March, 2021

• 7 March

  Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army talks security with HTS in Idlib

  

  Sources in the Syrian opposition have revealed contacts between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and some of the Turkish-allied Free Syrian Army factions on security of the areas under the control of the FSA. Syrian opposition sources have revealed that contacts are taking place between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Free …

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• 7 March

  Republicans challenge Biden’s Pentagon policy nominee on Iran

  

  Colin Kahl said he supports the Abraham Accords and continued pressure on Tehran. Republican lawmakers on Thursday dug into Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden’s pick to become the Pentagon’s top policy official — a role akin to the defense secretary’s right-hand with responsibility in broad swaths of US national security …

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• 7 March

  Iran to present ‘concrete plan of action’ for nuclear talks, Zarif says

  

  Iran’s foreign minister shot down comments by a senior politician who said Tehran would negotiate if the United States promises sanctions relief within a year.

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• 7 March

  Jordan set to open consulate in Western Sahara

  

  Jordan is set to open a consulate in the Western Sahara region on Thursday, a Moroccan Foreign Ministry official told Anadolu Agency. “Jordan will open a general consulate in Laayoune [the largest city of the disputed Western Sahara region] on Thursday,” said the official, who preferred to remain unnamed due …

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• 7 March

  Biden response to Khashoggi investigation ‘shocking,’ says UN official

  

  The UN official who investigated the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi sharply criticized U.S. President Biden’s response to the killing, saying his administration’s failure to sanction Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a “dangerous” message to world leaders that they could kill dissidents and journalists with impunity. “I …

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• 7 March

  Trump & Biden’s Secret Bombing Wars

  

  On February 25th, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close …

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• 7 March

  Egypt moves ahead with purchase of Russian arms despite US warnings

  

  Russian media reported that Egypt has received five Sukhoi Su-35 advanced combat aircraft despite US threats to sanction Cairo over the Russian deal. Russia officially announced on Feb. 25 that Egypt had received five Sukhoi Su-35 advanced combat aircraft. The Russian Khabarovsk Krai region’s official media agency stated that the …

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• 7 March

  Will Iran’s Reformists ‘hire’ a candidate for presidency?

  

  In its struggle against all of the odds, Iran’s Reform movement says it is learning lessons from the past to avoid losing its last trench of power in the June presidential election. The more radical sectors of Iran’s embattled Reform movement say past experience has taught them not to “hire …

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• 7 March

  Nasiriyah tensions ease as pope heads to Iraq

  

  Iraq’s Nasiriyah has been the scene of violent protests recently, but calm has settled over the city with the prime minister’s efforts to calm it. Iraq’s southern city of Nasiriyah — recently the site of large anti-government protests — has largely escaped the attention of the international media, but that …

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• 7 March

  Arab-Israelis accuse police of brutality against demonstrators

  

  Demonstrations in the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm spun out of control, and accusations of excessive force by the police have reached the Knesset. Early this January, armed assailants shot the former mayor of Umm al-Fahm, Suleiman Aghbariah, leaving him seriously wounded. In response, the people of the city have …

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