Middle Orient

Turkey’s Erdogan Speaks With Putin, Zelenskiy About Ukrainian Grain Exports

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed Ukrainian grain exports in separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukraine and its allies have pushed for the reopening of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, which Kyiv says are shut because of a Russian blockade. Western countries …

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Risk or opportunity? How Russia sees a changing MENA region

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has served to accentuate ongoing differences between the United States and Europe on the one hand and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on the other. This has, to some extent, benefited Russia’s relations with the MENA region …

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A pivot point for Europe’s role in the Middle East

Eleven years ago, as popular uprisings erupted across the Middle East and North Africa, Europeans imagined themselves as partners of choice for democratic and economic transitions that would create pathways to sustainable stability. This dream failed catastrophically. The region was overwhelmed by instability and conflict, and Europe, in turn, by …

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Iran To Deliver Armed Drones to Russia for Ukraine War

Iran will provide hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles, including armed drones, to Russia for its war on Ukraine, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday. The US also has information indicating that Iran was preparing to train Russia’s military as early as this month on the use of …

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Putin to Meet Erdogan, Raisi in Tehran Next Week, Kremlin Says

A favorable environment for Iran-Russia economic cooperation has emerged since Iran’s president visited Russia two weeks ago, amidst international sanctions on the two nations Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a visit to Tehran next Tuesday, the Kremlin said. …

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What Biden’s Visit Will Create Between Saudi Arabia and Israel – and What It Won’t

Saudi-Israeli normalization and regional defense pacts may seem a long way off, but several historic breakthroughs could still happen when Biden visits the Middle East this week Ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s landmark visit to the Middle East this week, there is much talk about potential steps toward normalization …

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Revealed: The Fake News Operation Pretending to Be Haaretz’s Chief Editor

A fake news site pretending to be a blog by Aluf Benn, Haaretz’s chief editor, spread false stories – including the bogus claim that an Israeli diplomat met Yemen’s president A sophisticated influence operation pushing out disinformation about Israel and the Middle East was discovered this week. The website masqueraded …

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Biden’s big chance to build a new coalition in the Middle East

Regional integration. It’s one of the overarching themes of US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week—and might sound out of place in the famously volatile and conflict-prone Middle East. But it shouldn’t: While previous US presidential trips have focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, managing …

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Reports: Libya denies cutting gas exports to Italy

Italy wants Libya to boost its gas exports to Europe in an effort to reduce the continent’s energy dependence on Russia. A controversy is brewing between Libya and Italy over gas exports. What happened: On July 5, The Libya Herald reported that Libya’s Tripoli-based government is considering cutting gas exports …

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US kills top Islamic State leader in Syria, Pentagon says

Syria’s Kurdish-led forces alleged Maher al-Aghal was also affiliated with Turkey-backed opposition group Ahrar al-Sharqiya. A US drone strike on Tuesday killed the leader of the Islamic State group in Syria, the US military announced today. Maher al-Agal was killed near the town of Jidayris in Syria’s Afrin region, according …

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