Middle Orient

Iranian officials say talks with Riyadh counterparts will resume in Baghdad soon. Iran will soon resume talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia, Iranian officials said, marking an expected fourth round of negotiations to be held in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said last night he spoke about …

The military exercise was the first since President Ebrahim Raisi took office. Iran tested a domestically made missile system on Tuesday. The Mersad 16 anti-aircraft system was fully developed in Iran. Tehran says it can identify targets at any altitude and transmit data to a command center for their destruction. …

Hundreds of international observers are gearing up for the legislative elections in Iraq on Oct. 10 in an attempt to help Iraqis conduct transparent and fair elections. With Iraq’s general elections quickly approaching in October, the country has invited international observers to ensure transparency and trust in the vote. Judge …

Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani helped facilitate a recent phone call between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan have spoken on the …

Iran’s Army tested an upgraded version of the Mersad missile defense system in the country’s central desert. The Mersad-16 homegrown missile defense system fired missiles to shoot down the intended targets. Mersad is a medium-altitude surface-to-air missile system with electronic warfare capabilities. According to General Khoshqalb, the Air Defense Force’s …

The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen were accused of war crimes on Tuesday after they launched two armed drones targeting Abha airport and a ballistic missile aimed at Najran in the south of the Kingdom. Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the drones and the missile. Eight people were injured …

Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani helped facilitate a recent phone call between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan have spoken on the …

The second attack on the Abha airport in 24 hours injured several people, state-run media outlets reported. Eight people were injured in the latest drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport, the country’s state-run news media reported Tuesday. The drone was intercepted and shrapnel struck the runway, the Saudi-led coalition …

The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has encouraged Sunni extremist armed groups in Syria and pro-Iran Shiite militias in Iraq. As the world focuses on the end of the US military presence in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s rapid takeover of most of the country, culminating with the handover of Kabul on …

Syria’s military bombarded the last rebel enclave in the southern city of Deraa on Sunday, killing at least six people in one of the deadliest attacks in its siege of the birthplace of the country’s uprising, residents said. The army declined to comment on the reports but said in a …