Jordan’s Economy Weathers Iran War’s Shocks and Finds New Opportunities
In the summer of 2003, King Abdullah II told Bloomberg Jordan sits “between Iraq and a hard place,” a play on words designed to describe the kingdom’s challenging environment to an American audience amid the US-led Iraq war to the east and the lingering Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the west. Jordan is grappling with a much “harder place” today.
Proponents of the war with Iran have taken recent increases in crude-oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz as proof that the US strategy is finally working. President Trump is so confident in this that he recently rejected a seven-day plan, set forward by Iran’s foreign ministry, to end the war and open the strait. The United States is “winning tremendously,” Trump boasted.
The Mecca Alliance Meets the Red Sea – Saudi Arabia’s New Defense Pact Faces Its First Major Test
When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to a mutual defense pact in August, it was principally seen as a political commitment. The “Mecca alliance,” as it was dubbed, stipulated that an armed attack on one would be treated as an attack on all three, accompanied by deeper military cooperation.
Iran-Backed Iraqi Paramilitaries Reach Border Area, Express Readiness to Fight in Syria
The head of an Iranian-supported Badr Organization said today that the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces have launched a new operation to secure areas along the Syrian-Iraqi border, Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), reported.
Iran Plans to Launch Several Satellites into Space, including 1st Sensor-Operational Satellite
Iranian officials claim that the country has made significant progress in designing and producing satellites and is planning on launching several satellites into space in the near future.
Iran Says It's Ready to Send Troops to Syria to Monitor Ceasefire
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the Islamic Republic is prepared to deploy troops to Syria to monitor the ceasefire, Iranian media reported. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi added that Iran, Russia and Turkey are holding talks to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire and de-escalation zones in Syria. “If the required grounds are provided, there would be a need to deploy forces who can monitor the ceasefire,” the Iranian spokesman said.
Senior Iranian Clerics: “Shadow of War over Iran Expanding” with new U.S.-Arab Partnership
Senior Iranian clerics at Friday prayers across the country today denounced the creation of an “Arab NATO” by the United States and its regional allies to fight terrorism and contain Iran’s regional ambitions.
Iran-Supported Iraqi Paramilitaries Make Further Gains in Western Mosul
The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces today seized nine villages around al-Qairawan region in western Mosul from the Islamic State, the Iranian media reports. According to a P.M.F. statement, the paramilitary forces “managed to reach the Sinjar mountains and block the road that connects Sinjar to al-Ba’aj.
The Iranian defense minister today claimed that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in the field of producing military hardware, particularly ballistic missiles, the Iranian media reported.
IranObserved: Presidential Election and Foreign Policy
May 23, 2017 – Ahmad Majidyar, director of the IranObserved project at the Middle East Institute, joins host Paul Salem to discuss Hassan Rouhani’s reelection as president, the election’s implications for U.S.-Iran relations during the Trump presidency, and Iran’s broader strategy in regional conflicts.
I.R.G.C. Unveils New Underground Missile Production Factory despite U.S. Warning
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) Aerospace Force today revealed that the country has recently built a third underground ballistic missile production factory, the
Iran Paper: Are New U.S. Sanctions a Declaration of War against Iran?
The U.S. Senate Relations Committee today approved a new set of sanctions against Iran for its ballistic missile program, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses.
Iran-Supported Iraqi Groups Marching ahead in Western Mosul
The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) have seized eight villages from the Islamic State in western Mosul, the Iranian media reports. According to Iraqi officials, the paramilitary forces have also launched operations in northern Ba’aj and have secured the control of the main road linking al-Adaniyah district and the two of al-Ba’aj. According to a P.M.F.
Worries in Tehran about Close U.S.-Arab Partnership to Contain Iran
The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) said that President Donald Trump’s statements at the Riyadh summit was only a confession to Iran’s superior power in the region. “50 world leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia and their only word was that Iran enjoys an uncontrollable power, and it is an honor for us (Iran),” Brigadier General Hossein Salami stressed. He warned that any actions against Iran would have dire consequences.
The election of Emmanuel Macron is certainly bad news for terrorist organizations in the Middle East. At the same time, it is unlikely that France will modify its attitude in regards to larger regional challenges, for instance, the ongoing Syrian civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Iranian-Backed Forces Advancing to Southeast Syria despite U.S. Warning
The U.S. air strike last week targeting Iranian-led forces in southern Syria signaled escalating tension between Washington and Tehran over the six-year conflict in Syria. The U.S. military said it carried out the raid because an Iran-directed convoy was advancing toward a “de-confliction zone” near the al-Tanf region, where the U.S. military is training Syrian opposition forces to fight the Islamic State. The militia forces reportedly did not respond to U.S. warnings. The air strike – the first such action by the U.S.
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.
