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.
Worries in Tehran over Trump Exploring anti-Iran Arab Alliance
Recent reports that claimed the Trump administration is contemplating forming a military alliance with Arab allies to contain Iran have generated anxiety in Tehran.
In a fiery speech, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah organization, has threatened Jerusalem with devastating military response in the event of a new round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Iranian Protestors Blast Government for Engaging in Foreign Wars and Neglecting Domestic Priorities
Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan Province has been hit by four consecutive days of angry protest rallies, as residents have been calling on the government to address the region’s worsening environmental degradation and air pollution. People are also angry because their power and water supplies have been cut off for several days as well. Protesters in the provincial capital city of Ahwaz also blasted local authorities and the government of President Hassan Rouhani for neglecting the region.
Iranian Opposition Leader’s Son Lambasts Khamenei and Rouhani for Illegal Arrests
The son of Mehdi Karroubi, a former Iranian opposition leader and presidential candidate who has been held under house arrest in Iran since February 2011, says Iran’s Supreme Leaders Ali Khamenei is directly responsible for the illegal detention of his father. “The whole issue comes down to Mr.
Reporters Without Borders Blasts Iranian Regime’s 38 Years of “Media Repression”
As the Iranian government celebrated the 38th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with a lot of fanfare on February 10, Reporters Without Borders (SRF) strongly condemned the regime’s persecution of journalists and systematic crackdown on the f
There has been much speculation in the Iranian media about Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit to Germany this week. While Zarif has already met with a number of his counterparts from various countries and international institutions as reported by Fars News, it was the question of whether he might meet with his U.S. counterpart on the sidelines of the Munich security conference that captivated much of the Iranian media’s coverage. Many outlets speculated that a potential meeting between Zarif and U.S.
One of Iran’s top diplomats, Abbas Araghchi, who is a deputy foreign minister and held a senior position as a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump does in fact have the power to “tear apart” the agreement. Araghchi pointed out that the U.S. president has the power to either extend sanctions waivers on Iran, as President Obama did, or refuse to do so.
Iran-Backed Group Marks Hezbollah Leader’s Assassination Anniversary by Firing Missiles in Iraq
Fars News Agency (FNA) reports today that Iran-supported Iraqi Shiite militia group Harakat al-Nujaba commemorated the “martyrdom” anniversary of Hezbollah’s former military leader Imad Mughniyeh by firing missiles at Islamic State targets in northern regions of Iraq’s Salahuddin Province. According to FNA, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), the Shiite militia group launched an offensive dubbed “Operations for the Blood of Martyred Commander Imad Mughniyeh” to “liberate” the Islamic State-held region of Jabal Makhul (Makhul Mountains) in Salahuddin.
Khamenei Hits Critics, Ridicules Idea of “National Unity”
In a speech that no doubt will be seen as an attack on the government of President Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s Supreme Leader dismissed the idea of “national unity” as
Top Hamas Figure Urges Relinking With Bashar Al-Assad
Mahmoud al-Zahar, one of the top members of the Hamas leadership is reported by the Iranian press to push for the resumption of relations between the Palestinian organization and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Iran-Linked Militia Groups Playing Increasing Role in Mosul and Kirkuk Military Operations
A number of leaders of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have told Iran’s Fars News Agency (FNA) that their forces will play a leading military role in “liberating” 3,000 square kilometers of Islamic State-held areas in western Mosul.
Right Group Blasts Iran’s Intelligence Ministry for Violently Arresting Young Arab Activist
Iranian Intelligence Ministry authorities have violently arrested a 17-year-old ethnic Arab activist in the southeastern province of Khuzestan on February 8, the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
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