Middle Orient

Iraq’s Kurds want their independence. But winning it won’t be easy

Domestic quarrels and fears of a fractured nation are formidable hurdles on the path to KRG self-rule. What does Massoud Barzani want? The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that it would hold an independence referendum on September 25. This isn’t the first time that the prospect of independence has been …

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Yemen Fades from Headlines Even as Fighting in Marib Intensifies

Fighting intensified this week in the strategically important city of Marib in central Yemen, believed to be a key access point to the northern part of the country. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan traveled to the Middle East earlier this week, meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. …

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Hezbollah and Iran Exploit Lebanon’s Economic Crisis

Hezbollah’s importation of Iranian fuel supplies demonstrates its willingness and ability to act independently of Lebanon’s official leadership. Easing Lebanon’s fuel shortages, even if marginally, enhances the position and popularity of both Hezbollah and Iran within Lebanon. The Biden administration is not likely to impose penalties on the fuel deliveries …

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Spain to open its consulate general in Erbil, newly appointed ambassador says

Spain is part of the international coalition to defeat ISIS, through which it had provided training to Peshmerga forces. Spain is preparing to open a consulate general in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, the country’s newly inaugurated ambassador, Pedro Martinez-Avial, told Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday.

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Israel should make peace with Iraq through the Abraham Accords – opinion

While Iraq is no longer the central power in the region, its history and geography make it an important player in the new Middle East. The Constitution of The Republic of Iraq, formulated in 2005 and approved in a referendum by more than three-quarters of the people, stated that “Iraq …

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How to stop Iran from achieving a nuclear bomb – opinion

The Iranian regime should be brought to the “bomb or regime survival” dilemma. In his article, “Looking Straight in the Eyes of the Iranian Reality,” former prime minister Ehud Barak correctly analyzes the status of the Iranian nuclear project. His conclusion, however, according to which we have reached the point …

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It’s time Israel got serious to tackle the Iran threat – opinion

Israel does not currently have an effective military plan in place against Iran’s nuclear installations, but everything should change in the near future. Here’s the good news: unless something extreme and dramatic happens, we will not be seeing Israeli F-35s or F-15s taking off in the next couple of years …

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Senior al Qaeda leader killed in drone strike in Syria, US defense officials say

The figure was responsible for planning, funding, and approving trans-regional al Qaeda attacks A senior al Qaeda leader has been killed in a drone strike in Syria, U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News Thursday. Salim Abu-Ahmad was killed in a U.S. airstrike near Idlib, Syria on Sept. 20. He …

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What will SCO membership mean for Iran?

Iran came one step closer to becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) last week with the approval of its bid, 15 years after it first applied. The organization, which includes China, Russia, and India, in addition to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan as members, accounts …

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Conflict Trends Update

KOSOVO-SERBIA NATO peacekeepers stepped up patrols along the Kosovo-Serbia border amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Belgrade, which does not recognise Kosovo’s independence, is angered at Pristina’s new requirement that Serbian drivers travelling into Kosovo buy temporary licence plates. Pristina calls the regulation “reciprocity”, as cars with Kosovo registrations …

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