Middle Orient

Can Chinese investment provide boost to Iran’s Chabahar port?

As US-Iran ties deteriorated, India slowed down work at Iran’s Chabahar port; yet Chinese investment could bring it back to life. Even though it had been exempted from US economic sanctions, Iran’s Chabahar port project could not take off as various indirect financial drawbacks persisted. Having direct access to the …

Read More »

Islamic State takes border station in Iraqi desert with ‘drug smuggling wali’

A recent incident along Iraq’s western border and alleged connections between drug smuggling and Islamic State cells in the area have raised concern. Orders to arrest three Iraqi border guard commanders in late April after positions were abandoned and equipment and weaponry were left to alleged Islamic State (IS) attackers …

Read More »

Russia to build floating dock off Syrian coast

Russia’s repair shop in Tartus is working to build a floating dock, greatly expanding the capabilities of the military base. The Russian Ministry of Defense is working to expand its naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus following the major expansion of the main Hmeimim base, located in the …

Read More »

Iran confirms talks with rival Saudi Arabia

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Iraq-mediated talks focused on bilateral and regional issues. Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the country’s widely reported talks with Saudi Arabia in what marks Tehran’s first public acknowledgement of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with its regional rival. During a news conference on …

Read More »

After violent weekend in Jerusalem, clashes erupt on Temple Mount

Violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at Temple Mount, or Haram-esh-Sherif, as clashes spread. Violent clashes broke out this morning at the Temple Mount compound between thousands of Palestinian worshippers and Jerusalem police forces. Reportedly, the worshippers had stayed there overnight, accumulating rocks, bottles and other makeshift objects …

Read More »

Iraqi Protesters Set Fire to Iranian Consulate Over Killing of Activist

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Monday that his government had delivered a “letter of protest” to the Iraqi Embassy in Tehran condemning a raid by Iraqi protesters on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Karbala. Activist Ehab al-Wazni, who organized protests against corruption and Iran’s influence on the Iraqi …

Read More »

Islamist Party Holds Key to Impending Israeli Unity Government

In stark contrast to the violence boiling over on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, a right-center-left coalition of parties opposed to the rule of longtime Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could be formed as early as Tuesday with support from an Islamist party, the United Arab List. Yair Lapid, chairman of the …

Read More »

300 Injured in Jerusalem Day Riots

Violence broke out again on Monday at Al-Aqsa Mosque as Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli police squared off on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, sending at least 206 people – 205 Palestinian protesters and one Israeli police officer – to local hospitals for treatment. An additional 100 demonstrators and eight …

Read More »

IntelBrief: Challenges to the Forward Momentum of U.S.-Iran Diplomacy

U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Vienna are making progress, but remain threatened by Israel-Iran conflict, Iranian naval challenges in the Persian Gulf, and political infighting in Tehran. Israeli officials insist to the Biden administration that they will continue to act unilaterally against Iranian nuclear facilities, if necessary. A backlash due to …

Read More »

Iran: The New Home Of Al-Qaeda? – OpEd

The latest from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), according to Fox News, is that “al-Qaeda leaders are being harbored inside Iran.” This revelation comes as no surprise to Liberty Nation. The malevolent machinations of the Tehran regime have been front and center in LN reports for the last few months. …

Read More »