Middle Orient

As Iran’s regime nears its sham parliamentary elections, scheduled for March, the process of purging the key regime figures from running for office has reached a point thateven the regime newspaper Ham-Mihan wrote on January 7, “No news has had as strong a reaction as the disqualification of Seyyed Mahmoud …

US President Joe Biden should be applauded for Thursday’s strikes against the Houthis. International trade is constrained by eight primary maritime chokepoints, hard realities imposed by immutable geography. The United States has long recognized a vital national security interest in ensuring freedom of navigation through each of them. This strike …

Pax Americana has hollowed out our sense of duty The year I was born, one of the most famous New Wave songs of all time was released: Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army”. It was written after Costello visited Northern Ireland during the Troubles. There, he described seeing “mere boys walking around …

We are always at the tip of the American spear “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living,” Karl Marx observed. When it comes to British military adventurism in the Middle East, that certainly rings true. The recent history of British interventions …

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have threatened a “strong and effective response” after the US carried out another strike in the country, ratcheting up tensions as Washington vows to protect shipping from attacks by the group. The latest strike, which the US said hit a radar site, came a day after dozens …

Sometimes it is even more clear than usual, the priorities of US capitalism: near 24,000 civilian lives lost is acceptable, a 20% drop in Red Sea traffic is not. Assuring Israel’s survival as a US base in the Middle East is essential, minimizing the risk of wider war in the …

Because of the apparent lack of oversight from world leaders, especially the United States, the rising provision of ballistic missiles by Iran to non-state actors –including terrorist and militia groups, as well as rogue states — now presents a significant source of concern for global security. The regime continues to …

What a show. As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was promoting a message of calm restraint and firm control in limiting the toxic fallout of Israel’s horrific campaign in Gaza, a decision was made by his government, the United Kingdom and a few other reticent collaborators to strike targets …

The International Court of Justice may be all that stands between the Palestinians in Gaza and genocide. The exhaustive 84-page brief submitted by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) charging Israel with genocide is hard to refute. Israel’s campaign of indiscriminate killing, wholesale destruction of infrastructure, including …

The Thursday night US and UK-led major strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, while posing a significant risk for escalating the Gaza war into a regional conflict, still apparently have not deterred the Iran-backed rebel group’s resolve to attack Red Sea shipping and even Western naval vessels. Houthi spokesman Brig. …