Middle Orient

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for an “immediate cessation of negotiations” in Vienna. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged the United States on Thursday to immediately call off the seventh round of indirect negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. In a phone call with US Secretary of State …

The opening of Sheikh Baqir al-Irawani’s office in Najaf indicates that he may be preparing to be one of the successors to 92-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, head of the Shiite religious authority. It appears that the sudden death of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, who was the most …

The Sectarian Resurgence in the Post-American Middle East The Biden administration’s mantra for the Middle East is simple: “end the ‘forever wars.’” The White House is preoccupied with managing the challenge posed by China and aims to disentangle the United States from the Middle East’s seemingly endless and unwinnable conflicts. …

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani is subsidizing the rapidly increasing cost of bread in Idlib in response to growing resentment against his organization. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has pledged to provide $3 million to subsidize bread after HTS-controlled Idlib experienced a severe …

Iranian media denied reports that several Iranian border checkpoints fell to the Taliban on Wednesday. Clashes between Iranian forces and Afghanistan’s Taliban fighters have ended, Iranian state news outlets reported on Wednesday, blaming a “border misunderstanding” for the incident. “The clashes ended and Iran is discussing the dispute over the …

Civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul complain about the power of the militias who freed them from the clutches of the Islamic terror group IS, but turned to occupier later on. Cars form long queues in front of petrol stations in Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul — a city …

Recep Tayyip Erdogan interferes in Turkey’s monetary policy – with serious consequences for the country’s currency. The Turkish currency is still in free fall. On Wednesday, the lira slid three percent to a new record low. In turn, the dollar’s exchange rate rose to as high as 13.49 liras – …

The legislation states that it is US policy to prevent Iran and Iranian-aligned groups from acquiring UAVs that can be used in attacks against the US or allies. A bipartisan group of leading members from the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced the Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) on Tuesday. According …

Negotiations between world powers and Iran to restore the 2015 nuclear deal resumed in Vienna for the first time in over five months. Iran took further steps to advance its nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday, as Iranian diplomats said they won’t rush on negotiations with …

In reality, the Grey Wolves movement very much does exist. It has a long history of bloodbaths across Turkey and is now a growing movement across Europe as well as the South Caucasus. This ideology [Turanism, or the Greater Turkish homeland] believes in the superiority of a supposed Turkish race …