Middle Orient

SOHR sources have reported violent clashes with heavy machineguns between factions of “al-Fath al-Mubin” operations room and regime forces on the frontlines of Deir Sonbol village in the western countryside of Maarrat al-Nu’man. The clashes erupted following an infiltration attempt by regime forces into posts of the factions. However, no …

The next round of talks to restore the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal, scheduled for November 29, is unlikely to produce any breakthroughs. Iran’s demands for rapid and sweeping sanctions relief, the expansion of its nuclear program, and its regional attacks do not augur well for the coming round of …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister’s visit to Syria furthers efforts by President Bashar Al Assad to break out of the isolation caused by his military response to the uprising. The UAE’s engagement with Assad feeds criticism that the Gulf state supports a “counter-revolution” against challenges to established Arab …

Turkey has sent a new batch of Syrian mercenaries to Libya despite local and international demands to withdraw all foreign forces ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December 24. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said 150 mercenaries from the pro-Ankara Libyan National Army, including al-Majd Corps, …

It is a mistake to view Iran’s regional aggression and hegemony as purely a result of violence and terrorism. Certainly, a major impetus of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of its local militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere is the projection of violence of every sort. …

In recent months, a series of analytical publications sparked fresh debate in Iran about the status of Iran’s oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian Sea as well as why it has still not taken greater efforts to exploit those resources. Namely, a piece in August predicted that a …

European Union Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for coordinating migration and security policies, has held two-day long talks in Ankara, his fourth stop in a tour of partner countries key to putting a stop to the “instrumentalization of migrants by the Belarussian regime and [which] aims to further reinforce …

It is a mistake to view Iran’s regional aggression and hegemony as purely a result of violence and terrorism. Certainly, a major impetus of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of its local militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere is the projection of violence of every sort. …

Warsaw and other EU countries have accused Minsk of transporting migrants to Belarus on purpose to create an immigration crisis, slapping Belarus with new sanctions for this reason. Belarusian authorities strongly deny the EU’s claims. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that western countries use the ongoing immigration crisis at …

Ordinary Iranians have become the main victims of the U.S. blockade as the devaluation the rial has led to limited purchasing power and higher prices. The Iranian currency’s value has continued to fall as the U.S. dollar is trading at over 280,000 rials on the free market. Before the reinstatement …