Brian is joined by His Excellency Talal Al Rahbi, the ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States of America, to discuss what it means to represent the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and the role of Oman’s quiet diplomacy. He also reflects on growing up during Oman’s transformation, his time spent in the United States, and why the two nations’ long-standing partnership matters today.
After decades of political setbacks, Iran’s former Revolutionary Guards commander has returned to the center of power. Is he an incidental beneficiary of war, or have observers underestimated him all along?
The Unavoidable Neighbor: Managing Iran Beyond the War
Gulf states and their partners are increasingly looking beyond their most immediate interests of containing the war with Iran. While recent talks between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran have kept de-escalation on the agenda, a broader regional security framework and non-aggression pact has also emerged, envisioning a longer-lasting solution to regional conflicts. The talks have yet to produce a settlement, but they reflect a growing recognition that Gulf security cannot depend entirely on Washington. Iran will still be there, and its neighbors will have to find ways of living with it.
Top Iranian Lawmaker Hails Quds Force’s Subversive Activities in Iraq and Syria
Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi has commended Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani’s “important” role in regional conflicts.
Concerns in Iran over Trump’s Possible I.R.G.C. Designation
The media and legal experts in Iran have already begun examining the implications a potential decision by the Trump administration to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) as a terrorist entity. Tabnak, an outlet affiliated with former I.R.G.C.
After boycotting parliamentary elections in 2012 and 2013, the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, Hadas, ran their candidates in last year’s snap election. Four out of five of the party’s candidates won, bringing Hadas back into Kuwait’s 50-member National Assembly.
Iran Tasks Basij to Expand the War on Information and Smother Social Media
Iran’s Deputy Attorney General Abdolsamad Khoramabadi has announced that his office has tasked the Basij organization to take a leading role in cracking down on the country’s cyberspace.
I.R.G.C. Continues to Incite Houthi Attacks against Saudi Arabia
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) media outlets continue to justify and encourage attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia. I.R.G.C.-affiliated Fars News Agency, for example, ran a number of news stories and commentaries today glorifying the Houthis’ latest attacks against Saudi military targets, including a recent attack targeting a Saudi warship and a scud missile that the Houthis claimed hit a military base near the Saudi capital.
Iran's Regime Intensifies Crackdown on Innocent Iranians Traveling Home from West
An Iranian scientist who worked for a Belgian university has been threatened with the death penalty in Iran, the Amnesty International reported on February 7. Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a resident of Sweden and a professor at a Belgian university, has been detained in Iran since last April.
Khamenei’s Insincere “Clemency” ahead of Revolution Day
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 631 Iranian convicts, the Iranian media reports. The “clemency” was suggested by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani on the occasion of a Shiite religious event and ahead of the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution. The convicts were mostly from Iran’s revolutionary courts, the Judiciary Organization of the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.
Afghan Official Says Iran Is Fueling Sectarian Tension in Western Provinces
The BBC Persian reports that Iran has significantly expanded its ideological, cultural and economic sphere of influence in Afghanistan’s western province of Nimroz and is inflaming sectarian tension in the province.
Harsh I.R.G.C. Attack on Turkey in Midst of Syria Talks
Mohsen Rezaei, a top commander in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), has waged an exceptionally tough attack on Turkey and accused Ankara to be the minion of the United States in Washington’s “dangerous game in the Middle East.”
Iran Hardliners Urge Escalation in Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia
Hardline Iranian media are enthusiastically speculating that the conflict in Yemen will soon enter a more dangerous phase with the intensification in the use of missiles by the Yemeni rebels.
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
