Middle Orient

Iran’s top diplomat said Saturday that the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard accepted the idea of continuing to be sanctioned by the U.S. if it meant the restoration of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian’s remark in a state television interview may signal a possible opening …

A Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on the capital and a strategic Red Sea city, officials said Saturday. At least eight people were killed. The overnight airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeida — both held by the Houthis — came a day after …

Personnel from the Romanian navy will soon join U.S. sailors at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Romania is the ninth country to join a maritime coalition formed to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Middle East, a statement by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said Saturday. Romanian navy personnel will …

Escalating the conflict in Iraq’s Kurdish region, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that they will immediately respond to attacks by Israel. Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, issued a warning to Israel against more attacks targeting Iranian forces in the region. Speaking in the …

While European capitals would like to see Israel join the sanctions packages enacted by the West against Russia, they have expressed understanding of Israel’s delicate position. European Union members are expected to adopt a fifth sanctions package against Russia tonight or tomorrow, but Israel is not expected to change its …

In his meetings yesterday and today in Sharm el-Sheikh with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett continued his efforts to establish a regional alliance against Iran and a new nuclear deal. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been preparing for …

Incident came days before Israel allegedly struck IRGC drone warehouse in Kermanshah, whereupon Iran launched missiles at Iraq’s Erbil Two drones that were reportedly launched from Iran and intercepted by the US-led international coalition in Iraq last month are believed to have been aiming for Israel, officials said Monday. The …

About six months after the U.S. ended its longest war, the outgoing head of U.S. Central Command hinted that U.S. involvement in Iraq is probably going to go on even longer. As the 19th anniversary of Operation Iraq Freedom approaches, there are roughly 2,500 troops still in Iraq, playing a …

Syrian President Bashar Assad was in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, his office said, marking his first visit to an Arab country since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011. In a statement posted on its social media pages, the office says that Assad met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid …

Ballistic missile threats from Iran and its proxies are deeply concerning to nations in the Middle East, the commander of U.S. Central Command said. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. briefed the media from Centcom Headquarters in Tampa, Florida. “Iran’s ballistic missile threat has continued to advance and expand …