Middle Orient

A special committee implicates militias in causing violent clashes on Nov. 5 A committee charged with investigating violence between Iraqi security forces and pro-militia demonstrators released its report Dec. 1 on the Nov. 5 clashes that occurred as demonstrators protested election results. The committee was formed by Prime Minister Mustafa …

In order to break the political deadlock resulting from Iraq’s recent elections, Shiite leaders gathered to find a solution to forming the next government. Leaders of Shiite political parties gathered in Baghdad at the home of Fatah Alliance leader Hadi al-Amiri on Dec. 2 to discuss solutions to the country’s …

Iran’s sharp rebuke followed reports that Israel had shared intelligence with Western partners alleging that Iran’s nuclear enrichment has nearly reached weapons-producing levels. The “Israeli regime … is trumpeting lies to poison Vienna talks,” tweeted Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh on the eve of the fourth day of nuclear …

Syrian state media said IS fighters ambushed buses carrying the employees in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province. Several oil workers were killed by the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria today. IS fighters ambushed two buses carrying the workers back from work in the al-Kharata oil field in the southwest …

The Saudi-led coalition claimed it bombed a secret facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Yemen. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied Saudi claims that Tehran has a military facility in Yemen yesterday. “Such baseless declarations are made to deflect the nations of the region and the world’s public …

Working in all directions against a nuclearized Iran, the Israeli air force prepares itself for different scenarios. Never, to the best of our knowledge, has an incumbent Mossad chief publicly issued such a pronouncement, but on Nov. 2, the spy agency’s director David Barnea pledged that Iran would never have …

Following the resignation of the finance minister and his replacement by a loyalist on Dec. 2, the Turkish lira continued its steady decline against the dollar, bringing its losses for the year to nearly 50%. The Turkish currency is once again under speculative attack, similar to previous episodes in July …

Ahead of the seventh round of the Iran nuclear negotiations that ended on Dec. 3 in Vienna, many observers interpreted Ebrahim Raisi’s election to the presidency and his recent rhetoric as representing a distinct shift in Iran’s nuclear strategy. Indeed, in November, Raisi’s government’s official newspaper Iran explained that Tehran’s …

In the occupied al-Bab countryside, social media users reported the defection of the so-called commander of the al-Sukkaria village’s forces from the pro-Turkish Hamza Division militia. The commander was accompanied by other gunmen and some cars and their arrival in areas of army control. According to reports, gunmen from the …

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) has expressed its readiness to participate in a “genuine, constructive dialogue process” with the Damascus government. SDC considers this step to be one of the most important processes for resolving the Syrian crisis through a Russian-American consensus. In remarks quoted by opposition websites, SDC president …