Middle Orient

Key TakeawaysThe Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy attacked and likely redirected two vessels towards Iran on April 22, likely to enforce Iranian claims of sovereignty over the strait to disrupt global shipping and extract US concessions. The IRGC also may have redirected the two vessels in response to the …

The current failing effort to make Iran out to be a major threat to world peace starts the clock at 1979 in its propaganda effort to justify U.S. aggression against Teheran, which deliberately overlooks the events of 1953, when a joint U.S.-British effort overthrew the then secular Iranian government in …

Over the course of six weeks of war between Iran, Israel, and the United States, Saudi Arabia’s restraint has perplexed some onlookers. After all, the war almost immediately spilled into the Persian Gulf. Iran’s retaliatory attacks on infrastructure in Gulf countries—and then Tehran’s closure and Washington’s subsequent blockade of the …

Cities and towns in northeastern Syria, particularly al-Hasakah and al-Qamishli, have seen a notable security escalation in recent days. It has included renewed security deployments on the streets, the spread of temporary checkpoints, tighter inspection procedures, field movements, and politically charged activities, with no official explanation from the Syrian Democratic …

Ilham Ahmed, Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, offered new details about the high-level meeting held in Damascus on April 15. The talks brought together Ahmed, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi, and Interim Government President Ahmed al-Sharaa to …

Syria is once again confronting a surge of security and political turbulence, shaped by internal fragility and the accelerating storms of regional conflict. On Sunday, the Ministry of Interior announced that its security units had thwarted several attempts to destabilize the country and undermine public safety. The ministry pointed to …

Negotiations between the United States and Iran since the first round in Islamabad reflect a stagnation of stumbling over disagreements over key issues such as the nuclear program and mechanisms to stop the war. At the same time, Washington has stepped up pressure through the naval blockade and sanctions, along …

Most of the US military bases and facilities in the Persian Gulf (listed below) have been hit by Iran during the first five weeks of the war. And many of these are no longer operating or have been effectively destroyed. The US Naval base in Bahrain is no longer operational …

New Supreme Leader remains in hiding with severe burns and limb injuries after February airstrike; Revolutionary Guard commanders emerge as dominant decision-makers in ‘board of directors’ governance Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently governing from an undisclosed hideout while struggling to recover from catastrophic injuries sustained in …

President Trump recently commented on the turmoil within Iran’s leadership, emphasizing the ongoing power struggle following the late Supreme Leader Khamenei’s death. President Donald J. Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to highlight what he sees as deep confusion and infighting inside Iran’s fractured leadership, while boasting that the …