Middle Orient

Top on the agenda is a controversial, long-term partnership pact that critics fear may effectively push the Islamic Republic into becoming a China “colony.” Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, headed to the eastern Chinese city of Tunxi on March 29 to join a summit of the foreign ministers …

After attending Israel’s Mideast summit, Blinken will meet with the UAE leader to discuss Iran and global energy markets in the face of high crude prices U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates in Morocco on Tuesday in a bid …

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed a suspected ISIS fighter in the Euphrates River Valley in Deir al-Zor, the US-led Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant (SOJTF LEVANT) announced on Monday morning. “Today security forces conducted operations near the Euphrates River Valley region (in Deir al-Zor) in Syria against Daesh, resulting …

Turkey on Monday found a mine floating off of its coast near Bulgaria and Turkish defense officials were working to defuse it. It is the second mine deployed by Ukraine in the Black Sea to halt the advance of Russian troops to be discovered floating off of Turkey’s coast in …

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday announced that cooperation between Israel, the United States, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates will continue on a regular basis in order to stoke fear in Iran. Speaking at the historic two-day Negev Summit that was held with his counterparts from …

Iraq is building a concrete wall along part of its border with Syria to stop ISIS fighters from infiltrating, a military source said Sunday. In the first section, a wall of about “a dozen kilometres, 3.5 metres high, was built in Nineveh province”, in the Sinjar area of north-west Iraq, …

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) will remain sanctioned by the United States, even if a revived nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers is signed, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said on Sunday at the Doha Forum. Malley made the assertion despite hearing Kamal Kharrazi, a …

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 …