Middle Orient

When the Iranian people revolted in 1979, many of them thought they would establish a democratic system of governance. The revolution in Iran was never intended to create a theocratic dictatorship ahead of an inclusive and secular government. The revolution also appeared to be a repudiation of the previous political …

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Sunday evening, in a meeting in Tehran with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, that Iran welcomed the reopening of the Iranian and Saudi Arabian embassies in Riyadh and Tehran. Amir-Abdollahian praised the Iraqi government for its mediating role in normalization talks between Iran …

Qatar will host the resumption of indirect talks between Iran and the United States aimed at reviving a nuclear deal, the official Iranian Students News Agency reported on Monday, citing Mohammad Marandi, the adviser to Iran’s negotiating team for the Vienna nuclear talks. Iran chose Qatar as the host, Marandi …

Iran and Saudi Arabia appear ready to resume diplomatic talks following Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s shuttle diplomacy. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi traveled to Saudi Arabia June 25 for a short visit before heading to Tehran the next day. The trip was reportedly designed to push talks between the …

Iran’s foreign minister is meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara today. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was scheduled to be received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara today, part of an effort to manage growing tensions between the prickly regional rivals. Upon his arrival, Amir-Abdollahian said …

The Syrian Democratic Forces are seeking Arab tribes’ support in Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, ahead of the anticipated Turkish military operation in northern Syria. Turkish armed forces and Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions have mobilized on the outskirts of Manbij, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian …

A gas field in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region was targeted by rockets on Saturday for the third time in four days, authorities said. The Counter-Terrorism Group, a security body in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, said in a statement six rockets in total had hit the Khor Mor gas field, which …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Russia on Thursday, seeking to persuade President Vladimir Putin to help stem disaster in Syria’s Idlib province. Turkish forces are locked in fierce combat there with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army in what has become the last bastion of the armed rebels fighting …

While the war in Syria has receded from the international spotlight, residents in the country’s northeast are bracing for a new wave of armed conflict. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for months threatened to launch a military invasion of the region to push back Syrian Kurdish fighters and create …

For more than three months, Turkey has been rocked by rolling protests centered in Istanbul. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s controversial appointment of businessman Melih Bulu as the new rector of Bogazici University in January, students and professors began holding rallies to denounce the pick. They see Bulu as an …