Middle Orient

Iran’s Revolutionary Court Sentences 2 Science Students to Prison for Opposition to Republic

A court in Iran has sentenced two award-winning science students to 16-year prison terms for opposing the Islamic Republic and endangering national security. Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi , who study astronomy at Sharif University of Technology, were sentenced on Monday in the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges …

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Biden’s Middle East: Saudi Arabia Embraces China; Will They Topple the Dollar?

If Saudi Arabia were to break the tradition of pricing its oil in US dollars, as it is contemplating doing, others could well start to price oil in Chinese yuan or other currencies — negatively affecting the US dollar’s status and potentially the entire US economy. “China must brace for …

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Iraqi F-16s target ISIS militants in Diyala

As part of these efforts, Iraqi airstrikes have killed at least 70 ISIS militants, a top official recently said. Iraqi F-16 fighter jets targeted a group of ISIS militants in the country’s eastern Diyala province on Sunday afternoon, the military announced. The jets conducted three airstrikes on the militants in …

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Turkish intel. nabs 2 Daesh terrorists plotting attacks in Syria

Turkish intelligence apprehended two Daesh terrorists in Syria planning to carry out an attack against Turkish forces in Syria, reports said Monday. The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) carried out an operation to determine the whereabouts of Daesh terrorists Orhan Moran and Mustafa Kılıçlı and nabbed them in Syria. The terrorists …

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Turkish Journalist Details Russian Oligarchs’ Investments In Turkey

On March 15, 2022, Turkish journalist Aytuğ Özçolak published an article titled “Russian Oligarchs In Turkey: Initiatives, Relations, And What They Own.”[1] Özçolak reviews the assets and investments in Turkey of Russian oligarchs including: Leonid Mikhelson, Vagit Alekperov, Vladimir Lisin, Vladimir Potanin, Alexy Mordashov, and Mikhail Fridman. While Western media …

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The UAE’s Africa Policy Is Full of Contradictions

Dubai’s Expo 2020, the international fair hosted in the United Arab Emirates, closed last month to rave reviews. The mega event, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic but retained its official name for marketing and branding purposes, ran from October 2021 to March 2022. In that time, it …

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Factional infighting escalates in northern Syria

Infighting continues among the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions in light of a power and influence struggle, conflict over crossings and smuggling corridors, and the lack of a unified military institution. Clashes and confrontations are taking place almost daily between the armed factions in the areas controlled by the Turkish-backed …

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Israeli coalition on verge of collapse as Jerusalem roils

The tensions at Jerusalem’s holy sites is tearing apart what little is left of the Israeli coalition government. The compound that Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims call Haram al-Sharif, holy to both religions, is a perennial flashpoint, a powder keg that can always be counted on. In October …

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With Russian Route Blocked, Uzbekistan Looks to Indian-Iranian-Afghan Chabahar Port Project

The Russo-Ukraine war, the extensive Western sanctions against Russia, and the growing possibility that European border states will block east-west transit corridors traversing Russian territory into Europe are having far-reaching implications for the landlocked countries of Central Asia, which have historically relied on road and rail corridors through Russia to …

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