Middle Orient

Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi made his first trip to Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The visit was part of a broad effort by Saudi Arabia to counter the growing regional influence of its rival, Iran, by deepening political and economic …

Will the next U.S. president have any incentive to revive the Iran nuclear deal? The status of the agreement has steadily eroded since the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of it in May 2018 and subsequently reimposed punishing economic sanctions on Iran and any entities that do business with it. And …

Just days into the new year, Iran announced that “a couple of hours ago,” it had started enriching uranium to 20 percent—a level that experts say would put it within a six-month sprint of converting its entire nuclear stockpile to bomb-grade material. Tehran’s move Monday raises the pressure on President-elect …

After a decade of war, the biggest threat now to President Bashar al-Assad is an economic crisis. But at a recent meeting, he had no concrete solutions to his country’s extreme distress. In a private meeting with pro-government journalists, President Bashar al-Assad was asked about Syria’s economic meltdown: the currency …

Libyans ousted a dictator, but an ensuing civil war hasdrawn in Russia, Turkey and others with a thirst for control The Soviet-era cargo plane rose from a frigid Moscow runway and banked south toward Syria, landing at a Russian air base on the coast several hours later. It ascended again …

Top Israeli defense and political leaders are scheduled to meet on February 28 to discuss a response to what Israel’s defense minister says was likely an attack by Iran against a an Israeli-owned cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. Israel’s state-owned Kan television quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying …

The Biden administration’s publication of a US intelligence report that holds Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi creates a fundamental challenge to the kingdom’s geopolitical ambitions. The challenge lies in whether and how Saudi Arabia will seek to further diversify its alliances …

Iran’s position in the South Caucasus, a region it sees as a part of its historical interests, is coming under tremendous pressure. The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War underlined the need for Tehran to rapidly adjust its approach in light of Turkey’s and Russia’s growing power. The November 2020 peace deal which …

Israel targets Iran-backed strongholds in second attack in less than a month on outskirts of Syrian capital. The Syrian army said on Sunday evening that Israeli-fired rockets struck parts of southern Damascus in escalating attacks that regional intelligence sources said target Iran-linked assets. A Syrian army statement said the attack …

Former Jaysh al-Islam spokesman’s family have claimed that he is subjected to psychological and physical torture in France, writes Sowt Al-Asima. The family of the former spokesman for Jaysh al-Islam (“Army of Islam”), Majdi Nehme, known as Islam Alloush, has reactivated his case in the media through a statement published …