Gulf and Arabian Peninsula

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) – also known as the Hashd al-Shaabi – on Sunday seized the center of al-Baaj, one of the last bastions of the Islamic State in northwestern Iraq close to the Syrian border, the Iraqi and Iranian media reported. Iraqi air force assisted the P.M.F.

A senior Iranian military official has said that the country’s 47th flotilla of warships will be deployed to the Indian Ocean this month to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers, according to Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards (I.R.G.C.), “The 46th flotilla, which was dispatched to the high seas some time ago, is now halfway through its mission and will return home in the coming days,” Rear Admiral Peyman Jafari Tehrani, the deputy commander of the Iranian Navy, said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday blasted the Trump administration for trying to create a regional security alliance to counter Iran, and claimed that the new initiative will not succeed.

After making significant territorial gains in western Mosul and reaching the Syrian border, Iran-backed Iraqi militia forces today announced that they plan to “recapture” the strategic al-Tanf border crossing from the U.S.-backed Syrian opposition groups, the Iranian media reports.

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The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces today seized more territory from the Islamic State in western Mosul near the Syrian border, the Iranian media reports. After heavy clashes with Islamic State militants south of the al-Ba’aj region, the paramilitary forces reportedly captured the village of al-Khibra and the nearby al-Sakaar housing complex.

The persecution of the Baha’i community in Yemen has markedly increased and resembles the state-sanctioned mistreatment of the minority group inside Iran, according to the latest reports by the United Nations and human rights organizations. “The recent escalation in the persistent pattern of persecution of the Bahá’í community in Sana’a mirrors the persecution suffered by the Bahá’ís living in Iran,” the U.N.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi today reacted angrily to allegations by a former Iranian parliamentarian that Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had struck a deal to hand over Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani to the United States in return for removing banking sanctions against Iran.

The participation of the Iraqi delegation led by President Fuad Masum at the Riyadh summit has raised a lot of questions in Tehran. “Has Iraq joined the Saudi against Iran?” was the title of a lengthy analysis piece published today in Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. According to the article, many in Iran have criticized the Palestinian and Iraqi leaders for attending and the Riyadh summit and “voting in favor of an anti-Iran resolution” despite the fact that the Islamic Republic has supported Palestine and Iraq for many years.

Iranian Telegram social media channels today published videos that showed family members of those killed in Syria strongly protesting the presence of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahm

The spokesman for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, said on Wednesday that the paramilitary forces aim to seize and control all regions along

On May 20, President Donald Trump landed in Riyadh for the first stop of his nine-day Middle East and European tour. Many hoped that the president’s long-awaited trip would clarify his administration’s approach to the Middle East. As expected, the most important developments involved a $110 billion arms deal, anti-Iranian rhetoric and plans to establish an “Arab NATO.”

The Iranian media sees the heightening tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia – two member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) – as an opportunity to weaken the U.S.-Arab alliance against Iran and its proxies in the region.

Reacting to today’s deadly bombing in Kabul, Iranian leaders and media outlets blamed U.S. policies and military presence in Afghanistan for growing extremism and instability in the war-ravaged country. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the Kabul attack shows “Takfiri terrorism recognizes no boundaries” and called on regional countries to act in unison to fight terrorism instead of seeking help from outsiders – an apparent reference to the United States, which has more than 8,000 troops in Afghanistan training and assisting the country’s security forces.