only path toward stability and security in Iraq, where the …

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Israel’s Lapid, Mossad chief diverge on emerging Iran nuclear deal

Prime Minister Yair Lapid was surprised by the briefings to the press of Mossad Director David Barnea, who accused the West and the United States of generating a strategic catastrophe for the region. The intense efforts by world powers to reach agreement with Iran on its nuclear program are sending …

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